Tools

Electronic Health Records

EHR Usability Tool Kit: A Background Report on Usability and Electronic Health Records

A number of challenges restrict the usability of electronic health record systems (EHRs) in a clinical care setting. This tool kit provides an overview of these challenges, measures by which usability can be assessed, and lays the foundation for the development of a toolkit for health care professionals. Source: HealthIT.gov

EHR Contracts Untangled: Selecting Wisely, Negotiating Terms, and Understanding the Fine Print

This guide, created by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, explains key concepts and sample contract language to help providers negotiate realistic contracts with vendors. Source: HealthIT.gov

Characterizing the Source of Text in Electronic Health Record Progress Notes

Electronic health records pose a new challenge to the purpose and integrity of progress notes. Professionals can now copy or import text for a clinical encounter, which may increase the risk of including outdated, inaccurate, or unnecessary information and lead to clinical errors. This study uses a new EHR tool capable of distinguishing between manual, imported, and copied text to describe documentation practices by health care providers. Source: JAMA Network

Fast Health Interoperability Resource (FHIR^®)

FHIR can be used to connect a wide variety of devices on platforms including mobile phone apps, cloud communications, EHR-based data sharing, and server communication in large institutions. With the proper authorization, FHIR allows health care providers to quickly obtain specific, well-defined information about a patient such as body mass index or current medication list. This makes it more efficient to obtain the needed information than current methods, which only transfer complete patient documents.