Question

Describe 2 examples of quality and/or safety data that is in the EHR, mandated by regulatory agencies, that improve patient safety ,or quality, without compromising efficiency . Please consider alternative ways data could be collected by other than the frontline clinician. Include references.

Answer 1

Electronic medical records improve quality of care, patient outcomes, and safety through improved management, reduction in medication errors, reduction in unnecessary investigations, and improved communication and interactions among primary care providers, patients, and other providers involved in care.

An electronic health record (EHR) contains patient health information, such as:

Administrative and billing data.

Patient demographics.

Progress notes.

Vital signs.

Medical histories.

Diagnoses.

Medications.

Immunization dates.

Quality healthcare means doing the right thing — for the right patient, at the right time, in the right way — to achieve the best possible results.

Patient safety” refers to freedom from accidental or preventable injuries associated with healthcare services, and an electronic health record (EHR) system provides tools to help clinicians improve patient safety. There are 6 aims

Safe

Effective

Patient-centered

Timely

Efficient

Equitable

Compared with paper records, electronic health records (EHRs) facilitate improvements to healthcare quality and safety. EHRs gives clinicians — as well as patients and their proxies — access to relevant patient information

A properly implemented EHR helps clinicians more easily track patients from one point of care to another and document all care they receive. It also has automated functionalities that improve patient care and safety, such as:

Electronic prescribing

Drug-drug interaction checks

Drug-allergy interaction checks.

EHR systems also offer integrated best-practice support in the form of electronic clinical decision support (CDS). CDS gives care teams general and person-specific information — intelligently filtered and organized — at the appropriate times. This improves care outcomes by making timely information — that supports sound decisions — available to the care team.

EHRs play an integral role in larger systems composed of the clinical team, the patient, and the daily supporting workflows. When analyzing EHR safety, be sure to consider the entire system as a whole..