Electronic Medical Records Impact on Patient Safety at KKUH
This paper evaluates the impact of the e-SIHI Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system on patient safety at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) following its implementation in May 2015. Using a Quality Management Department audit of 324 randomly selected patient files drawn from approximately 3,500 monthly admissions, the study employs quantitative and descriptive statistical methods to compare clinical documentation quality, medication reconciliation rates, and medication errors before and after system deployment. Findings show measurable improvements in clinical documentation and medication reconciliation, but a significant increase in recorded medication errors post-implementation. The paper concludes with recommendations for committee oversight and staff training to strengthen EMR management.
- Introduction and Study Objectives: Overview of e-SIHI implementation and audit rationale
- Research Methodology: Study design, audit tool, data collection approach
- Data Sources and Sample: Departments sampled and file selection criteria
- Findings: Clinical Documentation and Medication Reconciliation: Pre- and post-implementation documentation and reconciliation statistics
- Findings: Medication Errors: Medication error counts and categories before and after EMR
- Discussion and Recommendations: EMR benefits, persistent gaps, and improvement recommendations
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What makes this paper effective
- Uses a systematic pre/post comparative design, allowing direct quantification of the system's impact across multiple clinical indicators.
- Grounds findings in concrete data tables showing percentage-level changes in documentation completeness and medication reconciliation across departments.
- Maintains analytical honesty by reporting the counterintuitive finding — a significant rise in medication errors after implementation — rather than presenting only favorable outcomes.
- Connects empirical findings to actionable recommendations (committee oversight, staff training), closing the gap between analysis and practice.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates pre/post comparative analysis combined with descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, variance) to evaluate the real-world effect of a health information technology intervention. This approach is standard in healthcare quality improvement research and allows a reader to assess magnitude of change, not just direction.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a statement of objectives and context, moves into a methodology section covering study design, project tool, data collection, and sample characteristics, then presents findings organized by clinical area (documentation, medication reconciliation, medication errors), and closes with a discussion that synthesizes results and offers policy-level recommendations. References follow APA format.
Introduction and Study Objectives
This study demonstrates the impact of the e-SIHI (Electronic Medical Records) system on patient security and safety at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH). The hospital implemented e-SIHI in May 2015 across all departments. Two weeks after implementation, the Quality Management Department (QMD) conducted an audit to measure compliance and to determine whether e-SIHI could improve patient health and safety. The QMD found that several areas required improvement. This paper discusses the methodology used to evaluate the system and ascertain whether e-SIHI is beneficial to patients.
Research Methodology
The research team audited e-SIHI using a checklist to verify whether electronic health records (EHRs) were up-to-date, accurate, and consistent with the organization's procedures and policies for effective information management.
Documents were reviewed using the JCAHO checklist, which consists of a structured review of medical records. The study also used open record review to monitor the standard and quality of care delivered to patients. Open record review plays an important role in making documentation more streamlined and systematic. Approximately 3,500 patient admissions are recorded by King Khalid University Hospital each month; the study selected and reviewed 350 files, representing 10% of all patient records. The study reviewed only the files of patients admitted for more than 48 hours who had not yet been discharged.
Data were collected from open electronic medical records, analyzed, and presented to the department head to highlight gaps requiring improvement.
Data analysis was carried out using quantitative techniques. A comparative analysis was conducted to compare the system's impact before and after implementation. Descriptive statistics were also used to summarize data in a manageable form, presenting the mean value for each indicator.
Data Sources and Sample
Data were collected from open electronic patient files across the following departments: surgery, medicine, pediatrics, KFCC, critical care, orthopedics, oncology, OB/GYN, mental health, and the emergency department. Quality facilitators collected the data, secretaries entered it into the system, and evaluation and monitoring specialists analyzed it.
The study reviewed 324 files drawn from approximately 3,500 monthly patient admission files. The breakdown of files reviewed was as follows: 20 KFCC, 20 Critical Care, 40 OB, 150 Medicine, 45 Pediatrics, 77 Surgery, and 10 Psychiatry.
The internal audit was conducted by randomly selecting a group of files and reviewing each file's contents for completeness.
The quality facilitators collected data, which was encoded by a secretary and analyzed by the Quality Specialist. The study carried out a comparative report between the third quarter of 2015 and the period from December 15 through January. Data were collected to compare clinical documentation, medication reconciliation, medication errors, and laboratory (phlebotomy) indicators before and after system implementation.
References
AlAswad, A. M. (2015). Issues concerning the adoption and usage of electronic medical records in Ministry of Health hospitals in Saudi Arabia. School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), the University of Sheffield.
Bowman, S. (2013). Impact of electronic health record systems on information integrity: Quality and safety implications. Perspectives in Health Information Management, 10.
Jang, J., Yu, S. H., Kim, C., Moon, Y., et al. (2013). The effects of an electronic medical record on the completeness of documentation in the anesthesia record. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 82(8), 702–707.
Kazley, A. S., & Ozcan, Y. A. (2009). Electronic medical record use and efficiency: A DEA and windows analysis of hospitals. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, 43(3), 209–216.
Sittig, D. F., & Singh, H. (2012). National patient safety goals and electronic medical records. New England Journal of Medicine, 367(19), 1854–1860.
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