Health information exchange and information gaps in referrals to a pediatric emergency department
Abstract
to assess the extent of information gaps between three information sources available at admission to a pediatric Emergency Department (ED): Health Information Exchange (HIE) system, physicians' referral letters and information collected from patients/parents at admission to the ED (patient's medical history). A retrospective cohort study of 170 medical records of children aged 6 months to 18 years referred to a pediatric ED for a common childhood disease. Each record was reviewed for information on lab and imaging tests, vaccinations, allergies, previous diagnoses, recent and chronic medical treatment in the HIE system and referral letter, or from the patient's medical history taken on admission to the ED. The percent overlap between information sources and information gaps was assessed. The most informative source, in terms of addressing all key areas, was the patient's medical history, with an average of 73.5% indication of each information key area. Next was the HIE system, with 54.1% indication of each key area; the least informative was the referral letter (43.9%). The overall overlap in data availability among all information sources occurred on average in 23% of the cases. HIE's ability to provide data missing from other...Continue Reading
References
Estimated financial savings associated with health information exchange and ambulatory care referral
Citations
Related Concepts
Related Feeds
Ataxias (MDS)
Ataxia is a neurological condition characterized by lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements including loss of coordination, balance, and speech. Discover the latest research on ataxia here.
Ataxia
Ataxia is a neurological condition characterized by lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements including loss of coordination, balance, and speech. Discover the latest research on ataxia here.
Allergy and Asthma
Allergy and asthma are inflammatory disorders that are triggered by the activation of an allergen-specific regulatory t cell. These t cells become activated when allergens are recognized by allergen-presenting cells. Here is the latest research on allergy and asthma.