Taking a quality assurance program from paper to electronic health records: one dental school's experience.
The Obama administration is seeking to increase access to and improve the efficiency of the health care system in the United States. One aspect of those efforts is a push towards the utilization of electronic health records (EHRs) by health care providers. Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine (NSU-CDM) opened its doors in 1997 and began its evolution from paper charts to EHRs in 2006. AxiUm, a computer-run patient record and clinical management system, has become an integral part of the college's quality assurance program and its students' clinical education. Since the introduction of axiUm, the school has already noticed an increase in the quality of patient care due to improved oversight of patient management and the ability to more efficiently track treatment outcomes. Over time, the system will enable data collected by students providing care in the clinics to be quantified. Opposition to EHRs tends to stem primarily from the amount of time required for users to gain proficiency in the new technology, as well as from the initial cost to the provider. But there is no better place to begin this learning process regarding the importance and utilization of EHR systems than universities, where health professions students can acquire a comfort level with EHRs in an academic environment that they may then implement in their future practice.
Filker
Phyllis J
PJ
Section on Cariology and Restorative Dentistry, College of Dental Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, 3200 S. University Drive, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33328, USA. filker@nova.edu
Muckey
Erin Joy
EJ
Kelner
Steven M
SM
Kodish-Stav
Jodi
J
D016494:Computer Security; D003219:Confidentiality; D003628:Database Management Systems; D019992:Databases as Topic; D019230:Dental Audit; D003792:Dental Records; D004497:Education, Dental; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D005431:Florida; D006801:Humans; D007254:Information Science; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012308:Risk Management; D012449:Safety; D012575:Schools, Dental; D018511:Systems Integration; D009626:Terminology as Topic