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37 Number 1: >>
Technology and
the clinical environment |
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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.
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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.
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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.
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