Imagine a practice where the receptionist doesn’t have to stand up every time she needs to access a patient’s file. Instead, a few simple clicks of the mouse bring up the patient’s medical record instantly on her monitor. It’s almost magical.
Well, EHRs are supposed to bring this to fruition and, in turn, launch the dawn of paperless practice.
A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association showed instead of properly using their EHRs, primary care practices were using 10 out of 11 previously identified paper workarounds. If we’re supposed to be in the midst of the EHR revolution, what happened?
Overlooking functionality happened. Cramming as many features as possible into the EHR without regard to usability happened. It’s a design issue. This is why we recommend paying attention to EHR design just as much as its capabilities when looking to purchase.
The JAMIA study cites lack of efficiency, memory, and awareness factors as the most consistent reasons for practices using paper-based workarounds instead of EHR functionality. Today, we look at how a well-designed EHR helps in all of these areas.
Efficiency
Increased efficiency is the key to a more productive practice. The problem is that some EHRs simply aren’t designed to be easy to use. According to a 2012 American College of Physicians survey, 37% of physicians say they were dissatisfied with their EHR system’s usability.
Some form of training will be needed for any EHR, but well-designed software will integrate naturally. Opening of windows and number of clicks should be kept to a bare minimum. Also, it helps if clinical encounters can be documented on a single screen, saving time and effort.
Memory
According to the JAMIA study, one major memory-based workaround for practices was the writing down of notes as a reminder for future tasks. Particularly pervasive was the use of post-it notes instead of recording upcoming tasks in the EHR.
EHR design needs to provide a clear, organized view of all upcoming tasks.
Patient flow should also be shown in a way that you know where a patient is in the process at all times — this way they’re are never left waiting.
Awareness
Staff at paper-workaround practices reported writing down vitals or other data on health screening forms so physicians would have information available during patient encounters.
These physicians presumably didn’t use the EHR to access this data because the EHR design wasn’t conducive to workflows. Before buying an EHR, find out how much testing from actual physicians was performed on the product. There can often be a huge disconnect between software developers and practicing physicians.
Overall, your EHR needs to be designed in a user-friendly manner. If not, this can lead to the same lack of use found in the practices in the JAMIA study. And if you’re going to purchase an EHR, it might as well be one you‘ll actually use.
Feel like you need more tips to help purchase your EHR? Then you may enjoy our Definitive EHR Buying Guide.
Do you know what you need when setting up a new medical practice?
