What's New | July 06, 2011

Medical Electronic Alerts

Medical electronic alerts are being integrated into clinical decision support systems, electronic health records (EHRs), and electronic prescribing to improve patient safety and quality of care. Clinicians receive alerts or reminders at the point of care to take specific actions such as ordering a test or confirming the patient is not at risk for a drug-drug interaction. However, as one program discovered, it is important to be selective about the number and type of electronic alerts to have a positive impact on physician behavior.

The featured Innovations describe three programs that use electronic alerts or reminders along with clinical guidelines or other best practices to improve patient care and physician performance.

The featured QualityTools provide standard approaches to improve the usability of EHRs and frequently asked questions about clinical decision support systems.

Featured Innovations:

• Electronic Alerts Related to Black Box Warnings Do Not Affect Overall Physician Prescribing Habits in Outpatient Clinics

• Electronic Alerts, Patient Education, and Performance Reports Improve Adherence to Guideline Designed to Reduce Early Elective Inductions

• Unobtrusive, Actionable Reminders and Performance Feedback Improve Physician Performance on Standardized Quality Measures

Featured QualityTools:

• Clinical Decision Support (CDS) & Meaningful Use Frequently Asked Questions
Developed by Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society

• Customized Common Industry Format Template for Electronic Health Record Usability Testing
Developed by National Institute of Standards and Technology

• NIST Guide to the Processes Approach for Improving the Usability of Electronic Health Records
Developed by National Institute of Standards and Technology

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Also in This Issue:

Innovations >

• Fun, Interactive Classes Emphasize Easy-to-Understand Messages, Leading to Enhanced Knowledge About Healthy Behaviors in Elementary School Children
with Story

• Multispecialty Practice Uses Electronic Templates to Provide Customized Support at Every Visit, Contributing to Improved Patient Behaviors and Outcomes
with Story

• Statewide Campaign Provides Education and Technical Support to City Officials, Leading to Policies That Promote Healthy Behaviors

QualityTools >

• Brenner FIT Kits
Developed by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center

• Healthy Eating Active Living (HEAL) Cities Campaign Toolkit
Developed by California Center for Public Health Advocacy; Cities Counties and Schools Partnership; League of California Cities

• PreventObesity.net
Developed by Netcentric Campaigns; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

• Turning Knowledge Into Practice: A Manual for Behavioral Health Administrators and Practitioners About Understanding and Implementing Evidence-Based Practices: 2nd Edition
Developed by American College of Mental Health Administration; The Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc.