Studies in health technology and informatics
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2013
Observational StudyWhiteboard icons to support the blood-test process in an emergency department: an observational study of temporal patterns.
The competent treatment of emergency department (ED) patients requires an effective and efficient process for handling laboratory tests such as blood tests. This study investigates how ED clinicians go about the process, from ordering blood tests to acknowledging their results and, specifically, assesses the use of whiteboard icons to support this process. ⋯ The whiteboard icons, which indicate four temporally distinct steps in the blood-test process, support the nurses in maintaining the flow of patients through the ED and the physicians in assessing test results at timeouts. The main results of this study are, however, that the blood-test process is temporally and collaboratively complex, that the whiteboard icons pass by most of this complexity, that attending to the icons is yet another temporally sensitive activity to remember, and that whereas the assessment of test results is integral to patient treatment, the acknowledgement of having seen the results is a formal add-on, the responsibility for which is sometimes unclear.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2013
Investigating the impact of an emergency information system on patient's length of stay in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia.
The emergency department has a crucial role in saving patient's lives. Efficient and reliable information through reliable information systems contribute to effective communication in these situations and ultimately shorter lengths of stay (LOS). ⋯ Furthermore, longer LOS was associated with patients who required clinical services (pathology, radiology) due to the manual retrieval of results. This study has found that future implementation of a comprehensive electronic information system will facilitate effective communication workflow and timely access to patient data in the emergency department.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2013
Understanding how clinical judgement and communicative practices interact with the use of an electronic clinical handover system.
Clinical handover is a high risk scenario involving the transfer of information, responsibility and accountability for patient care. Many strategies have been proposed to improve clinical handover and reduce risks it can pose to the safety and quality of patient care. ⋯ This research examines these issues based on evidence generated from a user-centred approach involving clinicians in the development and implementation of an electronic clinical handover system. The paper highlights how clinical judgements and communicative practices interact with an electronic clinical handover system, and discusses their potential implications for patient safety as part of a broader clinical handover improvement project.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2013
Propensity of people with long-term conditions to use personal health records.
An exploratory study was conducted to understand patient propensity to use a Personal Health Record (PHR) linked to their primary care clinicians' Electronic Health Record (EHR). Individuals with long-term conditions rely on information exchange for effective self-care. PHRs could be helpful. The research questions were: How do we know if certain people will use PHRs for self-care? ⋯ Patient experience with a PHR linked to their EHR kept by their GP shows positive perceptions regarding the PHR usefulness. Future research could develop guidelines for clinicians to help select patients for PHR use in self-care.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2013
Acquisition of patient information from nurses by other health professionals under electronic medical record implementation.
Most electronic medical record (EMR) systems in Japan are equipped with nursing documentation functions. Electronic nursing records (ENRs) are much more accessible to doctors and paramedical staff than paper-based record systems. Face-to-face communication might be used less often to acquire patient information collected by nurses if EMR systems were effectively used. ⋯ There were 153 responses, which showed that 51% of doctors and 16% of paramedical staff still often used face-to-face communication even though more than 70% of them often accessed the ENR. Only 35% of doctors and paramedical staff recognized that the EMR system helped reduce the time needed to acquire patient information; furthermore, 32% thought that using the EMR system to acquire patient information was bothersome. These results indicate that the operability of EMR systems is still insufficient for health professionals.