Using Health Information Technology to Support Quality Improvement in Primary Care. Informatics

 

Most healthcare organizations strive to improve their clinical practices and the quality of care provided to the patients. Informatics has a key role to play in achieving this organizational goal. In particular, informatics capture data, which inspires healthcare organizations to improve their quality of care and change the overall clinical practices. However, informatics’s role in gathering the required data is facilitated by electronic health records (EHR). This paper will discuss the process and considerations to implement a new EHR system in a practice setting.Using Health Information Technology to Support Quality Improvement in Primary Care.

 

Information Needed to Facilitate Tracking Opportunities for Care Improvement

Information obtained from the database plays a key role in pointing out areas that required some improvement in a healthcare setting. First, information about the quality of care can be obtained from the database to assist in tracking care areas that require some improvements. Using Health Information Technology to Support Quality Improvement in Primary Care.Data across various quality domains are collected and analyzed in most healthcare organizations. Therefore, quality issues that require some improvements problems are self-evident and clear. Examples of indicators that indicate quality problems in a clinical facility include high HAIs, high rate of hospital readmission, and high mortality rate. Using Health Information Technology to Support Quality Improvement in Primary Care.The management of a healthcare organization, in turn, takes appropriate action to improve the identified weak area. Additionally, areas that require improvement in a healthcare organization is pointed out by examining processes and outcomes closely. The obtained data indicate that improvement is required if the actual processes and outcomes do not meet the set standards or the organization’s previous performance.Using Health Information Technology to Support Quality Improvement in Primary Care.

The Role of Informatics in Capturing Data

The informatics play a key role in capturing data required to indicate areas that need improvements in a healthcare organization. They document patient’s medical history into electronic health records and other systems to update and access those documents relatively easily. The electronic charting enables MSN student to access information efficiently and quickly. Using Health Information Technology to Support Quality Improvement in Primary Care.The MSN student uses the acquired information to enhance the daily workflow. Additionally, the electronically stored information can be easily accessed by various team members such as care providers and physicians, among other healthcare specialists. Additionally, electronically stored medical records enable clinicians to transfer patients’ care from one practitioner to another by handing over patients’ medical records. Therefore, informatics use information and technology, specifically EHRs, to manage patients’ vital information, facilitate communication among multidisciplinary team members, minimize preventable medical error, and support decision-making during healthcare services, thus supporting quality improvement in healthcare organizations (AHRQ, 2015).

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