Medical care
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Agreement between electronic medical record-based and self-administered pain numeric rating scale: clinical and research implications.
Pain screening may improve the quality of care by identifying patients in need of further assessment and management. Many health care systems use the numeric rating scale (NRS) for pain screening, and record the score in the patients' electronic medical record (EMR). ⋯ The underestimation of pain using EMR data, especially clinically actionable levels of pain, has important clinical and research implications. Improving the quality of pain care may require better screening.
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Multicenter Study
Evaluating patient access to Electronic Health Records: results from a survey of veterans.
Personal Health Records (PHRs) tethered to an Electronic Health Record (EHR) offer patients unprecedented access to their personal health information. At the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA), the My HealtheVet Pilot Program was an early PHR prototype enabling patients to import 18 types of information, including clinical notes and laboratory test results, from the VA EHR into a secure PHR portal. The goal of this study was to explore Veteran perceptions about this access to their medical records, including perceived value and effect on satisfaction, self-care, and communication. ⋯ Veterans' primary motivation for use of the pilot Web site was the ability to access their own personal health information from the EHR. With patients viewing such access as beneficial to their health and care, PHRs with access to EHR data are positioned to improve health care quality. Making additional information accessible to patients is crucial to meet their needs and preferences.