Electronic Health Records Assignment Discussion Paper
Introduction to the Selected Technology
The selected technology is data management resources, precisely Electronic Health Records (EHRs). Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are a cornerstone of technologies evolving in this modern healthcare system. The records have played a profound role in revolutionizing how patient information is stores, accessed, and utilized. Unlike other traditional records, it is worth noting that EHRs provide a digitalized platform that allow for comprehensive documentation of the medical histories of a patient, including their treatments and outcomes. The technology is useful in allowing access to patient data, fostering clinical decision-making, enhancing care coordination, and enabling communication for interdisciplinary teams. The technologies are promising in improving patient safety, quality of care, and operational efficiency in a healthcare organization. Despite the benefits of these technologies, implementation and use of EHRs present unique challenges ranging from usability to interoperability concerns. There is a need to understand the impact of EHRs on delivery of healthcare and address the challenges to effectively leverage this technology to its full potential and advancing the quality and effectiveness of patient care. Therefore, this paper contains an annotated bibliography on four selected articles to show the importance of EHRs in improving patient outcomes. Electronic Health Records Assignment Discussion Paper
Annotated Bibliography
Schopf, T. R., Nedrebø, B., Hufthammer, K. O., Daphu, I. K., & Lærum, H. (2019). How well is the electronic health record supporting the clinical tasks of hospital physicians? A survey of physicians at three Norwegian hospitals. BMC Health Services Research, 19, 934. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4733-z
The study helps in examining the extent to which electronic health record system supports physicians in performing of clinical tasks in three Norwegian hospitals. Physicians were surveyed via online questionnaire on their satisfaction with the EHR system and its support for 49 clinical tasks, including technical performance. The results acquired showed immense challenges with reliability of these technologies with most physicians reporting interruptions during their work and additional delays due to crashing or hanging of the EHR system. Other physicians claimed that these technologies were cumbersome and led to a rise in workload. Nonetheless, satisfaction was high for test management and decision support. Despite these benefits, some physicians were still dissatisfied with management referrals and elements of drug prescription. Electronic Health Records Assignment Discussion Paper
The study findings show that usability of EHRs could impact patient safety and quality of care provided. Work interruptions resulting from crashing and hanging of the EHRs could lead to errors, inefficiencies, and delayed patient care. Besides, lack of satisfaction from physicians could hinder effective decision-making and delivery of care. Understanding the perspectives of EHR usability and functionality is relevant to nursing practice. Nurses work together with physicians and use the EHRs for documentation, communication, and coordination of care. The article was selected since it focuses on the efficacy of this technology the study findings shed light on challenges with EHR usability and provide grounds for addressing system deficiency for optimization of patient care delivery process.
Tsai, C. H., Eghdam, A., Davoody, N., Wright, G., Flowerday, S., & Koch, S. (2020). Effects of Electronic Health Record implementation and barriers to adoption and use: a scoping review and qualitative analysis of the content. Life, 10(12), 327. https://doi.org/10.3390/life10120327 Electronic Health Records Assignment Discussion Paper
The article presents a review of the different articles to understand the effects of EHRs and the barriers to its adoption and use. The review has studies published from January 2005 and May 2020 hence identifying 142 relevant articles from different databases. The review revealed the positive and negative impacts of implementation of EHR across the different domains such as clinical work, management of data, patient care, and economies. The barriers towards adopting the technology are resource constraints, inadequate training, lack of technical support, and limited technology literacy. At the same time, it was noted that there are challenges of lack of uniformity in defining EHRs and contextual information among the studies included. The review does not assess the quality of the studies and highlight essential insights to the ongoing challenges on implementation of EHRs and their adoption as well.
The article shows the positive and negative effects of EHR implementation. The positive effects are management of data and enhanced clinical decision-making. The adverse effects are inadequate training and technical support that could lead to inefficiencies and errors that subsequently compromise patient care. Primarily, this article is relevant to nursing practice since understanding the barriers to adoption of EHRs for nursing practice is critical. Nurses interact with these systems extensively as they rely on them for documentation, communication, and care coordination. Awareness of the challenges can inform techniques to optimize utilization of EHRs and improve workflow efficiency and enhance interdisciplinary collaboration. Electronic Health Records Assignment Discussion Paper
The publication was selected as it comprehensively analyzes EHR implementation, and discusses the effects and barriers. The relevance of this article lies in the potential to inform health practitioners on the complex nature of adoption of EHR and use. The content of this article can be beneficial in the implementation of EHR technology in clinical practice.
Upadhyay, S., & Hu, H. (2021). A qualitative analysis of the impact of Electronic Health Records (EHR) on healthcare quality and safety: clinicians’ lived experiences. SAGE Open Nursing, 7, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/11786329211070722
The study is a qualitative research article that explores the lived experiences with EHRs to evaluate their role in improving healthcare quality and safety. For this research, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the different clinician groups comprising of physicians, hospitalists, nurse practitioners, nurses, and patient safety officers to represent the different health settings such as trauma facilities, academic medical centers, medical clinics, and home health centers. The findings show different attitudes towards EHRs. Nurses viewed EHRs positively for improving efficiency and others viewed them as being time-consuming. Most of the clinicians recognized that EHRs were needed to mitigate medical errors through enhancing data accessibility. However, others showed concerns of data accuracy. Other additional concerns included limited interoperability. From this study, it emerged that there is a need to redesign EHRs and refining of implementation processes as potential solutions to enhance efficacy in health settings. Electronic Health Records Assignment Discussion Paper
The study findings are critical as they show that clinicians have mixed perceptions on the impact of EHRs on patient safety and overall care quality. Some of the clinicians acknowledge the potential for EHRs to improve efficiency and eradicate medical errors through accessibility. Understanding the lived experiences with EHRs is critical for nursing practice. Nurses have a role to play in the utilization of EHR and their perspectives on efficiency and data accuracy contribute valuable insights on implementation of EHR and optimization efforts. The study was selected for its qualitative approach and provides insights on the perceptions of clinicians on EHRs and their impact on health quality and safety. The study provides a comprehensive insight on the challenges and opportunities linked to implementation of EHR technology.
Uslu, A., & Stausberg, J. (2022). Value of the Electronic Medical Record for hospital care: Update from the literature. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(3), e37419. https://doi.org/10.2196/37419 Electronic Health Records Assignment Discussion Paper
The article provides an update on the importance of Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) for hospital care based on empirical studies published between 2010 and 2019. A literature review methodology was opted in this study from 23 studies obtained from different medical databases. The evaluation criteria in the quality score, description of data source, and qualitative evaluation of the impact of EMRs on the quality and efficiency of the healthcare system. Most of the studies originated from the United States, with most using publicly available data. The results obtained from the study indicate that EMRs have a positive effect on the quality and efficiency of healthcare with a focus on economic merits. Available secondary data studies prevailed over primary data studies in evaluating the effects of EMR. The review underscores the need for further research that will explore the aspects of EMRs that guide implementation and operations.
Based on the findings obtained in this research, it is clear that EMRs have a positive effect on the quality of care. The use of these technologies is linked to improvements in different aspects of healthcare quality and contributes to enhanced patient safety and overall outcomes. Understanding the value of EMRs is critical for nursing practice and interdisciplinary health teams. Typically, EMRs streamline documentation processes, foster communication, and support evidence-based decision-making hence enhancing delivery of patient care and coordination across health settings. The publication was chosen for its review on empirical studies on the values brought by EMRs in hospital care. The findings provide invaluable insights on the positive effects of EMRs on health quality and overall efficiency hence highlighting their significance for health practitioners and organizations. Electronic Health Records Assignment Discussion Paper
Summary of Recommendations
From the findings obtained from the annotated bibliography, there are several recommendations that can be proposed regarding the implementation and use of EHRs in healthcare settings. First, there is a need to prioritize improvements in the system to enhance its reliability and minimize any work interruptions and delays experienced by clinicians. Addressing these technical problems is needed to ensure uninterrupted access to patient information and mitigate the threat of patient safety. Further, efforts should be directed towards enhancing usability of EHR systems, especially in streamlining workflows and improving interface design while providing training to healthcare professionals. Incorporation of user feedback involving frontline clinicians in the design and customization of the platforms is needed to tailor solutions to meet the specific needs and preferences of end-users. Electronic Health Records Assignment Discussion Paper
References
Schopf, T. R., Nedrebø, B., Hufthammer, K. O., Daphu, I. K., & Lærum, H. (2019). How well is the electronic health record supporting the clinical tasks of hospital physicians? A survey of physicians at three Norwegian hospitals. BMC Health Services Research, 19, 934. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-019-4733-z
Tsai, C. H., Eghdam, A., Davoody, N., Wright, G., Flowerday, S., & Koch, S. (2020). Effects of Electronic Health Record implementation and barriers to adoption and use: a scoping review and qualitative analysis of the content. Life, 10(12), 327. https://doi.org/10.3390/life10120327
Upadhyay, S., & Hu, H. (2021). A qualitative analysis of the impact of Electronic Health Records (EHR) on healthcare quality and safety: clinicians’ lived experiences. SAGE Open Nursing, 7, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1177/11786329211070722
Uslu, A., & Stausberg, J. (2022). Value of the Electronic Medical Record for hospital care: Update from the literature. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(3), e37419. https://doi.org/10.2196/37419 Electronic Health Records Assignment Discussion Paper