A new report has found that many staff do not receive sufficient training to use electronic patient record (EPR) systems safely and effectively, contributing to risks such as missed, delayed, or incorrect care. The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) reviewed 112 investigations conducted between 2018 and May 2025 and concluded that inadequate EPR training has had a negative impact on patient safety, organisational efficiency, and national efforts to digitise healthcare.
Senior safety investigator Nick Woodier explained that staff often assume EPR systems have built-in safeguards—such as preventing incorrect medication doses—when in reality these features may not exist or may not be properly configured. Training frequently fails to reflect real-world clinical use or prepare staff for system failures, and is often delivered by people who lack hands-on experience with the systems. Many trusts also offer little refresher training when new safety-critical features or updated continuity processes are introduced.
The HSSIB report warned that EPR-related issues have created situations in which patients did not receive care, received care too late, or received incorrect treatment, sometimes due to misidentification. Experts emphasised that comprehensive, role-specific EPR training is essential for safe technology use. Ben Jeeves, chair of the Digital Health Networks Clinical Safety Officer Council, stressed that training is one of the most important safeguards but is frequently underestimated and under-resourced, leaving staff unable to recognise or prevent errors. Dr. Yat Li, vice chair of the Digital Health CCIO Advisory Panel, added that the complexity of EPR systems, combined with varying levels of digital literacy across the workforce, makes effective training even more challenging.
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