Organizational Factors Contributing to Duplicate Record Data Entry Errors in Emergency Room Fast-Track Admissions

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Emergency room (ER) visits have risen 15% in the U.S. over the past decade.
• Fast-track systems are implemented to manage overcrowding and speed up patient registration.
• Limited data exists on duplicate record errors in fast-track ERs and the influence of work shifts or daily admissions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between organizational factors and duplicate record data entry errors in a fast-track ER setting.
• To analyze the impact of work shift and ER admission volume on data entry error rates.

Main Methods:

• A correlational, quantitative study design was employed.
• Nineteen months of admission data from a healthcare system in Alabama were analyzed.
• Associations between organizational factors (work shift, admission volume) and duplicate record errors were examined.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant associations were found between organizational factors and the incidence of duplicate record data entry errors.
• Specific work shifts and varying daily admission volumes correlated with different error rates.

Conclusions:

• Health information management (HIM) professionals and ER leaders can use these findings to enhance data quality.
• Modifying policies and procedures based on identified organizational impacts can improve patient safety in fast-track ERs.