Dataset Information

Does it get easier to use an EHR? Report from an urban regional extension center.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Little is known about whether more experience with an electronic health record (EHR) makes it easier for providers to meaningfully use EHRs.

Objective

To assess whether the length of time that small practice providers have been using the EHR is associated with greater ease in performing meaningful use-related tasks and fewer EHR-related concerns.

Design/participants

We administered a web-based survey to 400 small practice providers in medically underserved communities in New York City participating in an EHR implementation and technical assistance project. We used logistic regression to estimate the association between the length of time a provider had been using the EHR (i.e., "live") and the ease of performing meaningful use-related tasks and EHR-related concerns, controlling for provider and practice characteristics.

Key results

Compared to providers who had been live 6 to 12 months, providers who had been live 2 years or longer had 2.02 times greater odds of reporting it was easy to e-prescribe new prescriptions (p?ConclusionsProviders can successfully adjust to the EHR and over time are better able to meaningfully use the EHR.

SUBMITTER: Ryan MS

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4175636 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Does it get easier to use an EHR? Report from an urban regional extension center.

Ryan Mandy Smith MS Shih Sarah C SC Winther Chloe H CH Wang Jason J JJ

Journal of general internal medicine 20140520 10

<h4>Background</h4>Little is known about whether more experience with an electronic health record (EHR) makes it easier for providers to meaningfully use EHRs.<h4>Objective</h4>To assess whether the length of time that small practice providers have been using the EHR is associated with greater ease in performing meaningful use-related tasks and fewer EHR-related concerns.<h4>Design/participants</h4>We administered a web-based survey to 400 small practice providers in medically underserved commun ...[more]

PMID: 24841560

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Project description:ObjectiveScreening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) is a systematic approach to identification and intervention for individuals at risk for substance use disorders. Prior research indicates that SBIRT is underutilized in pediatric primary care. Yet few studies have examined procedures for identifying and addressing substance use in clinics that serve publicly insured adolescents (i.e., federally qualified health centers [FQHC]). This descriptive, multi-method study assessed adolescent substance use frequency and provider perspectives to inform SBIRT implementation in an urban pediatric FQHC in California.MethodsA medical record review assessed substance use frequency and correlates among publicly insured adolescents aged 12-17 years who completed a well-child visit in pediatric primary care between 2014 and 2017 (N = 2252). Data on substance use (i.e., alcohol, illicit drugs, and tobacco) were from a health assessment tool mandated by Medicaid. Semi-structured interviews with 12 providers (i.e., pediatricians, nurse practitioners, behavioral health clinicians) elicited information about the current clinic workflow for adolescent substance use and barriers and facilitators to SBIRT implementation.ResultsOf 1588 adolescents who completed the assessment (70.5%), 6.8% reported current substance use. Self-reported use was highest among non-Hispanic Black (15.2%) adolescents and those with co-occurring depressive symptoms (14.4%). Provider-reported challenges to implementing SBIRT included a lack of space for confidential screening and a lack of referral options. Providers favored implementing technology-based tools such as tablets for adolescent pre-visit screening and electronic medical record-based decision support to facilitate brief intervention and treatment referrals.ConclusionsThis study fills a substantial research gap by examining factors that impede and support SBIRT implementation in pediatric FQHC settings. Successful SBIRT implementation in these settings could significantly reduce the unmet need for substance use treatment among uninsured and publicly insured adolescents. Pediatric primary care and urgent care providers perceived SBIRT to be feasible, and health information and digital technologies may facilitate the integration of SBIRT into clinic workflows. Ensuring confidentiality for screening and expanding referral options for adolescents in need of community-based addiction treatment are also critical to increasing SBIRT uptake.

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Dataset Information

Does it get easier to use an EHR? Report from an urban regional extension center.

Background

Objective

Design/participants

Key results

Publications

Does it get easier to use an EHR? Report from an urban regional extension center.

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