Information overload is a common problem in healthcare. Research published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that sometimes the systems we devise to prevent missing information results in information overload. A group of VA primary care practitioners were surveyed regarding electronic health record (EHR) based alerts of abnormal test results. 87% of those surveyed perceived the number of alerts received daily was "excessive". Practitioners that reported receiving more alerts than they could manage also reported that these missing results led to delayed patient care. Other factors noted in missed results were electronic handoffs and practitioner perceptions of poor EHR function.

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