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Emergency nurses have mixed opinions on EHR behavioral flags

Emergency nurses have mixed opinions on EHR behavioral flags

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JAMA Network Open
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If a patient is perceived to pose a safety threat, a behavioral flag may be placed on their electronic health record. A study led by Anish Agarwal found that many nurses in the emergency department view these flags as a helpful advisory but are skeptical of their effectiveness in preventing violence and can perpetuate bias in patient care. The findings suggest that changing how flags are used and integrating them with other safety interventions are needed to improve safety and mitigate bias.