Association of Display of Patient Photographs in the Electronic Health Record With Wrong-Patient Order Entry Errors

Key Points Question Can wrong-patient order entry errors be reduced with noninterruptive display of patient photographs? Findings In this cohort study involving 2 558 746 orders that were placed for 71 851 patients, displaying a patient’s photograph in the banner of the electronic health record was associated with a significant reduction in the rate of wrong-patient order entry errors. Unlike prior interventions, this solution required no added practitioner time burden or risk of alert fatigue. Meaning The results of this study suggest that capturing patient photographs and displaying them in the electronic health record may be a simple and cost-effective strategy for reducing wrong-patient errors.