How Does EHR Usability Fit Into Clinical Decision Support?

Physicians have been adopting electronic health records in droves over the last few years, using the software to streamline workflows and share clinical data with other providers. However, the usability of EHRs has proven difficult to manage and some doctors are having a hard time getting the most out of their products.

This prompted the American Medical Association to develop and release a framework that outlines priorities for improving EHR usability in the coming months.

Taking pressure off doctors
According to iHealthBeat, the AMA framework was created with the help of an external advisory committee that was made up of industry stakeholders, which included physicians and health IT specialists. The recommendations were built off results from a study, which the organization had conducted with the RAND Corporation, that revealed complex EHR systems lead to job dissatisfaction among physicians.

AMA President-Elect Steve Stack explained that while the Meaningful Use program helped drive the adoption of health IT, its regulatory processes have raised significant barriers to simplicity. To bolster EHR usability and other issues, the AMA highlighted several target areas for EHR systems, including:

Improving physicians' abilities to deliver high quality care
Reducing cognitive workload for clinical staff
Managing digital and mobile patient engagement
Encouraging care coordination with other providers.

In addition, the AMA wanted to help improve existing and future EHR systems through a series of calculated steps, such as advocating for state and federal health IT policy changes. Following the announcement, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT applauded the published framework and supported the push to help EHR developers create better software in the future.

Hindering clinical decision support systems
One of the major drawbacks of EHR usability is the effect on clinical decision support for medical imaging providers and other physicians. As a result, doctors' abilities to make evidence-based choices about treatment options become more difficult.

EHRIntelligence explained that product developers need to be cognizant of the various needs of clinicians and how their services impact EHR workflow. The freedom to identify the most relevant pieces of clinical data is crucial to improving and maintaining quality of care. For example, doctors should be able to read through colleagues' notes to determine what treatments have been tried and what else could be done to remedy an illness or condition.

Providers need the ability to find and communicate integral health information to properly diagnose and treat patients. With the AMA framework, vendors could start focusing their efforts on advancing products to meet client needs.

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