The following is a guest article by Dr. Mark Pratt, Chief Medical Officer at Altera Digital Health
The patient quietly sits while her physician delves into the data stored in her electronic health record, combing through different screens for specific information. It takes longer than both expect, precious minutes that diminish the available time for an actual conversation about the patient’s health status and the physician’s recommendations.
This familiar scene exemplifies the unnecessary burdens traditional EHRs have placed on providers, patients, and the overall healthcare system. As a former ER physician and current digital health professional, I’ve dealt with these challenges firsthand—and see the enormous potential EHRs hold to change care experiences for the better.
Drawing from this experience on both sides of the equation, I believe the next generation of EHRs can better meet the needs of all involved with better usability, interoperability, and flexibility. Here’s how.
Prioritizing Usability
Physician burnout has been on the rise, and it’s not showing signs of slowing. One annual survey found that 53% of physicians say they are burnt out, and in 2018, that figure was 42%. Of those who report burnout, 25% cite the computerization of practice and EHRs as a top contributor. Another recent study found that EHR-related stress negatively affects physicians’ interactions with their care teams.
These findings are not entirely surprising given that early EHRs were mainly used as billing tools. Future iterations of EHRs must improve clinical workflows and simplify ways to obtain and manage data. And the perspectives of everyday EHR users are key to paving a better path forward.
EHR designers and developers must understand the experiences of the intended users and engage with them along every step of the design process to align the solution to their preferred workflows. That feedback loop is necessary to build a product that works the way users do—not the other way around.
Providers are demanding technology that aids care delivery rather than hinders it. It’s past time to deliver on this.
Enhancing Interoperability
In addition to greater usability, EHRs need better data-sharing capabilities to bring real value to the clinical space. Without access to a comprehensive, organized medical record, providers are left piecing together parts of a patient’s history to try and make their best recommendations and diagnoses. When information is missing altogether, at best it can result in unnecessary costs, such as through duplicate test orders. At worst, it can lead to adverse medical events like injury or even death.
Interoperability has certainly improved over the last decade, but much progress remains. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA), 65% of physicians can electronically send, receive or request information from outside sources; just 29% are able to integrate this data into the EHR.
EHRs that embrace standards-based interoperability are poised to shift the industry in the right direction. As more solutions adhere to standards like the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and enable connections to the networks like Carequality, data will flow more effectively and efficiently through the healthcare continuum. Those that harmonize and display the data in native workflows will take this a step further, enabling providers to focus on clinical decision-making rather than searching for data in the EHR.
Offering Flexibility
Even the most meticulously designed, highly interoperable EHR systems can still detract from the way providers prefer to work, bringing us to the third pillar of advanced EHRs: flexibility. Unless a product is developed by a healthcare organization for that healthcare organization, each hospital and practice has its own unique set of needs and priorities to address.
Drilling down further, different users may benefit from different configurations of the EHR. For example, a pharmacist will likely want quick access to a medications and allergies list, while a med-surg nurse might prefer seeing a snapshot of vital signs. Even within the same role and specialty, two providers may have slightly different preferences for their workflows.
At the same time, EHR flexibility should have its limits. Customization for customization’s sake can become unruly and impact how organizations manage costs, system updates, training, and more. Solutions that enable both a substantial and manageable level of flexibility can help organizations meet their clinical and business needs without sacrificing one for the other.
Health IT has come a long way, but today’s providers deserve elevated EHRs that go beyond electronic versions of paper charts. With greater usability, interoperability, and flexibility, next-level EHRs are not only possible—they’re within reach.
Great Article !!