The Issues of Usability and Workflow Impact Really Do Need Addressing!

The following appeared a day or so ago.

Data Sparse on E-Health Records, Workflow

By John Pulley 11/03/10 03:33 pm ET

Exactly how electronic health records will affect workflow in outpatient settings remains unclear, according to a new report.

Studies to date have been "anecdotal, insufficiently supported, or otherwise deficient in terms of scientific rigor," according to the report, prepared by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality by the Center for Quality and Productivity Improvement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Notwithstanding those deficiencies, previous studies found that EHR implementation resulted in "nearly universal" increases in workload for physicians, according to the report submitted to the AHRQ. Workflow can include activities by patients, clinic providers or clinic staff, exchanges between organizations or work that happened during or between clinic encounters, the researchers said.

The report found that:

• In most cases, a computer terminal in the examination room was distracting for the provider, shifting attention away from the patient. To compensate, some providers reviewed patient records ahead of time, allowed patients to see the computer screen, printed out the records or waited until the patient left to document findings in the computer.
• Several studies found clinics saved time using features such as text templates, automatic billing data transfers, and computer-printed prescriptions and letters.

And a range of other issues:

Read the full list here:

http://healthitupdate.nextgov.com/2010/11/ehrs_time_savers_or_time_wasters.php?oref=latest_posts

Here is how the report is described by the AHRQ.

New Report Examines Impacts of Health IT on Workflow in Outpatient Settings

AHRQ released a new summary report, Incorporating Health IT into Workflow Redesign (PDF, 1.37 MB), prepared by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Quality and Productivity Improvement (CQPI). The report summarizes existing research and evidence related to the impact of health IT on workflow in outpatient settings. Key information obtained from the research will be incorporated into a toolkit to assist small and medium-sized practices in workflow analysis and redesign before, during, and after health IT implementation. The toolkit, Workflow Assessment for Health IT, is expected to be available in January 2011.

Download the Incorporating Health IT into Workflow Redesign Summary Report (PDF, 1.37 MB) and the associated Appendix, Incorporating Health IT Into Workflow Redesign Summary Report Appendix F: Tool Compendium (PDF, 1.43 MB) PDF Help.

This is the page where this and a heap of other stuff is found:

http://healthit.ahrq.gov/portal/server.pt/community/ahrq_national_resource_center_for_health_it/650

Important stuff and well worth a read!

David.