Dataset Information

Health Information Technology Adoption in the Emergency Department.

ABSTRACT: To describe the trend in health information technology (IT) systems adoption in hospital emergency departments (EDs) and its effect on ED efficiency and resource use.2007-2010 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey - ED Component.We assessed changes in the percent of visits to EDs with health IT capability and the estimated effect on waiting time to see a provider, visit length, and resource use.The percent of ED visits that took place in an ED with at least a basic health IT or an advanced IT system increased from 25.2 and 3.1 percent in 2007 to 69.1 and 30.6 percent in 2010, respectively (p < .05). Controlling for ED fixed effects, waiting times were reduced by 6.0 minutes in advanced IT-equipped EDs (p < .05), and the number of tests ordered increased by 9 percent (p < .01). In models using a 1-year lag, advanced systems also showed an increase in the number of medications and images ordered per visit.Almost a third of visits now occur in EDs with advanced IT capability. While advanced IT adoption may decrease wait times, resource use during ED visits may also increase depending on how long the system has been in place. We were not able to determine if these changes indicated more appropriate care.

SUBMITTER: Selck FW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4722215 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Health Information Technology Adoption in the Emergency Department.

Selck Frederic W FW Decker Sandra L SL

Health services research 20150408 1

<h4>Objective</h4>To describe the trend in health information technology (IT) systems adoption in hospital emergency departments (EDs) and its effect on ED efficiency and resource use.<h4>Data sources</h4>2007-2010 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey - ED Component.<h4>Study design</h4>We assessed changes in the percent of visits to EDs with health IT capability and the estimated effect on waiting time to see a provider, visit length, and resource use.<h4>Principal findings</h4>The ...[more]

PMID: 25854423

Similar Datasets

Project description:ObjectivesNursing facilities have lagged behind in the adoption of interoperable health information technology (ie technologies that allow the sharing and use of electronic patient information between different information systems). The objective of this study was to estimate the nationwide prevalence of electronic health record (EHR) adoption among nursing facilities and to identify the factors associated with adoption.DesignCross-sectional survey.Setting & participantsWe surveyed members of the Society for Post-Acute & Long-Term Care Medicine (AMDA) about their organizations' health information technology usage and characteristics.MeasurementsUsing questions adopted from existing instruments, the survey measured nursing home's EHR adoption, the ability to send, receive, search and integrate electronic information, as well as barriers to usage. Additionally, we linked survey responses to public use secondary data sources to construct measurements for 8 determinants known to be associated with organizational adoption: innovativeness, functional differentiation, role specialization, administrative intensity, professionalism, complexity, technical knowledge resources, and slack resources. A series of regression models estimated the association between potential determinants and technology adoption.Results84% of nursing facilities reported using an EHR. After controlling for all other factors, respondents who characterized their organization as more innovative had more than 6 times the odds (adjusted odds ratio = 6.39, 95% confidence interval = 2.69, 15.21) of adopting an EHR. Organization innovativeness was also associated with an increased odds of being able to send, integrate, and search for electronic information. The most commonly identified barrier to sharing clinical information among nursing facilities with an EHR was a reported absence of interoperability (57%).Conclusions/implicationsAn organizational culture that fosters innovation and awareness campaigns by professional societies may facilitate further adoption and effective use of technology. This will be increasingly important as policy makers continue to emphasize the use of EHRs and interoperability to improve the quality of care in nursing facilities.

Project description:BackgroundThe inadequate follow-up of test results is a key patient safety concern, carrying severe consequences for care outcomes. Patients discharged from the emergency department are at particular risk of having test results pending at discharge due to their short lengths of stay, with many hospitals acknowledging that they do not have reliable systems for managing such results. Health information technology hold the potential to reducing errors in the test result management process. This study aimed to measure changes in the proportion of acknowledged radiology reports pre and post introduction of an electronic result acknowledgement system and to determine the proportion of reports with abnormal results, including clinically significant abnormal results requiring follow-up action.MethodsA before and after study was conducted in the emergency department of a 450-bed metropolitan teaching hospital in Australia. All radiology reports for discharged patients for a one-month period before and after implementation of the electronic result acknowledgement system were reviewed to determine; i) those that reported abnormal results; ii) evidence of test result acknowledgement. All unacknowledged radiology results with an abnormal finding were assessed by an independent panel of two senior emergency physicians for clinical significance.ResultsOf 1654 radiology reports in the pre-implementation period 70.6% (n?=?1167) had documented evidence of acknowledgement by a clinician. For reports with abnormal results, 71.6% (n?=?396) were acknowledged. Of 157 unacknowledged abnormal radiology reports reviewed by an independent emergency physician panel, 34.4% (n?=?54) were identified as clinically significant and 50% of these (n?=?27) were deemed to carry a moderate likelihood of patient morbidity if not followed up. Electronic acknowledgement occurred for all radiology reports in the post period (n?=?1423), representing a 30.4% (95% CI: 28.1-32.6%) increase in acknowledgement rate, and an increase of 28.4% (95% CI: 24.6-32.2%) for abnormal radiology results.ConclusionsThe findings of this study demonstrate the potential of health information technology to improve the safety and effectiveness of the diagnostic process by increasing the rate of follow up of results pending at hospital discharge.

Project description:OBJECTIVES:This systematic review evaluated the evidence for use of computer technologies to assess and reduce high-risk health behaviors in emergency department (ED) patients. METHODS:A systematic search was conducted of electronic databases, references, key journals, and conference proceedings. Studies were included if they evaluated the use of computer-based technologies for ED-based screening, interventions, or referrals for high-risk health behaviors (e.g., unsafe sex, partner violence, substance abuse, depression); were published since 1990; and were in English, French, or Spanish. Study selection and assessment of methodologic quality were performed by two independent reviewers. Data extraction was performed by one reviewer and then independently checked for completeness and accuracy by a second reviewer. RESULTS:Of 17,744 unique articles identified by database search, 66 underwent full-text review, and 20 met inclusion criteria. The greatest number of studies targeted alcohol/substance use (n = 8, 40%), followed by intentional or unintentional injury (n = 7, 35%) and then mental health (n = 4, 20%). Ten of the studies (50%) were randomized controlled trials; the remainder were observational or feasibility studies. Overall, studies showed high acceptability and feasibility of individual computer innovations, although study quality varied greatly. Evidence for clinical efficacy across health behaviors was modest, with few studies addressing meaningful clinical outcomes. Future research should aim to establish the efficacy of computer-based technology for meaningful health outcomes and to ensure that effective interventions are both disseminable and sustainable. CONCLUSIONS:The number of studies identified in this review reflects recent enthusiasm about the potential of computers to overcome barriers to behavioral health screening, interventions, and referrals to treatment in the ED. The available literature suggests that these types of tools will be feasible and acceptable to patients and staff.

Project description:ObjectiveTo compare the completeness of Emergency Department (ED) discharge instructions before and after introduction of an electronic discharge instructions module by scoring compliance with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Outpatient Measure 19 (OP-19).MethodsWe performed a quasi-experimental study examining the impact of an electronic discharge instructions module in an academic ED. Three hundred patients discharged home from the ED were randomly selected from two time intervals: 150 patients three months before and 150 patients three to five months after implementation of the new electronic module. The discharge instructions for each patient were reviewed, and compliance for each individual OP-19 element as well as overall OP-19 compliance was scored per CMS specifications. Compliance rates as well as risk ratios (RR) and risk differences (RD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) comparing the overall OP-19 scores and individual OP-19 element scores of the electronic and paper-based discharge instructions were calculated.ResultsThe electronic discharge instructions had 97.3% (146/150) overall OP-19 compliance, while the paper-based discharge instructions had overall compliance of 46.7% (70/150). Electronic discharge instructions were twice as likely to achieve overall OP-19 compliance compared to the paper-based format (RR: 2.09, 95% CI: 1.75 - 2.48). The largest improvement was in documentation of major procedures and tests performed: only 60% of the paper-based discharge instructions satisfied this criterion, compared to 100% of the electronic discharge instructions (RD: 40.0%, 95% CI: 32.2% - 47.8%). There was a modest difference in medication documentation with 92.7% for paper-based and 100% for electronic formats (RD: 7.3%, 95% CI: 3.2% - 11.5%). There were no statistically significant differences in documentation of patient care instructions and diagnosis between paper-based and electronic formats.ConclusionWith careful design, information technology can improve the completeness of ED patient discharge instructions and performance on the OP-19 quality measure.

Dataset Information

Health Information Technology Adoption in the Emergency Department.

Publications

Health Information Technology Adoption in the Emergency Department.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets