title: Duplicate patient records--implication for missed laboratory results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although duplicate records are a potential patient safety hazard, the actual clinical harm associated with these records has never been studied. We hypothesized that duplicate records will be associated with missed abnormal laboratory results.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective, matched, cohort study of 904 events of abnormal laboratory result (HgbA1c, TSH, Vitamin B(12), LDL). We compared the rates of missed laboratory results between patients with duplicate and non-duplicate records from the ambulatory clinics. Cases were matched according to test and ordering physician.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Duplicate records were associated with a higher rate of missed laboratory results (OR=1.44, 95% CI 1.1-1.9). Other factors associated with missed lab results were tests performed as screening (OR=2.22, 95% CI 1.4-3.4), and older age (OR=1.15 for every decade, 95% CI 1.01-1.2). In most cases test results were reported into the main patient record.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Duplicate records were associated with a higher risk of missing important laboratory results.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Informatics, The University of Texas, Health Science Center in Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Erel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Joffe
authors.forename: Charles F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Bearden
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.forename: Elmer V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Bernstam
mesh_terms: D002984:Clinical Laboratory Information Systems; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records; D012189:Retrospective Studies