22 hours ago Abstract. This study evaluated the usability of a Web-based portal application developed for the use of nursing staff with patients suffering from schizophrenia and related psychosis. The study was designed solely to gain direct inputs from the nursing staff (N = 76, n = 38) in acute inpatient wards in two Finnish psychiatric hospitals. >> Go To The Portal
Abstract. This study evaluated the usability of a Web-based portal application developed for the use of nursing staff with patients suffering from schizophrenia and related psychosis. The study was designed solely to gain direct inputs from the nursing staff (N = 76, n = 38) in acute inpatient wards in two Finnish psychiatric hospitals.
May 19, 2020 · The patient portal that we studied is tethered to a shared EMR known as eCLINICIAN (an AHS branding of EpicCare Ambulatory 2014 from Epic Systems), used at the time by approximately 1110 physicians, residents, and students, and approximately 6000 nurses, allied health professionals, and other staff. The adaptation of this patient portal to the AHS context …
Efficient strategies are needed to cope with the demand on health care services and to increase patient adherence to treatment. Emerging web 2.0 technologies present viable options for patient engagement in health care. We undertook a pilot project to assess the feasibility of two chronic disease management patient portals.
The findings from these three evaluation tracks informed the development of a logic model for evaluation of a patient portal. Usability studies showed that errors encountered by portal users were attributable to issues with system design, assumptions about functionalities, and insufficient user knowledge.
Reaction to the patient portal implementation has been very positive. Patients appreciate the convenience, for example, of being able to contact the practice at any time of day or night . For many patients, the use of Web-based information and electronic communication is “second nature”; consequently, they are comfortable using the portal. As one clinician observed, “Lots of patients are accustomed to using electronic communication now. They don’t want to have to pick up the phone anymore.” Clinicians and staff members appreciate that the portal reduces call volume and “provides a fluid line of communication that works well.” They noted that communication via the portal helped to reduce miscommunication and delays that sometimes occur with phone communication.
Patients may be especially interested in the portal at particular moments, such as when they are frustrated with telephone wait times or playing “telephone tag.” Staff members take these opportunities to encourage patients to use the portal.
The limitations of the EHR and the patient portal have presented challenges, such as the inability to send clinical summaries to patients via the portal. The practice can only move ahead with certain aspects of patient and family engagement as quickly as the system is upgraded.
The practice established standards for response times of within 4 hours for more urgent questions to 2 days for prescription refills
Dover Family Physicians adopted an electronic health record (EHR) system in 2008 with a goal of improving the quality of patient care and especially strengthening preventive care services. The practice has focused on ways to use the EHR to engage patients and their family members in their health and healthcare through a patient portal implementation. The practice, located in Dover, Delaware, has four physicians and two physician assistants, and provides primary care to more than 800 patients weekly.
To get the most value from an EHR, practices will need to invest time in training and preparation. Some customization of the system will likely be needed based on how the practice functions and the individual work styles of the various providers.
The providers noted that patients need to be educated about clinical summaries, otherwise “many clinical summaries are likely to end up in the trash.” Consequently, providers explain the contents, purpose, and benefits of the clinical summary to patients.
PHMG launched the patient portal in early 2010. As a first step, the physician champion piloted the portal for about 6 months before it was implemented in one clinic at a time. According to the physician champion, implementation was “easier than expected because everyone was already comfortable with eClinicalWorks, ...
They found that it is particularly persuasive when providers encourage patients to use the portal because patients trust providers and value their opinions. One provider says he reinforces a patient’s use of the portal by closing all messages with “Thanks for using the portal.”.
Messaging is monitored periodically to ensure that communication with patients is succinct and user-friendly.
PHMG is an independent medical group with 11 clinics in southwest Idaho, provides both appointment‐based and urgent care. PHMG has 46 health care providers (including 12 mid‐level providers) and averages 200,000 patient visits per year. About half of PHMG’s patients are appointment‐based and half are urgent care. The practice specializes in:
One major challenge with the portal is the multiple step registration process . Patients provide their e‐mail address at the front desk and are given a password to register from home. Some patients fail to complete the registration process after leaving the clinic. Remembering and managing passwords and managing family accounts are also challenging for patients. For example, a parent may log in for one child and then ask questions about a second child. For providers and staff, a challenge is that there is no way to know whether a Web‐enabled patient actually uses the portal and there are no read receipts to confirm that patients have read a message.
In 2007 PHMG implemented an EHR system, eClinicalWorks, as part of a strategy to improve quality of care and facilitate coordination of care across its multiple clinic locations. In preparing for implementation, PHMG proceeded with:
Providers want to hear from other providers about new technologies. Physician champions can share practical how‐to information and address their colleagues’ questions and concerns from the physician perspective . Teaming physician and administrative champions can be an effective approach to introducing new technologies and processes.
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Yet, if we can get patients to use them, portals have a lot of potential benefits. Allowing patients to access their records can make them more informed. Asynchronous communication can be more efficient. Having a patient write down their concerns in their own words rather than relying on a third party can improve accuracy. Sending test results electronically can be more timely.
A patient should only need one portal – a comprehensive one maintained by his or her primary care physician (PCP), who shares data with all those specialists and hospitals, gets timely updates, and is great at keeping records.
I often ask patients why they don't sign up. Some are worried about privacy; others don't enjoy using computers, forget their passwords, or just don't see the benefits. They aren't thinking ahead to that unplanned emergency department visit where a portal would let them pull up their medication, allergy, and problem lists on their phone for the doctor to see. Many patients are simply more comfortable calling to make appointments and leaving messages. Old habits are hard to change.
Sending test results electronic ally can be more timely . However, the current state of the art needs work. A big problem is that portals are not standardized and often don't talk to each other.