Implementation of a Teaching Electronic Medical Record within Didactic Instruction Using a Drug Information Question Assignment

Jacqueline Wasynczuk,Amy H Sheehan

doi:10.3390/pharmacy9010035

Abstract

Background: Pharmacy graduates are expected to be practice-ready to deliver quality patient care, which includes having comprehensive knowledge of health informatics and electronic medical records (EMRs). The purpose of this study was to (1) incorporate an EMR within a pharmacy student assignment, and (2) assess student perceptions of use of the EMR. Methods: Student pharmacists received a patient-specific drug-related question and were required to use an EMR to provide an accurate response. Following completion of the assignment, students were invited to complete a retrospective, pre-post survey instrument to collect their perceptions. Results: Only 28.8% of respondents reported prior experience using an EMR. Student perceptions about use of an EMR within the didactic setting significantly improved from before to after the assignment. Differences were found in respondents who agreed that didactic use of an EMR increased their confidence in obtaining information from an EMR (20.5% to 82.8%) and improved their knowledge of EMR systems (61.4% to 89.3%). Conclusions: Implementation of an EMR within didactic instruction may serve as the first exposure to health informatics for students and positively impacts student perceptions of these tools prior to entry into pharmacy practice.

Highlights

Respondents were more likely to strongly agree that access to an electronic medical record (EMR) is necessary to provide appropriate responses to drug information (DI) questions in pharmacy practice, and that student pharmacists should be exposed to EMRs during classroom coursework, than before the assignment
I am confident in my ability to look up and obtain patient specific information from an electronic medical record (EMR). (n = 132, 128)
The largest difference in respondents who strongly agreed or agreed after the assignment compared to those before the assignment was for the statement “I am confident in my ability to look up and obtain patient specific information from an electronic medical record” (20.5%, 82.8% respectively)

Summary

Introduction

The importance of didactic training in health informatics has been emphasized by the increased prevalence of electronic health record (EHR) systems in institutions nationwide. This is a result of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009, which provides reimbursements to healthcare institutions for meeting standards of meaningful use [2]. HPI: The patient presented to the physician’s office for follow-up on depression and suicide ideation Patient admits that she is afraid she will not be able to pay for her office visit as she has recently lost a large amount of money gambling. The doctor would like to know if naltrexone can be used to treat pathological gambling, and if so, what is the recommended dose for this specific patient

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Discussion

Conclusion