Ethnographic analysis on the use of the electronic medical record for clinical handoff.
The objective of this study was to understand the social elements of clinical and organizational interactions of the key stakeholders in the specific context of an electronic dashboard used by the emergency department (ED) and inpatient medicine teams at the time of clinical referral and handover. An electronic handover function is utilised at the ED-inpatient interface at this institution and has given clinicians the ability to better communicate, monitor the department and strive to improve patient safety in streamline the delivery of care in the acute phase. This study uses an ethnographic qualitative research design incorporating semistructured interviews, participant observation on the ED floor and fieldwork notes. The setting for this research was in the ED at a tertiary University affiliated hospital. Triangulation was used to combine information obtained from multiple sources and information from fieldwork and interviews refined into useable chunks culminating in a thematic analysis. Thematic analysis yielded five central themes that reflected how the clinical staff utilised this IT system and why it had become embedded in the culture of clinical referral and handover. Efficient time management for improved patient flow was demonstrated, value added communication (at the interpersonal level), the building trust at the ED-inpatient interface, the maintenance of mutual respect across medical cultures and an overall enhancement of the quality of ED communication (in terms of the information available). A robust electronic handover process, resulted in an integrated approach to patient care by removing barriers to admission for medical inpatients, admitted via ED. The value proposition for patients was a more complete information transfer, both within the ED and between departments.
Medical Services, Logan Hospital, Brisbane, Australia.
Philippa
P
Nelson
RBWH Department of Emergency Medicine, Butterfield St, Herston, QLD, 4006, Australia. Anthony.bell@health.qld.gov.au.
Anthony J
AJ
Bell
Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, USA.
Larry
L
Nathanson
Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, USA.
Leon D
LD
Sanchez
Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, USA.
Jonathan
J
Fisher
Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, USA.
Philip D
PD
Anderson
D000884:Anthropology, Cultural / Q000379:methods; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000592:standards; D057286:Electronic Health Records / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D062209:Patient Handoff / Q000592:standards* / Q000639:trends; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013997:Time Factors
Communication; Electronic health record; Emergency department; Internal medicine; Patient handoff