The impact of using electronic patient records on practices of reading and writing

An Australian survey of health professionals' perceptions of use and usefulness of electronic medical records in hospitalised children's pain care

Pain in hospitalised children is common, yet inadequately treated. Electronic medical records (EMRs) can improve care quality and outcomes during hospitalisation. Little is known about how clinicians use EMRs in caring for children with pain. This national cross-sectional survey examined the perceptions of clinician-EMR users about current and potential use of EMRs in children's pain care. One hundred and ninety-four clinicians responded (n = 81, 74% nurses; n = 21, 19% doctors; n = 7, 6% other); most used Epic (n = 53/109, 49%) or Cerner (n = 42/109, 38%). Most (n = 84/113, 74%) agreed EMRs supported their initiation of pharmacological pain interventions. Fewer agreed EMRs supported initiation of physical (n = 49/113, 43%) or psychological interventions (n = 41/111, 37%). Forty-four percent reported their EMR had prompt reminders for pain care. Prompts were perceived as useful (n = 40/51, 78%). Most agreed EMRs supported pain care provision (n = 94/110, 85%) and documentation (n = 99/111, 89%). Only 39% (n = 40/102) agreed EMRs improved pain treatment, and 31% (n = 32/103) agreed EMRs improved how they involve children and families in pain care. Findings provide recommendations for EMR designs that support clinicians' understanding of the multidimensionality of children's pain and drive comprehensive assessments and treatments. This contribution will inform future translational research on harnessing technology to support child and family partnerships in care.

The Integrated Electronic Health System in Iranian health centers: benefits and challenges

BACKGROUND

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) were introduced to all Iranian medical universities in 2015 with the launch of Integrated Electronic Health System (which is known as SIB: a Persian backronym in Persian meaning apple), and a number of studies were conducted on SIB. However, most of these studies did not consider the benefits and challenges of adopting SIB in Iran. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify the benefits and challenges of SIB in health centers of Khuzestan Province, Iran.

METHODS

This was a qualitative study using qualitative conventional content analysis conducted on 6 experts and 24 users of SIB in six health centers of three cities in Khuzestan province, Iran. The participants were selected using a purposeful sampling method. Maximum variation was considered in selecting the group of users, and snowball sampling was used in the group of experts. Data collection tool was semi-structured interview. Data analysis was performed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Overall, 42 components (24 for benefits and 18 for challenges) were extracted from the interviews. Common sub-themes and themes were identified for challenges and benefits. The components formed 12 sub-themes, and they were placed in 3 main themes, namely structure, process and outcome. 1) Structure included four sub-themes of Financial resources, Human resources, Facilities, and Access to the Internet; 2) Process involved three sub-themes of Training, Providing services, and Time and workload; and 3) Outcome incorporated five sub-themes of Quality of health services, Access, Safety and personal distance, Screening and evaluation, and Research.

CONCLUSIONS

In the present study, the benefits and challenges of adopting SIB were examined in three themes: structure, process, and outcome. Most of the identified benefits were related to the theme of outcome, and most of the identified challenges were related to the theme of structure. Based on the identified factors, by strengthening the benefits of SIB and also trying to eliminate or reduce its challenges, it is possible to institutionalize and use it more effectively in order to solve health problems.

"This Graft-vs.-Host Disease Determines My Life. That's It."-A Qualitative Analysis of the Experiences and Needs of Allogenic Hematopoietic Stem Cells Transplantation Survivors in Germany

Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) is the only curative treatment modality for many patients affected by hematologic malignancies. However, it can cause debilitating long-term effects. Understanding the impact of alloHSCT on all aspects of the patients' life is required for optimal survivorship management. Aim: To explore in-depth HSCT-survivors' experiences and needs post-transplant. Partners were included to provide further information on survivors' needs and how care could be improved in this area. Methods: We conducted semi-structured face-to-face and phone interviews with alloHSCT-survivors and their partners referred to a survivorship clinic in Germany. Theoretical sampling was used to recruit participants. Data were analyzed using framework analysis. Results: Thirty-two survivors (consent rate: 100%, response rate: 100%) and eighteen partners (consent rate: 84%, response rate: 72%) participated. Survivors were aged between 25 and 68 years (Median: 48, IQR: 25.3) and partners were aged between 26 and 64 years (Median: 54, IQR: 16, SD: 12.8). The themes emerging from the data involved survivors' needs included (i) the diversity of long-term treatment side-effects; and (ii) time post discharge as a dynamic process with individual peaks of burden. Survivors and their partners also suggested strategies for mitigating these unmet needs, i.e., (iii) transparent communication and patient empowerment; and (iv) improvement in continuity of care system and help with claiming social benefits as cornerstones of optimal survivorship care. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is one of the first qualitative studies focused on the views of German alloHSCT-survivors on the long-term effects of alloHSCT and the first study integrating the view of their partners. Healthcare providers could better support survivors with managing their symptoms and adhering to their prescribed care by ensuring comprehensive, transparent communication that helps increase survivors' understanding and involvement in their care. Further efforts should be made to provide patient-centered, continuous survivorship care that involves additional support with navigating the healthcare and social service system. Intervention studies are required to test the effectiveness of the suggested strategies.

Effects of Electronic Health Record Implementation and Barriers to Adoption and Use: A Scoping Review and Qualitative Analysis of the Content

Despite the great advances in the field of electronic health records (EHRs) over the past 25 years, implementation and adoption challenges persist, and the benefits realized remain below expectations. This scoping review aimed to present current knowledge about the effects of EHR implementation and the barriers to EHR adoption and use. A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore Digital Library and ACM Digital Library for studies published between January 2005 and May 2020. In total, 7641 studies were identified of which 142 met the criteria and attained the consensus of all researchers on inclusion. Most studies (n = 91) were published between 2017 and 2019 and 81 studies had the United States as the country of origin. Both positive and negative effects of EHR implementation were identified, relating to clinical work, data and information, patient care and economic impact. Resource constraints, poor/insufficient training and technical/educational support for users, as well as poor literacy and skills in technology were the identified barriers to adoption and use that occurred frequently. Although this review did not conduct a quality analysis of the included papers, the lack of uniformity in the use of EHR definitions and detailed contextual information concerning the study settings could be observed.

The Evolution of Publication Hotspots in Electronic Health Records from 1957 to 2016 and Differences Among Six Countries

This study aims to reveal the evolution of publication hotspots in the field of electronic health records (EHRs) and differences among countries. We applied keyword frequency analysis, keyword co-occurrence analysis, principal component analysis, multidimensional scaling analysis, and visualization technology to compare the high-frequency Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms in six countries during the periods 1957-2008 and 2009-2016. After 2009, the number of MeSH terms reflecting information exchange and information mining increased, and various types of evaluations based on EHRs and cohort studies significantly increased. The top 20 MeSH terms between 2009 and 2016 constitute five relatively larger knowledge groups. Thus, we conclude that publication hotspots in EHR field have shifted from issues related to the adoption of EHRs to the utilization of EHRs, and the knowledge structure has become systematic. The publication's focus was different in the six countries, which may relate to their national characteristics.

Patient and family engagement in communicating with electronic medical records in hospitals: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Use of electronic medical records (EMRs) in hospitals affects how individuals communicate with each other.

OBJECTIVE

To examine how EMRs mediate communication between inpatients, their families, and health professionals to support patient and family engagement in care.

METHODS

The following electronic bibliographic databases were searched for relevant studies: Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library, CINAHL, Medline, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycInfo, and EMBASE.

RESULTS

The search identified 850 papers, and of these, 32 met the inclusion criteria. Interactions with the EMR tended to be unidirectional in nature, where health professionals consulted with patients and families to update patient information. Engagement rarely extended to facilitating patient and family participation beyond consultation. There were few examples of patient and family partnership and shared leadership, mainly with secure messaging and use of the patient portal. Strategies that worked in facilitating active engagement involved patients and families employing creative means of gathering information and directing this information to health professionals. Use of such strategies were rare and involved the attributes of particular individuals, rather than considering the inherent culture of clinical settings.

CONCLUSION

Further research is urgently needed to examine possibilities of patient and family involvement in treatment modalities, and partnership and shared governance in using the EMR.

Double documentation in electronic health records

Documentation in the patient record must be systematic and rigorous. However, each health care profession documents parts of the electronic health record (EHR) separately. This system can lead to double documentation. The aim of the study was to describe the amount of double documentation in health records for in-patients. A retrospective descriptive review of 30 records for in-patients diagnosed with hip fracture was conducted. Double documentation occurred on all records reviewed during the stay in hospital and in or between all professions reviewed. In total, 822 instances of double documentation were found. The EHRs available today are not designed to monitor processes. Instead, they follow each health profession, which can lead to double documentation. It would be desirable to develop an EHR from a process perspective and not a record per profession.