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Text messaging can provide quick, efficient communication between physicians and patients. In malpractice litigation, it can also prove physician attentiveness and responsiveness. However, text messages can complicate the defense of a malpractice claim, particularly if they are not integrated into the patient record. Consider how documentation issues unnecessarily complicated the defense in the following case.

Some electronic health record (EHR) systems do not offer integrated texting apps, which can lead to the use of texting apps that require a separate process to transfer texts to the patient record. Unfortunately, text messages frequently do not find their way into the record.

Text messaging often serves as a distraction. And distractions, in general, increase the risk of patient injury.¹ Whether work related or personal, texting generally involves cognitive, visual, and manual tasks. Like phone calls; pages; alarms; and colleague, patient, and patient family requests, text messaging increases the already immense amount of information received and processed during patient care.²

The 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) gave patients a right to view and request corrections to their medical records. In the intervening years, the widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHR), patient portals, and smartphone applications have led to an increase in patients accessing their medical records electronically. The digital evolution of the medical record has prompted a number of healthcare professionals and patient safety advocates to promote quicker access to information stored in the EHR.

Although electronic health records (EHRs) have many benefits, studies reveal unexpected patient safety and liability risks associated with their use. The speed at which EHR technology is advancing and the speed with which hospitals and medical practices are implementing these systems can partially explain this increased risk exposure.¹ Optimizing an EHR (using it to its full potential) can deflect some of this risk. However, the importance of optimizing an EHR can be overlooked amid the struggle to provide quality patient care while complying with regulations and participating in government incentive programs.²