Electronic Health Record Changes Research Articles

Pragmatic Emergency Department Intervention Reducing Default Quantity of Opioid Tablets Prescribed.

The opioid epidemic is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Prior work has shown that emergency department (ED) opioid prescribing can increase the incidence of opioid use disorder in a dose-dependent manner, and systemic changes that decrease default quantity of discharge opioid tablets in the electronic health record (EHR) can impact prescribing practices. However, ED leadership may be interested in the impact of communication around the intervention as well as whether the intervention may differentially impact different types of clinicians (physicians, physician assistants [PA], and nurse practitioners). We implemented and evaluated a quality improvement intervention of an announced decrease in EHR default quantities of commonly prescribed opioids at a large, academic, urban, tertiary-care ED. We gathered EHR data on all ED discharges with opioid prescriptions from January 1, 2019-December 6, 2021, including chief complaint, clinician, and opioid prescription details. Data was captured and analyzed on a monthly basis throughout this time period. On March 29, 2021, we implemented an announced decrease in EHR default dispense quantities from 20 tablets to 12 tablets for commonly prescribed opioids. We measured pre- and post-intervention quantities of opioid tablets prescribed per discharge receiving opioids, distribution by patient demographics, and inter-clinician variability in prescribing behavior. The EHR change was associated with a 14% decrease in quantity of opioid tablets per discharge receiving opioids, from 14 to 12 tablets (P = <.001). We found no statistically significant disparities in prescriptions based on self-reported patient race (P = 0.68) or gender (P = 0.65). Nurse practitioners and PAs prescribed more opioids per encounter than physicians on average and had a statistically significant decrease in opioid prescriptions associated with the EHR change. Physicians had a lesser but still significant drop in opioid prescribing in the post-intervention period. Decreasing EHR defaults is a robust, simple tool for decreasing opioid prescriptions, with potential for implementation in the 42% of EDs nationwide that have defaults exceeding the recommended 12-tablet supply. Considering significant inter-clinician variability, future interventions to decrease opioid prescriptions should examine the effects of combining EHR default changes with targeted interventions for clinician groups or individual clinicians.

Adolescent Privacy and the Electronic Health Record - Electronic Health Record Adolescent Confidentiality in a Safety Net Setting.

The 21st Century Cures Act provides improved access to one's medical record but presents new challenges to adolescent confidentiality in the domain of healthcare information technology. Adolescent patients, who have the right to confidential care in certain areas as dictated by state law, face the prospect of parents and guardians erroneously accessing their confidential health information. Our institution, the largest safety net hospital in our region, sought to quantify the proportion of adolescent patient portal accounts likely being accessed by guardians and to implement corrective measures for the patient portal sign-up process in our electronic health record (EHR) system. We manually reviewed our institution's adolescent patient portal accounts based on email addresses associated with adolescents' accounts. We implemented EHR changes to address the potential for breach of confidentiality as a result of adolescent patient portal account creation by parents/guardians. One intervention was creating a "guardrail rule" to prevent guardians from creating adolescent patient portal accounts with their own email addresses. After email reminders to adolescent patients to update their accounts, we deactivated accounts with concern for erroneous guardian access. Sixty percent of our institution's adolescent patient portal accounts had possible direct access by guardians. Following requests to update account access, 425 (18.8%) of accounts had email addresses updated by adolescent patients and 1830 (81.2%) accounts were deactivated. More nuanced EHR functionality for adolescent patients and their guardians can help healthcare systems provide confidential, patient-centered care for adolescents, while allowing guardians to access appropriate health information to facilitate care. There is an opportunity for a national consensus on how adolescents and their guardians can access health information by patient portal.

Electronic Health Record Order Entry-Based Interventions in Response to a Global Iodinated Contrast Media Shortage: Impact on Contrast-Enhanced CT Utilization.

BACKGROUND. Radiology informatics systems and clinical decision support tools in the electronic health record (EHR) can be leveraged to help impact ordering patterns in response to the ongoing global iodinated contrast media shortage. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of our study was to assess the impact of EHR order entry-based interventions, implemented as part of a health system's response to the global contrast media shortage, on contrast-enhanced CT utilization. METHODS. This retrospective study included 79,259 patients who underwent CT at a large multisite health system between April 1, 2022, and July 3, 2022. Two EHR-based interventions were implemented as part of the health system's response to the global contrast media shortage. A first EHR-based intervention on May 10, 2022, entailed creating an alert that appeared in a sidebar after any contrast-enhanced body CT orders, indicating the present shortage and recommending alternate imaging modalities. A second EHR-based intervention on May 16, 2022, required referrers to enter detailed clinical information for all contrast-enhanced body CT orders, which radiologists used when protocoling examinations. Data regarding CT orders and examinations performed were extracted from the electronic data warehouse. RESULTS. During the preintervention, first postintervention, and second postintervention periods, the mean number of patients who underwent contrast-enhanced CT per weekday was 726, 689, and 639, respectively (p for preintervention vs second postintervention periods, < .001). During the three periods, the mean number of patients who underwent CT per weekday was 1350, 1323, and 1314 (p < .001). During the three periods, the mean number of patients who underwent contrast-enhanced body CT per weekday was 561, 532, and 492 (p < .001). During the three periods, the mean number of orders for CT with IV contrast media per weekday was 154, 143, and 131 (p < .001). During the three periods, the mean number of orders for CT without IV contrast media per weekday was 196, 202, and 221 (p < .001). CONCLUSION. EHR order entry-based interventions implemented in response to the global contrast media shortage significantly reduced contrast-enhanced CT utilization in a large health system. CLINICAL IMPACT. The findings indicate the ability to rapidly achieve changes in ordering clinician behavior and subsequent clinical practice using systemwide EHR changes.

Is Electronic Health Record Safety a Paradox?

Is Electronic Health Record Safety a Paradox?

Engaging End-Users in Electronic Health Record (EHR) Updates: Social Workers’ Opinions on Integrating a Psychosocial Acuity Scale at a Large Urban Pediatric Hospital

The objective of this study was to examine end-user opinions on electronic health record (EHR) modifications related to social work documentation of psychosocial acuity and provision of social care. Content analysis was used to examine end-user opinions (n = 42; 20% of a social work department employed in a large, urban, pediatric hospital) about whether or not to integrate a metric of psychosocial acuity into the EHR and required documentation practices. Most (79%) participants were in favor of EHR integration. Content analysis revealed nine themes in favor and five against integration, with most pertaining to clinical care, the organizational context, process, and purpose. Given that health care providers may find EHR changes to be disruptive to workflow and an imposition to day-to-day activities, engaging end-users in decision-making processes surrounding forthcoming EHR changes may not only increase investment in them, but also prevent provider burnout.

Differences in pediatric cholesterol screening rates between family physicians and pediatricians correlate with conflicting guidelines

Conflicting guidelines regarding universal pediatric cholesterol screening were released between 2011 and 2019, but the impact on screening rates remains understudied. The purpose of this study was to examine trends in pediatric cholesterol screening rates within a single institution in the United States and their association with release of national guidelines, local educational tools, and electronic health record (EHR) modifications. Order placement was defined as ordering a high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level in a patient aged 9–21 years with ≥1 well visit in prior 3 years. Order placement rate (OPR) was calculated per month using 3 months' moving average smoothing and analyzed based on date, patient age, and specialty of ordering clinician. Timing of educational tools, EHR modifications, and national guideline release were analyzed for changes in OPR. Prior to release of 2011 guidelines recommending universal pediatric cholesterol screening, pediatrician OPR was 35% (95% CI: 29–43%) compared to 8% (7–11%) for family physicians. For both specialties, OPR increased after 2011 guidelines, educational initiatives, and EHR changes, but decreased after 2016, with a larger decrease for family physicians (p < 0.001 for all). OPR was consistently higher for pediatricians than for family physicians during the study period, with largest OPR changes correlating with release of guidelines. The findings from the study suggest that conflicting guidelines may contribute to lower overall OPR, and to different screening rates for children cared for by pediatricians compared to family physicians.

Abstract 14052: Differences in Pediatric Cholesterol Screening Rates Between Family Medicine and Pediatrics Correlate With Conflicting Guidelines

Introduction: In 2011, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute released pediatric cardiovascular guidelines, recommending universal cholesterol screening between ages 9-11 and 17-21 years. This guideline conflicts with other organizations, notably the 2016 United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) statement which did not endorse universal screening. Our institution has utilized educational tools and electronic health record (EHR) modifications to encourage pediatric cholesterol screening. Hypothesis: Changes in pediatric lipid screening rates within a single institution correlate with release of national guidelines, as well as local educational tools and EHR modifications. Methods: Order placement was defined as ordering a high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level in a patient 9-21 years with ≥ 1 well visit in prior 3 years. Order placement rate (OPR) was calculated per month using 3 months’ moving average smoothing and analyzed based on date and specialty of ordering clinician. Timing of educational tools, EHR modifications, and national guideline release were analyzed for changes in OPR. Results: A total of 36,756 visits from 2010-2019 with 21,239 orders were analyzed. Total OPR was 57.8%. Prior to 2011 guideline, pediatrician (P) OPR was 41% (95% CI: 36-47%) and 9% (7-10%) for family medicine (FM). OPR increased in the 12 months after 2011 guideline, educational initiatives, and EHR changes for P (80%, 95% CI: 76-83%) and FM (21%, 95% CI: 19-25%) . Both P and FM had lower rates after 2016, with greater decrease for FM (p&lt;0.001 for all). Conclusions: OPR was higher in P than FM, with largest OPR changes correlating with release of guidelines. Larger positive changes in OPR were seen in P compared to FM after 2011 guideline, and larger decrease in OPR in FM compared to P correlating with 2016 USPSTF statement release. Conflicting guidelines may contribute to lower overall OPR as well as different screening rates for children cared for by P and FM.

An Environmental Scan of Sex and Gender in Electronic Health Records: Analysis of Public Information Sources.

BackgroundHistorically, the terms sex and gender have been used interchangeably as a binary attribute to describe a person as male or female, even though there is growing recognition that sex and gender are distinct concepts. The lack of sex and gender delineation in electronic health records (EHRs) may be perpetuating the inequities experienced by the transgender and gender nonbinary (TGNB) populations.ObjectiveThis study aims to conduct an environmental scan to understand how sex and gender are defined and implemented in existing Canadian EHRs and current international health information standards.MethodsWe examined public information sources on sex and gender definitions in existing Canadian EHRs and international standards communities. Definitions refer to data element names, code systems, and value sets in the descriptions of EHRs and standards. The study was built on an earlier environment scan by Canada Health Infoway, supplemented with sex and gender definitions from international standards communities. For the analysis, we examined the definitions for clarity, consistency, and accuracy. We also received feedback from a virtual community interested in sex-gender EHR issues.ResultsThe information sources consisted of public website descriptions of 52 databases and 55 data standards from 12 Canadian entities and 10 standards communities. There are variations in the definition and implementation of sex and gender in Canadian EHRs and international health information standards. There is a lack of clarity in some sex and gender concepts. There is inconsistency in the data element names, code systems, and value sets used to represent sex and gender concepts across EHRs. The appropriateness and adequacy of some value options are questioned as our societal understanding of sexual health evolves. Outdated value options raise concerns about current EHRs supporting the provision of culturally competent, safe, and affirmative health care. The limited options also perpetuate the inequities faced by the TGNB populations. The expanded sex and gender definitions from leading Canadian organizations and international standards communities have brought challenges in how to migrate these definitions into existing EHRs. We proposed 6 high-level actions, which are to articulate the need for this work, reach consensus on sex and gender concepts, reach consensus on expanded sex and gender definitions in EHRs, develop a coordinated action plan, embrace EHR change from socio-organizational and technical aspects to ensure success, and demonstrate the benefits in tangible terms.ConclusionsThere are variations in sex and gender concepts across Canadian EHRs and the health information standards that support them. Although there are efforts to modernize sex and gender concept definitions, we need decisive and coordinated actions to ensure clarity, consistency, and competency in the definition and implementation of sex and gender concepts in EHRs. This work has implications for addressing the inequities of TGNB populations in Canada.

Optimizing the electronic health record: An inpatient sprint addresses provider burnout and improves electronic health record satisfaction.

We sought reduce electronic health record (EHR) burden on inpatient clinicians with a 2-week EHR optimization sprint. A team led by physician informaticists worked with 19 advanced practice providers (APPs) in 1 specialty unit. Over 2 weeks, the team delivered 21 EHR changes, and provided 39 one-on-one training sessions to APPs, with an average of 2.8 hours per provider. We measured Net Promoter Score, thriving metrics, and time spent in the EHR based on user log data. Of the 19 APPs, 18 completed 2 or more sessions. The EHR Net Promoter Score increased from 6 to 60 postsprint (1.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.3-1.8; P = .01). The NPS for the Sprint itself was 93, a very high rating. The 3-axis emotional thriving, emotional recovery, and emotional exhaustion metrics did not show a significant change. By user log data, time spent in the EHR did not show a significant decrease; however, 40% of the APPs responded that they spent less time in the EHR. This inpatient sprint improved satisfaction with the EHR.

Improving Hospitalized Children's Sleep by Reducing Excessive Overnight Blood Pressure Monitoring.

Although required for healing, sleep is often disrupted during hospitalization. Blood pressure (BP) monitoring can be especially disruptive for pediatric inpatients and has few clinical indications. Our aim in this pilot study was to reduce unnecessary overnight BP monitoring and improve sleep for pediatric inpatients. The intervention in June 2018 involved clinician education sessions and updated electronic health record (EHR) orders that enabled the forgoing of overnight BP checks. The postintervention period from July 2018 to May 2019 examined patient-caregiver surveys as outcome measures. These surveys measured inpatient sleep and overnight disruptions and were adopted from validated surveys: the Patient Sleep Questionnaire, expanded Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire, and Potential Hospital Sleep Disruptions and Noises Questionnaire. Uptake of new sleep-friendly EHR orders was a process measure. Reported patient care escalations served as a balancing measure. Interrupted time series analysis of EHR orders (npre = 493; npost = 1472) showed an increase in intercept for the proportion of patients forgoing overnight BP postintervention (+50.7%; 95% confidence interval 41.2% to 60.3%; P < .001) and a subsequent decrease in slope each week (-0.16%; 95% confidence interval -0.32% to -0.01%; P = .037). Statistical process control of surveys (npre = 263; npost = 131) showed a significant increase in sleep duration for patients older than 2, and nighttime disruptions by clinicians decreased by 19% (P < .001). Annual estimated cost savings were $15 842.01. No major adverse events in patients forgoing BP were reported. A pilot study combining EHR changes and clinician education safely decreased overnight BP checks, increased pediatric inpatient sleep duration, and reduced nighttime disruptions by clinicians.

MHS Genesis Implementation: Strategies in Support of Successful EHR Conversion.

The Military Health System (MHS) is implementing a new electronic health record (EHR) which will impact 9.5 million Department of Defense (DoD) beneficiaries and over 205,000 MHS employees globally. The scale and scope of this EHR rollout is unprecedented; however, lessons learned from previous rollouts across smaller contexts in tandem with Kurt Lewin's Change Theory provide insights into critical success factors (CSFs) and critical barriers to implementation (CBIs) in which leadership may leverage to streamline future go-live efforts. The researcher conducted a narrative literature review to identify breadth of knowledge currently available surrounding EHR implementation and change management. A Boolean search of UMGC OneSearch was conducted utilizing the search string "electronic health record* OR EHR* AND change* AND implement*" which resulted in 7,084 results. Additional inclusion criteria and limiters were then applied to these results which included full-text, scholarly, and published journal articles, written in English from January 2009 to November 2019, from Europe, the United States, and Canada, in health and medicine, military history and science, and social science and humanities disciplines. 758 articles were identified through database searching. A cursory review of titles and abstracts for goodness of fit eliminated an additional 696 articles leaving 62 for full review. 18 of these articles were used for the final literature review. Through snowballing as well as Google Scholar, eight additional articles were identified and included. Finally, as a result of MHS Genesis being a new, government-backed EHR, the researcher also utilized three pieces of gray literature and non-peer-reviewed articles from professional websites, and three articles for background regarding Lewin's Theory of Change bringing the total references to 32. The manuscript uncovered two main themes regarding organizational change and EHR implementation. The first theme, coined CSF, includes factors associated with positive outcomes in implementing EHRs. The three CSFs are Process Change Champions, Training, and Feedback, and definitions can be found in Table I. The second theme identified, coined CBI, includes factors associated with hindering EHR implementation. The three CBIs are Technophobia, Resistance from Leaders/Providers, and Insufficient Communication, and definitions can be found in Table II. By operationalizing pre-identified CSFs and CBIs, leaders of the MHS are able to streamline future waves of MHS Genesis rollouts utilizing Kurt Lewin's Change Theory and the newly crafted Conceptual Framework of MHS Genesis Implementation presented in Figure 1. Through full acceptance and use of CSFs, adapting to feedback and barriers, and dynamically adjusting strategies, the challenges associated with a large-scale phased EHR implementation can be minimized. The results and implications of this literature review are significant as the MHS Genesis rollout is still in its infancy and evidence-based best practices can still be executed. MHS Genesis continues to be phase implemented and currently only the Pacific Northwest and parts of California have gone operational. Increasing efficiency in this process provides a benefit to stakeholders at all levels: health care providers, patients, leadership, and taxpayers.

The Impact of the Electronic Health Record on Moving New Evidence-Based Nursing Practices Forward.

Anecdotal reports from across the country highlight the fact that nurses are facing major challenges in moving new evidence-based practice (EBP) initiatives into the electronic health record (EHR). The purpose of this study was to: (a) learn current processes for embedding EBP into EHRs, (b) uncover facilitators and barriers associated with rapid movement of new evidence-based nursing practices into the EHR and (c) identify strategies and processes that have been successfully implemented in healthcare organizations across the nation. A qualitative study design was utilized. Purposive sampling was used to recruit nurses from across the country (N=29). Nine focus group sessions were conducted. Semistructured interview questions were developed. Focus groups were conducted by video and audio conferencing. Using an inductive approach, each transcript was read and initial codes were generated resulting in major themes and subthemes. Five major themes were identified: (a) barriers to advancing EBP secondary to the EHR, (b) organizational structure and governing processes of the EHR, (c) current processes for prioritization of EHR changes, (d) impact on ability of clinicians to implement EBP and (e) wait times and delays. Delays in moving new EBP practice changes into the EHR are significant. These delays are sources of frustration and job dissatisfaction. Our results underscore the importance of a priori planning for anticipated changes and building expected delays into the timeline for EBP projects. Moreover, nurse executives must advocate for greater representation of nursing within informatics technology governance structures and additional resources to hire nurse informaticians.

Validity of acute cardiovascular outcome diagnoses in European electronic health records: a systematic review protocol

IntroductionCardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are among the leading causes of death globally. Electronic health records (EHRs) provide a rich data source for research on CVD risk factors, treatments and outcomes. Researchers...

Meeting the National Need for Expertise in Pain Management with Clinical Pharmacist Advanced Practice Providers

Insulin, a high-alert medication, is regularly prescribed in the inpatient setting for hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus. Although convenient, insulin pens carry a risk of blood-borne pathogens if the same pen is used on multiple patients. At the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a new nursing protocol for insulin pen administration was developed to ensure that insulin was quickly available and to identify and move to eliminate wrong-patient insulin pen errors. This protocol involved unit-based automated dispensing machines and an electronic health record (EHR)–integrated patient-specific bar code label work flow.After piloting on three hospital units, this new patient-specific bar code label process was expanded hospitalwide. “Print Label For Insulin Pen” and “Scan Insulin Pen” buttons were programmed into the EHR to enable nurses to print patient-specific bar code labels. In addition, a “wrong-patient pen alert” was activated to prevent wrong-pen insulin pen administration.For the 162,075 inpatient insulin pen administrations during the study period (April 2017–March 2018), monthly errors (rates) ranged from 13 (0.12%) to 36 (0.23%). In total, 296 near-miss events (0.18% of all insulin pen administrations) were observed and prevented.Insulin pen work flow and EHR changes implemented at UCSF enable subcutaneous insulin to remain a time-critical medication and ensure patient safety. The wide adoption of EHRs offers an opportunity to integrate patient safety improvements directly into the electronic medication administration record systems to maximize patient safety.

Change management overlooked: physician perspectives on EHR implementation

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to gain understanding into the human factors which might impede the change process. Change is inevitable in contemporary organizations and particularly within the healthcare field with respect to information technology (IT). Regardless of the amount of literature surrounding change management process organizational leaders will often ignore the human factors associated with the introduction of new IT.Design/methodology/approachThis study sought to examine physician resistance surrounding the Electronic health record (EHR) change process through the lens of each of these three aspects of the Bovey and Hede (2001a) model through semi-structured interviews with physicians. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with physicians from hospitals within the Midwest.FindingsThe findings suggest that physicians have been impacted by the EHR change management system within their hospitals. Though each of the participants experienced different issues; it was clear from the data the change to an EHR system was disruptive to their day-to-day routines and caused various challenges. EHR change management research demonstrates physicians are resisting the change despite recognizing its potential benefits.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the change management literature by examining how physician resistance can have a negative impact on healthcare organizations during a precipitous technology change. The study also provides a unique understanding of how technology resistance can disrupt an organizational change process.

Development and Implementation of a Subcutaneous Insulin Pen Label Bar Code Scanning Protocol to Prevent Wrong-Patient Insulin Pen Errors

Insulin, a high-alert medication, is regularly prescribed in the inpatient setting for hyperglycemia and diabetes mellitus. Although convenient, insulin pens carry a risk of blood-borne pathogens if the same pen is used on multiple patients. At the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), a new nursing protocol for insulin pen administration was developed to ensure that insulin was quickly available and to identify and move to eliminate wrong-patient insulin pen errors. This protocol involved unit-based automated dispensing machines and an electronic health record (EHR)-integrated patient-specific bar code label work flow. After piloting on three hospital units, this new patient-specific bar code label process was expanded hospitalwide. "Print Label For Insulin Pen" and "Scan Insulin Pen" buttons were programmed into the EHR to enable nurses to print patient-specific bar code labels. In addition, a "wrong-patient pen alert" was activated to prevent wrong-pen insulin pen administration. For the 162,075 inpatient insulin pen administrations during the study period (April 2017-March 2018), monthly errors (rates) ranged from 13 (0.12%) to 36 (0.23%). In total, 296 near-miss events (0.18% of all insulin pen administrations) were observed and prevented. Insulin pen work flow and EHR changes implemented at UCSF enable subcutaneous insulin to remain a time-critical medication and ensure patient safety. The wide adoption of EHRs offers an opportunity to integrate patient safety improvements directly into the electronic medication administration record systems to maximize patient safety.

Reducing the default dispense quantity for new opioid analgesic prescriptions: study protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial

IntroductionAs opioid analgesic consumption has grown, so have opioid use disorder and opioid-related overdoses. Reducing the quantity of opioid analgesics prescribed for acute non-cancer pain can potentially reduce risks to...

Who, what, where, when, and how? Advance care planning documentation practices and accessibility in the electronic health record.

2 Background: Documenting patients’ advance care planning (ACP) wishes is essential to providing value aligned care, as is having this documentation readily accessible. Early ACP is increasingly being recognized as integral to oncologic care, however, little is known about current documentation practices. In this cross-sectional study, we describe ACP documentation practices and accessibility of documented ACP discussions in the electronic health record (EHR). Methods: Participants were recruited from outpatient clinics at the San Francisco VA, were ≥60 years old, with ≥2 chronic/serious conditions and ≥2 primary care visits in the past year. ACP documentation was abstracted from the EHR in 2013-2015 and included any prior legal forms/orders and ACP discussions documented within the prior five years. Frequency and type of ACP documentation was calculated using percentages and means. For discussions, author discipline and location of documentation was determined. Discussions were deemed “accessible” if documented in a designated ACP posting location or “not easily accessible” if recorded as free text in progress notes. Results: The mean age of 414 participants was 71 years (SD ± 8), 9% were women, 43% were non-white, and 51% had documented ACP including 149 (36%) with ACP forms and 138 (33%) with ACP discussions. Seventy-five (54%) discussions were documented by social workers and 49 (36%) by primary care providers. However, 76 (55%) discussions were not easily accessible. For 27 (18%) participants with advance directives, subsequent discussions documented a change in treatment preferences. Nineteen (70%) discussions reporting a change in wishes were not easily accessible. Conclusions: Half of chronically ill, older patients had documented ACP wishes, including a third with documented ACP discussions. Most discussions were documented by social workers and were not easily accessible, although discussions often represented changes from prior advance directives. Clinician education and EHR changes to ensure documented discussions are accessible are important patient-safety and quality improvement targets to ensure patients’ wishes are honored.

Electronic Health Record (EHR) Organizational Change: Explaining Resistance Through Profession, Organizational Experience, and EHR Communication Quality

ABSTRACTThe American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by the U.S. government in 2009 mandates that all healthcare organizations adopt a certified electronic health record (EHR) system by 2015. Failure to comply will result in Medicare reimbursement penalties, which steadily increase with each year of delinquency. There are several repercussions of this seemingly top-down, rule-bound organizational change—one of which is employee resistance. Given the penalties for violating EHR meaningful use standards are ongoing, resistance to this mandate presents a serious issue for healthcare organizations. This study surveyed 345 employees in one healthcare organization that recently implemented an EHR. Analysis of variance results offer theoretical and pragmatic contributions by demonstrating physicians, nurses, and employees with more experience in their organization are the most resistant to EHR change. The job characteristics model is used to explain these findings. Hierarchical regression analyses also demonstrate the quality of communication surrounding EHR implementation—from both formal and informal sources—is negatively associated with EHR resistance and positively associated with perceived EHR implementation success and EHR’s perceived relative advantage.

Electronic Heath Record Prompts May Increase Screening for Secondhand Smoke Exposure.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians promote smoking cessation among caregivers at every visit. Currently, there are inconsistencies between recommendations and clinical practice. This study aims to compare results generated from 3 intervention methods on the rate at which pediatricians screen for secondhand smoke exposure (SHSe). Pediatricians were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 intervention groups: no lecture, changes in electronic health record (EHR) (G1); lecture, no changes in the EHR (G2); or a lecture and EHR changes (G3). Data between groups were compared using a 1-way analysis of variance. Documentation of SHSe was statistically significantly greater in G3, when compared with G1 and G2 ( P < .01). Documentation of SHSe was statistically significantly greater in G1, when compared with G2 ( P < .05). A brief lecture with EHR prompts may be a simple way to increase screening for SHSe in the pediatric primary care setting.