01/22/2026
What Are Data Entry Errors?
Data entry errors happen when patient information is incorrectly recorded, transferred, or stored. They can occur during manual entry into EHRs, during the transcription of paper notes into digital systems, or when importing data between software platforms. Common forms of data entry error include:
🔹 Typos: Entering incorrect values or characters, such as mistakenly inputting 250 mg instead of 25 mg for medication dosages.
🔹 Misclassifications: Incorrectly coding information, like misclassifying hypertension under the wrong code in the International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11).
🔹 Omissions: Leaving out crucial details, such as allergy histories and current medications, can seriously compromise patient safety.
🔹 Duplications: Recording the same information multiple times, resulting in confusion and unnecessarily inflated records.
Patient Safety at Risk: Prevent Data Entry Errors in Healthcare
Data entry errors in healthcare carry a price tag that extends past the occasional frustration of fixing a typo.
For patients, this may result in delayed lab results, medication mix-ups, or unnecessary repeat procedures. As an example, a 2024 study found that inaccurate electronic health record (EHR) entries contributed to preventable adverse events in nearly 15% of hospitalized cancer patients.
Meanwhile, for providers, the burden is financial and operational. Claim denials tied to data errors cost hospitals about $20 billion annually.
At the system level, the impact is broader. When patient records contain errors, it distorts population health statistics and makes it harder to identify real trends in disease, treatment effectiveness, and healthcare disparities.
Bottom-line:
🔹 Data entry errors in healthcare can threaten patient safety, inflate operational costs, and distort public health insights.
🔹 Human limitations, outdated systems, and environmental challenges make errors inevitable, but these can be prevented with proper strategies.
🔹 Combining training, technology, and standardized processes ensures safer, more efficient, and more reliable patient care.
Data entry errors can threaten patients and hospitals alike. Find out how to reduce errors with technology, training, and standardized processes.
