For those who interact with both electronic health records (EHRs) and patients, even small clinical workflow challenges can quickly cause major headaches. Indeed, issues like disorganized problem lists and poor EHR search capabilities are just two examples of how these inefficiencies contribute to administrative strain – ultimately making it more difficult for clinicians to focus on providing the highest quality of care.
But improving clinical workflows doesn’t have to be an impossible task. We’ve gathered three of our top resources on the topic to help spark ideas on how to move towards a more optimized EHR and overcome clinical workflow challenges.
Creating a problem list governance strategy | How-to guide
The EHR’s problem list should provide an accurate and comprehensive picture of a patient’s current health status. However, this tool often becomes cluttered with outdated entries and duplicate diagnoses, leaving clinicians in a lurch.
But whose job is it to sift through the problem list’s clutter to perform necessary administrative clean up? Moreover, who will ultimately keep the list in shape once it’s organized?
In this how-to guide, we outline the steps required to develop the policies and guidelines to support a healthy problem list governance strategy – including defining organizational goals, creating a governance task force, and establishing rules of engagement.
The power of personalized search in EHRs | Article
Most of us use Google’s search function daily – asking, for example, where to find the closest coffee shop. But why do we value these results so much? Most often it’s due to their personalized nature.
And search capabilities aren’t limited to our online queries. The majority of EHRs contain similar technology built on a foundation of industry-leading clinical terminology. It’s a function that helps providers find accurate, specific terms with the smallest number of search attempts, keystrokes, or clicks. And, just like Google, the EHRs search capabilities are frequently improving – becoming more helpful by being personalized.
Learn more about how IMO’s search capabilities are tailored to each individual user in the article below.
Best practices for improving clinical workflows in your EHR | Webinar
Are you someone who prefers to listen to webinars rather than dive into a PDF or article? Then this on-demand webinar – featuring IMO Physician Informaticist Jim Thompson, MD – is right up your alley. The content of this webinar will:
- Explore the situational factors contributing to the complexity of clinical workflows
- Discuss how current technologies might sometimes interfere with clinical workflows and impact the provider experience
- Examine ways to modify EHR workflows and collaborate with EHR vendors to better meet clinician’s needs
