NIST Warns EHR “Copy and Paste” Functionality Can Lead to Errors

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently published the results of its research on the use of the “copy and paste” function in electronic health records (EHRs). A report on the findings – “Examining the ‘Copy and Paste’ Function in the Use of Electronic Health Records” – is available free of charge and may be downloaded here. The paper explores the use of “copy and paste” functionality and ways in which it may lead to errors that could affect patient safety.

Click here to read an article from Healthcare IT NewsWeek that reviews the study’s major findings. The study was done in collaboration with ECRI Institute, which had previously published recommendations on the topic from the Partnership for Health IT Patient Safety.

As addressed in our blog post about those recommendations, MLMIC supports the judicious use of the copy and paste function. We encourage all providers and facilities to review the recommendations in the linked resources and evaluate their practices to ensure the safe use of this technology.