The study sought to evaluate a best-practice discharge checklist hosted in the EHR for usage, user satisfaction and impact on physician workflow. The checklist was developed and evaluated at Stanford (Calif.) University Medical Center.
Initially, clinicians reported relying on memory to complete discharge tasks. Once the EHR-based checklist was introduced, researchers found clinicians using the EHR-based checklist reported higher use, integration into workflow, usefulness of checklist, discharge confidence and discharge efficiency than those using paper checklists.
“This is the first study to show that medicine residents use ‘memory’ as the most common method for remembering discharge tasks,” researchers concluded. “These data reinforce the need for a formalized tool, such as a checklist, that residents can rely on to complete important discharge tasks.”
More articles on EHRs:
Epic decoded: An inside look at life and corporate culture at the center of the health IT world
Copy/paste errors plague EHRs
EHRs critical to precision medicine
