(January 26, 2009 - Insidermedicine) When effective electronic paperless systems are set up in hospitals, both the hospitals and the patients benefit, according to research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

According to the American Hospital Association, some of the most common medical errors are:

•    Incomplete patient information, such as not knowing what allergies are present whether they are taking other drugs.

•    Unavailable drug information, such as lack of up-to-date warnings.

•    Miscommunication about drug orders.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University rated the level of clinical information technology at 41 hospitals. Their rating took into account the presence of various paperless electronic systems and whether physicians working in the hospitals were aware of the availability of these systems and whether they used them.

Hospitals that received the highest scores for their information technology systems had a 15% lower patient death rate and lower costs associated with patient care. High scores on individual aspects of information technology systems were also associated with lower death rates from heart attacks and heart procedures.The study suggests that if these results were to hold for US hospitals nation wide, computerized records and notes could save 100 000 lives annually.

We had a chance to speak with Dr. Neil Powe, a senior author on this study, who offered some further insight.

Today's research demonstrates how a good electronic paperless information system that physicians are familiar with and comfortable using can benefit both patients and hospitals.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.