Driven by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act large numbers of physicians and hospitals are now implementing electronic health records (EHR) with the general expectation that such systems will improve the quality, safety and efficiency of health care services. Studies of conversions from paper to electronic records paint a mixed picture with healthcare providers pleased with some aspects of their EHRs but dissatisfied with others. These prior studies focused on conversions from paper to electronic records. Many provider impressions, therefore, may have been influenced by reactions to the process of being required to change well established patterns. In order to help separate such reactions from true evaluations of the efficacy of the EHR, we decided to survey the providers in a new health center. To insure that the information gathered was not merely anecdotal, we used a well-established format starting with a semi-structured interview which facilitates analysis and recognition of major themes. We included questions around several important areas including workflow, communication, patient satisfaction, productivity, documentation, and quality of care. Ten main themes emerged: impeding patient flow, hindering communication in office, improving communication after the visit, improving tracking of patient care, spending less time with patients, requiring more training, wanting more features, diminishing productivity, appreciating benefits of templates, and enhancing internal communication. The need for better training appeared to be of especially high importance as it impacted several of the other themes. We believe that our study helps validate the similar concerns expressed in studies of transitions from paper to electronic record systems. Our method may be generally useful to other clinics because it facilitates timely recognition of themes, both positive and negative, that clinicians and clinic managers would want to know at an early stage. Prompt knowledge of such developing themes may help to accentuate the positive aspects of the EHR and to prevent negative themes from developing into serious problems that might be considered serious unintended consequences of EHR usage.
Introduction: The aging population is growing quickly and has a higher prevalence of comorbid and chronic diseases. A majority of this group resides in the home setting. The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes of third-year medical students following a pilot component of an internal medicine clerkship, consisting of four in-home visits with geriatric patients.Methods: A qualitative study design, utilizing focus groups, was used to assess general themes in students’ responses regarding their attitudes to geriatrics, the field of geriatrics and the in-home care pilot program.Results: Twelve students participated in three focus group sessions. Six themes were identified across all focus group sessions. These included 1) distinct advantages to the home setting, 2) more time for relationship building, 3) increased insight to the aging process, 4) increased compassion, 5) suggestions for program improvement, and 6) future quality of care.Conclusion: The results demonstrate that students found the program to be of value to their medical education. Students developed positive attitudes and compassion for the elderly community. The insight they gained during this program may allow them to understand their role in caring for increasing numbers of aging patients in future populations. Suggestions made by the students showed their perceived value of the program and desire for it to continue for future students. Future studies should utilize validated tools and more longitudinal study designs to assess temporal changes in attitudes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.