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Volume 37 Number 1: >>  Technology and the clinical environment
 
Information environments for supporting consistent registrar medical handover. 
Leila Alem, Michele Joseph, Stefanie Kethers, Cathie Steele and Ross Wilkinson p9 [ pdf


Abstract

This study was two-fold in nature. Initially, it examined the information environment and the use of customary information tools to support medical handovers in a large metropolitan teaching hospital on four weekends (i.e. Friday night to Monday morning). Weekend medical handovers were found to involve sequences of handovers where patients were discussed at the discretion of the doctor handing over; no reliable discussion of all patients of concern occurred at any one handover, with few information tools being used; and after a set of weekend handovers, there was no complete picture on a Monday morning without an analysis of all patient progress notes. In a subsequent case study, three information tools specifically designed as intervention that attempted to enrich the information environment were evaluated. Results indicate that these tools did support greater continuity in who was discussed but not in what was discussed at handover. After the intervention, if a doctor discussed a patient at handover, that patient was more likely to be discussed at subsequent handovers. However, the picture at Monday morning remained fragmentary. The results are discussed in terms of the complexities inherent in the handover process.


Organisational factors affecting the quality of hospital clinical coding.
Suong Santos, Gregory Murphy, Kathryn Baxter and Kerin M Robinson p25 [ pdf

Abstract
The influence of organisational factors on the quality of hospital coding using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Health Related Problems, 10th Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM) was investigated using a mixed quantitative-qualitative approach. The organisational variables studied were: hospital specialty; geographical locality; structural characteristics of the coding unit; education, training and resource supports for Clinical Coders; and quality control mechanisms. Baseline data on the hospitals’ coding quality, measured by the Performance Indicators for Coding Quality tool, were used as an independent index measure. No differences were found in error rates between rural and metropolitan hospitals, or general and specialist hospitals. Clinical Coder allocation to ‘general’ rather than ‘specialist’ unit coding resulted in fewer errors. Coding Managers reported that coding quality can be improved by: Coders engaging in a variety of role behaviours; improved Coder career opportunities; higher staffing levels; reduced throughput; fewer time constraints on coding outputs and associated work; and increased Coder interactions with medical staff.


International developments in openEHR archetypes and templates.
Heather Leslie  p38 [ pdf


Abstract
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are a complex knowledge domain. The ability to design EHRs to cope with the changing nature of health knowledge, and to be shareable, has been elusive. A recent pilot study1 tested the applicability of the CEN 13606 as an electronic health record standard. Using openEHR archetypes and tools2, 650 clinical content 
specifications (archetypes) were created (e.g. for blood pressure) and re-used across all clinical specialties and contexts. Groups of archetypes were aggregated in templates to support clinical information gathering or viewing (e.g. 80 separate archetypes make up the routine antenatal visit record). Over 60 templates were created for use in the emergency department, antenatal care and delivery of an infant, and paediatric hearing loss assessment. The primary goal is to define a logical clinical record architecture for the NHS but potentially, with archetypes as the keystone, shareable EHRs will also be attainable. Archetype and template development work is ongoing, with associated evaluation occurring in parallel.


© 2008 Health Information Management Journal of the Health Information Management Association of Australia Ltd