TY - JOUR
T1 - Oncologists' views regarding the role of electronic health records in care coordination
AU - Asan, Onur
AU - Nattinger, Ann B.
AU - Gurses, Ayse P.
AU - Tyszka, Jeanne T.
AU - Yen, Tina W.F.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology.
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Background Electronic health records (EHRs) play a significant role in complex health care processes, especially in information transfer with patients and care coordination among providers. EHRs may also generate unintended consequences, introducing new patient safety risks. To date, little investigation has been performed in oncology settings, despite the need for quality providerpatient communication and information transfer during oncology visits. In this qualitative study, we focused on oncology providers' perceptions of EHRs for supporting communication with patients and coordination of care with other providers. Methods We conducted semistructured interviews with oncologists from an urban academic medical center to learn their perceptions of the use of EHRs before, during, and after clinic visits with patients. Our interview guide was developed on the basis of the work system model. We coded transcripts using inductive content analysis. Results Data analysis yielded four main themes regarding oncologists' practices in using the EHR and perceptions about EHRs: (1) EHR use for care coordination (eg, timeliness of receiving information, SmartSet documentation); (2) EHR use in the clinic visit (eg, educating patients, using as a reinforcement tool); (3) safety hazards in care coordination associated with EHRs (eg, incomplete documentation, error propagating, no filtering mechanism to capture errors); and (4) suggestions for improvements (eg, improved SmartSet functionalities, simplification of user interface). Conclusion Current EHRs do not adequately support teamwork of oncology providers, which could lead to potential hazards in the care of patients with cancer. Redesigning EHR features that are tailored to support oncology care and addressing the concerns regarding information overload, improved organization of flagging abnormal results, and documentation-related workload are needed to minimize potential safety hazards.
AB - Background Electronic health records (EHRs) play a significant role in complex health care processes, especially in information transfer with patients and care coordination among providers. EHRs may also generate unintended consequences, introducing new patient safety risks. To date, little investigation has been performed in oncology settings, despite the need for quality providerpatient communication and information transfer during oncology visits. In this qualitative study, we focused on oncology providers' perceptions of EHRs for supporting communication with patients and coordination of care with other providers. Methods We conducted semistructured interviews with oncologists from an urban academic medical center to learn their perceptions of the use of EHRs before, during, and after clinic visits with patients. Our interview guide was developed on the basis of the work system model. We coded transcripts using inductive content analysis. Results Data analysis yielded four main themes regarding oncologists' practices in using the EHR and perceptions about EHRs: (1) EHR use for care coordination (eg, timeliness of receiving information, SmartSet documentation); (2) EHR use in the clinic visit (eg, educating patients, using as a reinforcement tool); (3) safety hazards in care coordination associated with EHRs (eg, incomplete documentation, error propagating, no filtering mechanism to capture errors); and (4) suggestions for improvements (eg, improved SmartSet functionalities, simplification of user interface). Conclusion Current EHRs do not adequately support teamwork of oncology providers, which could lead to potential hazards in the care of patients with cancer. Redesigning EHR features that are tailored to support oncology care and addressing the concerns regarding information overload, improved organization of flagging abnormal results, and documentation-related workload are needed to minimize potential safety hazards.
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U2 - 10.1200/CCI.17.00118
DO - 10.1200/CCI.17.00118
M3 - Article
C2 - 30652555
AN - SCOPUS:85065908769
VL - 2018
SP - 1
EP - 12
JO - JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics
JF - JCO Clinical Cancer Informatics
IS - 2
ER -