Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:The Culture of Health Care
Unit:Health Care Processes and Decision Making
Lecture:Gathering data and analyzing findings
Making a diagnosis
The impact of EHRs and technology on clinical decision-making
Slide content:Health Care Processes and Decision Making Information System Tools Electronic health records Clinical information systems Clinical support Systems Other electronic tools, such as email, apps, health information exchange, source data, personal health records, electronic medical resources 11
Slide notes:Information systems and technology are tools that facilitate the clinicians ability to collect and analyze patient data. As discussed earlier, data collection is a cyclical or iterative process, and data may come from many sources, including other providers, the patients personal health record, and even a patients mobile application. Electronic health records and clinical information systems facilitate both the data collection process and display of the data to support clinicians with data analysis so they can quickly arrive at the most appropriate patient diagnosis based on available information. Clinical decision support systems are designed to facilitate the decision-making process at the point of care by providing access to additional information and medical knowledge. For example, these systems may provide access to a library, or a robust resource of signs and symptoms information with commonly associated diseases and diagnoses. Some also may provide associated treatments and plan of care activities. The goal of decision support systems is to facilitate the clinicians efforts in diagnosing patients, but they dont replace the experienced clinician who makes a final determination based on his or her direct patient interaction and working knowledge. Electronic systems and technology are tools that facilitate and support the clinicians decision-making process. While they dont replace any of the techniques for diagnostic thinking presented in this unit, the overall benefits of using these information systems include improved patient care outcomes and care quality as well as improved patient safety. 11