EHR Testing: Specifics And Best Practices

We look at the specifics of EHR testing and share best practices that increase the quality and velocity of the testing process.

As EHR software deals with sensitive information and regulates the processes bound directly to patients’ health, it should be thoroughly tested. However, the complexity of EHR software can impede EHR testing process. In the article, we’ve highlighted the testing types EHR should undergo and shared best practices for improving the quality of EHR testing.

Testing Types EHR requires

EHR systems call for a special approach to testing and need to be validated with the emphasis on functionality, usability, interoperability, compliance, and performance.

Functionality

EHRs feature multiple workflows, from patient admissions and insurance verifications to obtaining laboratory results and issuing medication prescriptions. Also, the workflows may vary among healthcare professionals and among different healthcare facilities. During functional testing, a test engineer needs to verify that each workflow complies with the requirements specification.

To achieve optimal test coverage without compromising on testing quality, functional testing of EHR software can be performed based on the functional importance of workflows and the business risk associated with their not functioning as intended. For instance, as medication order prescription is critical in both aspects, it is classified as high-priority and tested first, with multiple test cases and across different environments. In its turn, medication order search is of less criticality, hence, the workflow is assigned a medium priority and tested once and only in the testing environment.