JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Population Health Management (PHM) can be viewed as improving the health outcomes of a population of individuals, using appropriately coordinated care and proper patient engagement, which is sustained through adequate economic and care models (AHA Center for Health Innovation, n.d.). Managing groups of patients based on their diagnosis while maintaining their health and keeping them out of dangerous circumstances has recently become popular because it affords the ability to deliver high-quality and efficient care satisfying to everyone involved (Jones & Smith, 2000). An Electronic Health Record (EHR) houses patient demographic information, the administrative services they make use of, their medical or clinical information, and additional health-related information involving the social determinants of health. The problem comes with exchanging this real-time digital information using a complete and accurate shared care record. The idea is to allow healthcare providers, services, and patients access to the information they need but does not require everyone to be on one common information system, helping reduce medical errors, healthcare costs, and redundant work while improving communication among providers, quality of patient care, and transitions throughout the healthcare system.

Objective:

The aims of the study were to understand end-user’s (health care provider’s) experiences, attitudes and insights utilizing current Electronic Health Records (EHRs), expectations of what is required to establish a shared care record and how they anticipate adapting to the use of a shared care record in daily practice. This work is the result of a Quality Improvement initiative deemed not to require ethics approval according to Western’s Research Ethics Board checklist.

Methods:

Clinicians were contacted using voluntary response sampling and were interviewed via Zoom between June and July 2022. The participants came from various healthcare sectors and stages of career development.

Results:

Adaptation to the use of a shared care record was viewed positively by healthcare providers overall. Resources requested by end users included proper ongoing training using multifaceted approaches and access to additional patient medical information that would help them in their practice. The main concerns of participants were the privacy, confidentiality and security of the record and patient information interpretation through the patient portal.

Conclusions:

This study provides practical findings that will help emphasize factors that facilitate clinicians’ practical use and process of adaptation to the use of a shared care record.