The SAFER (Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience) Guides at healthIT.gov

Dean F. Sittig, PhD, Professor, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System. Electronic health records have the potential to improve quality and safety of healthcare. However, EHR users have experienced safety concerns from EHR design and usability features that are not optimally adapted for the complex workflow of real-world practice. Dr. Sittig and Hardeep describe the development of the Safety Assurance Factors for EHR Resilience (SAFER) guides, which can be used to self-assess safety and effectiveness of EHR implementations, identify specific areas of vulnerability, and create solutions and culture change to mitigate risks. Dr. Sittig helped develop the SAFER Guides for www.healthit.gov.  The Guides can be downloaded at http://www.healthit.gov/safer/safer-guides.