September 26, 2022

What are the Various Documentation Errors in Healthcare?

In order to identify an error in a clinical document, it is essential to understand what those errors are. In this article, we have discussed the different types of errors in healthcare documents and solution to curb them!

In a world where technology is becoming increasingly commonplace in our everyday lives, it's no surprise that even the healthcare industry is starting to rely on various forms of documentation to help keep track of patients and their medical records. However, as with any system, there are always going to be some errors that can creep in. In this article, we'll take a look at some of the most common documentation errors in healthcare and how they can be addressed.

What is the Importance of Medical Documentation in Healthcare?

Medical documentation is an important part of healthcare. It provides a record of patient care and can be used to improve communication among healthcare providers. Good documentation promotes positive assessments of your facility and clinicians, protects patients, and improves care quality. Documentation does not have to be time-consuming or complicated if you have the right solution.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), administrative errors, such as patient record errors, prescription errors, and patient identification errors, cause up to 50% of all medical documentation errors. Documentation errors in healthcare can result in patients being misdiagnosed, which can cause severe harm or even death.

Types of Medical Documents

There are three types of medical documents: clinical, administrative, and legal. Clinical documentation is used to record a patient’s medical history and treatment plan. Administrative documentation is used to track billing and insurance information. Legal documentation is used in the event of a malpractice lawsuit.

Documentation errors in healthcare can occur in any type of medical document. However, clinical documentation is the most important type of document, as it forms the basis of a patient’s care. Documentation errors in clinical documents can lead to incorrect diagnosis and treatment, which can be dangerous or even life-threatening.

Common types of documentation errors in healthcare include misspellings, incorrect dates, transposed numbers, and omitted information. Incomplete or illegible handwriting can also cause problems. In some cases, an error in one part of a document can invalidate the entire document.

The problem of accurate documentation of patient records has long plagued healthcare facilities and professionals. The medical history questionnaire and treatment plan are among the documents used to ensure the quality of patient care. The automation of healthcare documents is a crucial step in overcoming this problem.

The Most Common Types of Document Errors in Healthcare

There are many different types of errors that can occur in medical documentation. Some of the most common include:

1. Omitting important information: This can happen when a doctor or other healthcare professional fails to document important information about a patient’s condition or treatment. This can lead to serious consequences if the omission is not discovered and corrected in a timely manner.

2. Recording incorrect information: This error can occur when a healthcare professional records incorrect information in a patient’s chart. For example, the wrong date of birth or medications may be recorded. This type of error can cause confusion and may lead to improper treatment.

3. Transcription errors: These occur when information is incorrectly copied from one document to another. For example, a doctor’s orders may be incorrectly transcribed by a nurse. This type of error can have serious consequences if the incorrect information is not discovered and corrected before it is acted upon.

4. Incorrect use of abbreviations: Abbreviations are commonly used in medical documentation, but they can also lead to errors if they are used incorrectly. For example, the abbreviation “qd” (for “daily”) may be mistakenly read as “qid” (four times a day), which could lead to a patient receiving the wrong dose of medication.

5. Incomplete documentation: This occurs when a healthcare professional fails to document all of the information related to a patient’s care. For example, a nurse may forget to document a patient’s vital signs or a doctor may forget to document the results of a laboratory test. Incomplete documentation errors in healthcare can make it difficult to provide proper care.

These documentation errors in healthcare  can lead to serious consequences for patients, including delays in treatment, misdiagnosis, and even death. It is important for healthcare providers to be aware of these errors and take steps to avoid them.

How can VisionERA help Reduce such Errors?

VisionERA is a document automation platform that can automatically process and validate information. It merely needs a customized process (DIY) and documentation to fulfill its purpose. Its adaptive nature and reconciliation skills enable it to provide an automated ecosystem in which you only need to upload batch files for document processing. There are numerous clear advantages to implementing VisionERA IDP for any healthcare institution. The most frequent ones are listed below:

  • With IDP on board, the business no longer needs a specific workforce for back-office document processing. As a result, it contributes to lower labor expenses, paper costs, printing costs, storage costs, error reconciliation costs, and so on.
  • VisionERA IDP supports a customized workflow tailored to a specific use case. The creation of a workflow requires no coding expertise and results in a simple step-by-step selection option.

  • VisionERA IDP can conduct procedures with 99% or higher accuracy. It prompts a human operator to reconcile a specific issue for exceptions; once guided, it automatically replicates the reconciliation to the other exceptions.

  • VisionERA facilitates digitization and data storage in an EDGE-based architecture or the cloud. It makes data far more accessible during an emergency because the user can retrieve relevant info with a single search.

  • The VisionERA IDP platform is installed on the organization's network. The stronger the network design, the more secure the data is from outside intrusion.

There is always a risk that healthcare will require more time from patients. The reduction of time spent on back-office processes would result in better care for patients. The new infrastructure eliminates redundant components and provides a robust workflow system. VisionERA IDP is capable of automating a wide range of healthcare documents. As a result, employees can spend more time with patients instead of dealing with paperwork.

Conclusion 

VisionERA IDP solution is best for capturing document errors in healthcare. You'll save money, increase revenue, improve workflows, and secure your business. It's easier to keep patient data updated with streamlined and improved healthcare document management. It aids in the reduction of operating expenditures such as labor, paper storage, and administrative errors.

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