THIS WAS WHAT THE DISCUSSION QUESTION WAS THAT I HAD TO ANSWER:
While an electronic health record (EHR) may be more accessible, has it made client preferences more visible? Assess the effectiveness of the EHR in capturing and communicating patient preferences and empowerment across settings or institutions.
Include a description of whether interdisciplinary collaboration improves with increased use of the electronic health record in your response.
THIS IS WHAT I PUT FOR THE DISCUSSION IF THIS HELPS:
Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
Client Preferences
Implementing electronic health records (EHRs) in healthcare has indeed brought several advantages, one of which is the potential to make client preferences more visible. EHRs can store comprehensive patient data, including preferences, which can be easily accessible/shared with healthcare providers across different settings or institutions in real-time in an accurate manner (Stanhope & Matthews, 2019). This can improve patient-centered care by allowing clinicians to tailor treatments and interventions based on individual preferences and needs.
EHRs enable the documentation of patient preferences in various ways. Patients can directly indicate their treatment preferences, such as resuscitation status, advanced directives, and end-of-life care preferences, in the EHR. Furthermore, EHRs can also capture patient-specific information like dietary preferences, cultural considerations, and communication preferences (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). This comprehensive data collection can enhance communication between patients and healthcare professionals, resulting in more patient empowerment and engagement in their care.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration Increase with the Use of EHR
Interdisciplinary collaboration is critical to modern healthcare, and EHRs can positively impact it. By centralizing patient information, EHRs facilitate seamless communication and information sharing between different healthcare providers and departments (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2021). This collaborative environment allows for a holistic approach to patient care, where various specialists can access and contribute to the patient’s care plan, keeping everyone informed about the patient’s preferences and goals.
References
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2021). Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge. In Google Books. Jones & Bartlett Learning. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=d94XEAAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&ots=NjHNwHGFq1&dq=Textbook%3A%20Nursing%20Informatics%20and%20the%20Foundation%20of%20Knowledge%2C%20Chapters%2014%20and%2016.&lr&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=Textbook:%20Nursing%20Informatics%20and%20the%20Foundation%20of%20Knowledge
Stanhope, V., & Matthews, E. B. (2019). Delivering person-centered care with an electronic health record. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-019-0897-6
BUT NOW WE HAVE TO ANSWER THIS:
In responding to your peers, discuss the role of information technology and management in caring for vulnerable populations. What role does health literacy play in the age of information technology?
Demonstrate more depth and thought than simply stating that “I agree” or “You are wrong.” Guidance is provided for you in each discussion prompt.
THIS IS WHAT THE PEER SAID:
Patient-centered care is one of the six domains of healthcare quality established by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) (AHRQ, 2022). Providing patient-centered care entails being respectful and understanding and putting into action a patient’s preferences and values to make the best clinical decision specific to them (AHRQ, 2022). Asking patients’ preferences enables trusting relationships to be built, sharing of decisions on treatment, and obtaining information of the behavioral and social aspect of patients (Butler et al., 2020.) These are all important to treat the patient holistically.
With the many benefits that EHR provides, there are downfalls relating to patient-centered care. Butler et al., (2020) explain that providers are spending more time documenting with EHRs and less time speaking with the patient, which impedes communication and understanding/documenting patient’s preferences. Also, documenting in EHR, is formatted which prevents “providers from capturing the individual person in terms of key biographical details” (Stanhope & Matthews, 2019, para. 11). Open ended questions turn into closed due to drop down boxes with preselected choices, causing difficulty in personalizing information specific to the patient (Stanhope & Matthews, 2019, para. 11). Butler et al., (2020) further mentions that “extensive coordination among the care team is required for some EHR interactions and for decisions about what information to access or input to a patient’s electronic health record” (p. 361). This seriously jeopardizes patient-centered care and in putting the patients’ preferences first.
EHRs should be updated to promote patient preferences. Examples of this include tracking patients’ progress toward goal, providing information on patient’s social status including finance, living, and other considerations, and recording and tracking information needed for personalized care (Butler et al., 2020). Providers need to be able to express the patient’s preferences in their own words rather than using pre-selected answers in dropdown menus (Stanhope & Matthews, 2019).
Even though it seems EHRs have limited abilities to document patient preferences, there are ways providers are able to communicate to others about specific patient needs. For instance, some EHRs have a sticky note feature on the summary page where anyone can type in something specific to the patient (Butler et al., 2020). All disciplines can see the sticky notes and perform the patient preferences. Also, patient portals such as PatientWisdom used in Wisconsin primary care clinics, allows patients to entered personalized details such as what they’re preferred name is (Raths, 2019). The PatientWisdom profile is integrated with the EHR and allows providers to click on the icon to review the personalized information (Raths, 2019). I believe this type of tool should be integrated within all patient care settings and would be of great benefit to the patient in promoting their preferences and values.
EHRs can aid and improve collaboration across interdisciplinary disciplines. Providers from various specialties who have access to the EHR can assess patient data and other information, prevent medical errors, and prevent duplicate lab orders and testing (Rajaee, 2018). Providers can share updates and communicate directly through smart phones or other notification devices with recent clinical information (Rajaee, 2018). Lastly, disciplines can document in the patient’s EHR, where others are able to view progress and recent recommendations (Rajaee, 2018). These benefits allow the highest quality of care to the patient and can improve patient outcomes. In my facility for instance, we use EPIC as the EHR, and all disciplines can document within the patient’s chart. If you need to see a note from a specific specialty you can organize the notes by the discipline to see the most recent recommendations. Having one central area of the chart to review provider’s documentation promotes continuity of care. However, even though I believe I my facility EHR promotes collaboration among disciplines, there needs to be new ways to document clearly for all to see patient preferences and values. Whether that be the patient portal icon, or encouraging use of the sticky note feature. As technology and the use of EHR evolves, I hope more emphasis is put on organizations to promote patient preferences electronically.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). (2022). Six domains of healthcare quality. https://www.ahrq.gov/talkingquality/measures/six-domains.html
Butler, J.M., Gibson, B., Lewis, L., Reiber, G., Kramer, H., Rupper, R., Herout, J., Long, B., Massaro, D., & Nebeker, J. (2020). Patient-centered care and the electronic health record: exploring functionality and gaps. Jamia Open. 3(3). 360-368. doi: 10.1093/jamiaopen/ooaa044
Rajaee, L. (2018). What role does the EHR play in facilitating collaboration among providers? Elation. https://www.elationhealth.com/resources/blogs/what-role-does-the-ehr-play-in-facilitating-collaboration-among-providers
Roth, D. (2019). Adding the patient voice to the EHR. Healthcare Innovation. https://www.hcinnovationgroup.com/population-health-management/patient-engagement/article/21070892/adding-the-patient-voice-to-the-ehr
Stanhope, V., & Matthews, E.B. (2019). Delivering patient-centered care with an electronic health record. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making. 168. https://bmcmedinformdecismak.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12911-019-0897-6
Required Resources to help with this assignment:
Textbook: Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge, Chapters 14 and 16
Additional Support (Optional):
Library Article: http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/856793510?accountid=3783
This article discusses what nurses need to know concerning implementation of electronic health records in today’s healthcare system. You may find the material within the article valuable as you complete the assignments in this module.
Article: http://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/236941161?accountid=3783
This journal article gives the definition of health literacy and its implication for vulnerable populations in a specific setting in healthcare. This resource will help you complete the assignments in this module.
NEEDED BY SUNDAY MORNING PLEASE
PLACE THIS ORDER OR A SIMILAR ORDER WITH NURSING TERM PAPERS TODAY AND GET AN AMAZING DISCOUNT
