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PubMedDate not supplied

Nursing documentation of telephone communication with physicians in community nursing homes.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the nursing documentation of telephone communication with physicians in community nursing homes. DESIGN: We conducted a prospective observational study evaluating nursing documentation of all telephone calls to one physician group. SETTING: We studied two proprietary community nursing homes in Baltimore, Maryland. MEASUREMENTS: Data were collected by physicians at the time of each call regarding the time, day, nursing facility, reason for the call, and any orders given. Calls were also categorized as to whether documentation was necessary by defined criteria. The nursing home charts were then reviewed for the presence of documentation of 1) the issue that prompted the call, 2) physician's participation in the matter, and 3) any orders given by the physician. The relationships between the characteristics of the telephone calls and the rates of documentation were then analyzed. RESULTS: There were 248 calls from the two nursing homes during the 2-month study period. Nursing documentation of the issue that prompted the call was present for 80% of total calls. This documentation was more likely to be present with calls for change of patient status and notification of laboratory/radiograph results compared with calls for other issues (117 of 125 [94%] vs. 57 of 63 [90%] vs. 24 of 60 [40%], respectively; chi(2) = 78.3, P <0.0001). Calls that were categorized as "documentation necessary" by the Medical Director were more likely to be documented than calls that were not (132 of 150 [88%] vs. 9 of 35 [26%], respectively; chi(2) = 60.8, P <0.001). Of the 198 calls with any form of documentation, specific mention of physician participation in the communication was present in 89% of these calls. This documentation of physician participation was more likely to be present with calls for laboratory/radiograph notification than with calls for change of patient status or calls for other reasons (57 of 57 [100%] vs. 99 of 117 [85%] vs. 20 of 24 [83%], respectively; chi(2) = 10.0, P = 0.007). Physicians indicated that orders were given during 69% of calls, but orders were only documented for 79% of these interactions. No characteristics of the call were associated with likelihood of order documentation. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, documentation of issues that lead to telephone calls to physicians was not always present. Similarly, orders given by the physician were absent over 20% of the time. Nurses, physicians, and facilities should develop efficient and routine strategies to optimize rates of documentation of telephone communication with physicians.

Aged↗

PubMed2002

A comparison of state advance directive documents.

PURPOSE: Advance directive (AD) documents are based on state-specific statutes and vary in terms of content. These differences can create confusion and inconsistencies resulting in a possible failure to honor the health care wishes of people who execute health care documents for one state and receive health care in another state. The purpose of this study was to compare similarities and differences in the content of state AD documents. DESIGN AND METHODS: AD documents for 50 states and the District of Columbia posted on the Partnership for Caring website were reviewed. States and regions of the country were compared for type or types of documents used and issues included in AD documents. RESULTS: Three states had statutory living will documents only; however, these states did allow for appointment of a health care agent for limited end-of-life decisions. Three states had statutory durable power of attorney for health care documents only, 32 had both statutory living will and durable power of attorney for health care documents, and 13 had statutory forms which combine both types of directive in one document (advance health care directives). Of 8 identified key issues, those addressed by at least 90% of states were designation of a proxy, personal instructions for care, general life-sustaining measures, and terminal illness. When document types were compared, advance health care directive documents included more of the key issues than did living will or durable power of attorney for health care documents (p <.001). IMPLICATIONS: This variability suggests a need for national dialogue to standardize some provisions of AD documents.

Advance Directives↗

PubMed2002

Quality and correlates of medical record documentation in the ambulatory care setting.

BACKGROUND: Documentation in the medical record facilitates the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Few studies have assessed the quality of outpatient medical record documentation, and to the authors' knowledge, none has conclusively determined the correlates of chart documentation. We therefore undertook the present study to measure the rates of documentation of quality of care measures in an outpatient primary care practice setting that utilizes an electronic medical record. METHODS: We reviewed electronic medical records from 834 patients receiving care from 167 physicians (117 internists and 50 pediatricians) at 14 sites of a multi-specialty medical group in Massachusetts. We abstracted information for five measures of medical record documentation quality: smoking history, medications, drug allergies, compliance with screening guidelines, and immunizations. From other sources we determined physicians' specialty, gender, year of medical school graduation, and self-reported time spent teaching and in patient care. RESULTS: Among internists, unadjusted rates of documentation were 96.2% for immunizations, 91.6% for medications, 88% for compliance with screening guidelines, 61.6% for drug allergies, 37.8% for smoking history. Among pediatricians, rates were 100% for immunizations, 84.8% for medications, 90.8% for compliance with screening guidelines, 50.4% for drug allergies, and 20.4% for smoking history. While certain physician and patient characteristics correlated with some measures of documentation quality, documentation varied depending on the measure. For example, female internists were more likely than male internists to document smoking history (odds ratio [OR], 1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27 - 2.83) but were less likely to document drug allergies (OR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.35 - 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: Medical record documentation varied depending on the measure, with room for improvement in most domains. A variety of characteristics correlated with medical record documentation, but no pattern emerged. Further study could lead to targeted interventions to improve documentation.

Ambulatory Care Information Systems↗

PubMed1995

Improving asthma documentation in a paediatric emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: To improve documentation for children presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) of The Children's Hospital with acute asthma. METHODOLOGY: In phase I, the documentation process was analysed using a standard total quality management (TQM) approach to identify specific problems leading to poor documentation. Fifty-two medical records of children presenting over a 3 week period were reviewed for nursing and medical documentation. A set of minimum criteria, consistent with the Paediatric Asthma Management Plan, were established for documentation by both medical and nursing staff. Following dissemination and education, compliance with documentation was evaluated and compared to an asthma survey performed in the ED in 1991. In phase II, a specific proforma for medical assessment was developed and 80 medical records of children presenting over a 3 week period were reviewed. Fifty-two (65%) with completed proformas were evaluated. The outcome measure was the documentation rate for minimum criteria established by TQM process. RESULTS: In phase I, nursing compliance with documentation ranged from 46% for signs of respiratory distress to 83% for a past history of asthma and 100% for pulse rate. Doctors were similarly poor at documenting essential elements such as severity (31%), palpable pulsus paradoxus (29%), the child's usual doctor (46%) and follow-up arrangements (21-56%). In phase II, the documentation of the severity of acute asthma (42%) and of the child's usual doctor (42%) remained poor but there were statistically significant improvements in documentation of interval medications, palpable pulsus paradoxus, respiratory rate, pre-treatment oximetry, education, follow-up arrangements and communication letters. CONCLUSION: The process of TQM has proved valuable in improving some aspects of documentation of children presenting to ED with acute asthma. It remains to be shown whether improved documentation will result in improved outcome.

Asthma↗

PubMed1997

The opinions of nursing documentation held by district nurses and by nurses at primary health care centres.

Before a general, nursing documentation model was implemented in one health care region of the Stockholm County Council the opinions which district nurses and nurses at the primary health care centers (PHCCs) had of nursing documentation were investigated. 164 nurses (94%) at all the 22 PHCCs within the region answered a questionnaire in October, 1995. The study showed that the nurses in general were dissatisfied with their own, as well as with their colleagues, nursing documentation. The lack of a common, patient-record model for nursing documentation was considered the greatest obstacle, followed by lack of time and lack of knowledge. Most of the nurses believed that patient records which clearly included all parts of the nursing process would promote patient care. However, according to the nurses themselves, less than one-fifth of them recorded nursing history and nursing outcomes for all or most of their patients. One-third of the nurses reported that documented planned nursing interventions, about one-fourth nursing status and about half of them implemented nursing interventions for all or most of their patients. The nurses said that nursing diagnoses, goals and epicrises were rarely documented. There was no significant correlation between the nurses' ages and their opinions of nursing documentation. Nurses who had completed their education after 1985 were more positive to further education in nursing documentation and to computerised patient records, and confirmed more than others that patient records which included the entire nursing process model would promote patient care. Nurses who worked only at PHCCs were more satisfied with their own documentation as well as with that at their centres and were more positive to computer support than district nurses. Nurses at PHCCs were less in favour of education in nursing documentation, compared with nurses working in home health care and child care. The nurses who were not satisfied with their own nursing documentation were not satisfied with their colleagues' documentation either, but they were positive to further nursing education. More than others, they were of the opinion that better patient care follows from patient records which include the entire nursing process model. The study shows the need for education and continuous support aimed at nurses within the primary health care system regarding nursing documentation.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Managing the life cycle of electronic clinical documents.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a model of the life cycle of clinical documents from inception to use in a person's medical record, including workflow requirements from clinical practice, local policy, and regulation. DESIGN: We propose a model for the life cycle of clinical documents as a framework for research on documentation within electronic medical record (EMR) systems. Our proposed model includes three axes: the stages of the document, the roles of those involved with the document, and the actions those involved may take on the document at each stage. The model includes the rules to describe who (in what role) can perform what actions on the document, and at what stages they can perform them. Rules are derived from needs of clinicians, and requirements of hospital bylaws and regulators. RESULTS: Our model encompasses current practices for paper medical records and workflow in some EMR systems. Commercial EMR systems include methods for implementing document workflow rules. Workflow rules that are part of this model mirror functionality in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) EMR system where the Authorization/ Subscription Utility permits document life cycle rules to be written in English-like fashion. CONCLUSIONS: Creating a model of the life cycle of clinical documents serves as a framework for discussion of document workflow, how rules governing workflow can be implemented in EMR systems, and future research of electronic documentation.

Documentation↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Template-guided versus undirected written medical documentation: a prospective, randomized trial in a family medicine residency clinic.

PURPOSE: To compare a template-driven medical documentation system to undirected handwritten documentation and determine whether the template (1) decreases physician evaluation time, (2) increases gross billing, and (3) increases physician satisfaction with the documentation process. METHODS: A prospective randomized trial of documentation with a template system (T-System for Primary Care, Dallas, TX) versus undirected handwritten documentation was conducted in 2 separate teams of a single family medicine residency program. After training, one team used the template system and the other team used undirected written documentation. Clinic visit duration was recorded. Medical records were evaluated by a blinded professional coder to assign an evaluation/management code. Clinic visit duration and coding level differences were evaluated using an independent t test. At the conclusion of the study, residents completed a questionnaire to determine physician satisfaction with the documentation tool. Survey responses were on a -2 to + 2 Likert scale. Means and standard deviations are reported. RESULTS: A total of 1339 patients were included in the analysis of patient visits. There was no significant difference in clinic time between the template system and the written documentation visits. The mean visit time was 1.75 hours for both teams. For the analysis of gross billing, 1237 charts were included. The mean billing amount for written documentation was USD $150 and for the template system it was USD $163--a statistically significant difference. The physicians' surveys favored continuing to use the template documentation method. CONCLUSIONS: The template medical documentation system compared with undirected written documentation produced a significantly higher bill for the visit, yielding no differences in evaluation time, and was overall positively received by the residents and faculty.

Documentation↗

PubMed2006

Adequacy of physician documentation of red blood cell transfusion and correlation with assessment of transfusion appropriateness.

CONTEXT: A major function of the hospital transfusion service is to assess the appropriateness of blood transfusion. Inadequate documentation of transfusions may hamper this assessment process. OBJECTIVE: To correlate the level of physician documentation of transfusion with the ability to justify transfusion. DESIGN: Retrospective review of red blood cell transfusions in adult patients in 2 hospital facilities during 1-week audit periods of each month from April 2001 to March 2003. Assessment forms were used to classify the level of physician documentation of transfusions into 3 groups: adequately, intermediately, and inadequately documented. Transfusions were deemed justified or not via comparison with hospital transfusion guidelines. RESULTS: There were 5062 audited red blood cells transfused to 2044 adult (> or = 18 years) patients. Medical records from 154 patients transfused with 257 units of red blood cells during 172 transfusion events were reviewed after initial screenings of hemoglobin/hematocrit values failed to justify the transfusions. Nine percent of adequately documented, 50% of intermediately documented, and 73% of inadequately documented transfusion events could not be justified. Transfusion events with suboptimal (intermediate and inadequate) documentation accounted for 49% of all medical record-reviewed transfusion events and 62% could not be justified. The correlation between inadequate documentation and failure to justify transfusion was significant (P < .001), as was the correlation between suboptimal documentation and failure to justify transfusion (P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant correlation between suboptimal documentation and failure to justify transfusions. Educating clinicians to improve documentation along with appropriate indications for transfusions may enhance efficiency of blood utilization assessment and lead to reduced rates of unjustifiable transfusions.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

The frequency of drug history documentation in an institutionalized tertiary care setting in Nigeria.

PURPOSE: The study set out to investigate the frequency of institutionalized patients' drug history documentation in a tertiary care setting in Nigeria and identify opportunities for intervention to improve documentation. METHOD: A cross-sectional retrospective study was carried on June 1st to August 31st 2002 at a 900-bed tertiary care facility located in South Western Nigeria. Stratified random samples of 450 case notes of institutionalized patients who were admitted, discharged or who died at the study site was evaluated for comprehensiveness of drug history documentation with the aid of two pre-piloted data collection forms. RESULT: Drug history documentation was done mainly by attending physicians in all 450 case notes studied (100%). Past use of prescription, over-the-counter and herbal drugs were documented in 33.3%, 12.9% and 6.9% of patients respectively. The dose, frequency and duration of use were documented in 6.4% and 8.4% while past side effects experienced were documented in only 1.6%. Allergy to drug(s), food and chemical(s) were documented in 1.4%, 1.8% and 0.8% respectively. Documentation of use of alcohol, cigarette and illicit drugs were done in 36.6%, 23.2% and 4.2% of patients. Patient adherence with drugs used in the past and source(s) of purchase of these drugs were documented in only 10.2% and 6.6% of patients respectively. CONCLUSION: The documentation of institutionalized patients' drug history in Nigeria is currently not as detailed as it should be. A planned intervention is on going to identify factors responsible for the observed inadequacy and assess the impact of pharmacists' involvement on the quality of drug history documentation.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗

PubMed2003

Writer identification using hand-printed and non-hand-printed questioned documents.

Several federal district court judges have recently referred to the purported lack of information on the proficiency of forensic document examiners (FDEs) in identifying writers of hand-printed documents. In order to provide the necessary information, we have re-analyzed data on writer identification that were collected in 1996 from 90 forensic document examiners and 34 laypersons. These data were used previously to assess the proficiency of FDEs using handwritten documents in several different types of writing. In the new analysis we separated data on hand-printed (HP) documents from data on non-hand-printed (NHP) documents and compiled error rates and statistics in each category. The main findings are: (1) whether or not the documents were hand-printed, the performance of FDEs was much better than that of laypersons; (2) statistical tests found no difference between the data provided by the FDEs in the HP and NHP categories; (3) statistical tests found no difference between the data provided by laypersons in the HP and NHP categories; and (4) statistical tests found differences between the data provided by the FDEs and the laypersons in both the HP and NHP categories. Similar results were obtained when hand-printed documents were compared to cursive documents and when cursive documents were compared to non-cursive documents. All the evidence indicates that in our proficiency test the performance of FDEs in writer identification was much better than the performance of laypersons in each one of the following document categories: (1) hand-printed; (2) non-hand-printed; (3) cursive; and (4) non-cursive.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Factors affecting and affected by user acceptance of computer-based nursing documentation: results of a two-year study.

OBJECTIVES: The documentation of the nursing process is an important but often neglected part of clinical documentation. Paper-based systems have been introduced to support nursing process documentation. Frequently, however, problems such as low quality of documentation are reported. It is unclear whether computer-based documentation systems can reduce these problems and which factors influence their acceptance by users. DESIGN: We introduced a computer-based nursing documentation system on four wards of the University Hospitals of Heidelberg and systematically evaluated its preconditions and its effects in a pretest-posttest intervention study. For the analysis of user acceptance, we concentrated on subjective data drawn from questionnaires and interviews. MEASUREMENTS: A questionnaire was developed using items from published questionnaires and items that had to be developed for the special purpose of this study. RESULTS: The quantitative results point to two factors influencing the acceptance of a new computer-based documentation system: the previous acceptance of the nursing process and the previous amount of self-confidence when using computers. On one ward, the diverse acceptance scores heavily declined after the introduction of the nursing documentation system. Explorative qualitative analysis on this ward points to further success factors of computer-based nursing documentation systems. CONCLUSION: Our results can be used to assist the planning and introduction of computer-based nursing documentation systems. They demonstrate the importance of computer experience and acceptance of the nursing process on a ward but also point to other factors such as the fit between nursing workflow and the functionality of a nursing documentation system.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2001

Intranet-based quality improvement documentation at the Veterans Affairs Maryland Health Care System.

The Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Service of the Veterans Affairs Maryland Health Care System is inspected biannually by the College of American Pathologists (CAP). As of the year 2000, all documentation in the Anatomic Pathology Section is available to all staff through the VA Intranet. Signed, supporting paper documents are on file in the office of the department chair. For the year 2000 CAP inspection, inspectors conducted their document review by use of these Web-based documents, in which each CAP question had a hyperlink to the corresponding section of the procedure manual. Thus inspectors were able to locate the documents relevant to each question quickly and efficiently. The procedure manuals consist of 87 procedures for surgical pathology, 52 procedures for cytopathology, and 25 procedures for autopsy pathology. Each CAP question requiring documentation had from one to three hyperlinks to the corresponding section of the procedure manual. Intranet documentation allows for easier sharing among decentralized institutions and for centralized updates of the laboratory documentation. These documents can be upgraded to allow for multimedia presentations, including text search for key words, hyperlinks to other documents, and images, audio, and video. Use of Web-based documents can improve the efficiency of the inspection process.

Databases, Factual↗

PubMed1999

[Quality documentation with an Anaesthesia Information Management System (AIMS)].

OBJECTIVE: In 1994 the Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine of the Justus Liebig University of Giessen decided to implement an Anaesthesia Information Management System (AIMS) to replace the previous hand-written documentation on paper. From 1997 until the end of 1998 the data sets of 41,393 anaesthesia procedures were recorded with the help of computers and imported into a data bank. Individual aspects and results of this data pool are presented under the aspect of how the system in its present form is able to guarantee documentation of quality according to the requirements of the German Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI). METHODS: Since 1997 information on all anaesthesia procedures has been documented "online" with the anaesthesia documentation software NarkoData 4 (ProLogic GmbH, Erkrath). The data sets have been stored in a relational data bank (Oracle Corporation) and statistically processed with the help of the SQL-based program Voyant (Brossco Systems, Espoo, Finland). As an example of two adverse perioperative events (AVB) we compared incidences of "hypotension" and "nausea/vomiting", recorded by staff members into the AIMS, with the incidence of comparable events that were recorded with the help of online data during anaesthesia procedures, such as blood pressure and drug application. Since 1998 data recording has been revised constantly in department meetings; advanced training has been given. The results have been analysed critically. RESULTS: In 1997 the incidence of adverse perioperative events entered manually into the system was 3.6% (grade III and higher 0.9%) and increased during 1998 to 22.2% (grade III and higher 1.9%). The frequency of anaesthesia procedures with manually documented AVBs was significantly below the incidence (determined with the help of online data) of comparable events: "hypotension" (1.8% vs. 8.5%) and "nausea/vomiting" (4.9% vs. 8.3%). CONCLUSION: The current documentation of AVBs in almost any hospital is incomplete. In contrast to the hand-written procedure, the AIMS provides recorded data for evaluation and guarantees more detailed and complete quality documentation. In addition, the effort needed for documentation is reduced. Whether these data sets really describe and measure quality or not has to be evaluated. In addition it has to be considered whether different requirements (such as automatic AVB recognition for an AIMS) are advantageous for quality documentation regarding the data raster and the AVB recognition, with respect to different documentation procedures.

Anesthesia↗

PubMed2005

Orientation to nutrition care process standards improves nutrition care documentation by nutrition practitioners.

OBJECTIVE: To compare documentation of two groups of clinical nutrition practitioners for evidence of the nutrition care process. DESIGN: This study used a comparative descriptive design. A retrospective chart review was conducted on all nutrition documentation in closed patient records. Documentation of two groups of nutrition practitioners (institution A=practitioners who received initial orientation and routine reinforcement in use of nutrition care process standards; institution B=practitioners who received orientation in use of a further assessment and medical nutrition therapy intervention procedure) was compared for evidence of a six-step nutrition care process. SAMPLE/SETTING: The sample consisted of randomly selected patient records (N=60). A total of 15 oncology and 15 chronic renal failure patient records from each of two Midwestern tertiary-care hospitals were reviewed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures were number of nutrition care process steps documented, appropriate relationships among documented steps in the nutrition care process, and the number of complete, incomplete, and interrupted chains. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Two-sample t tests and chi(2) analyses were used. RESULTS: Nutrition practitioners at institution A documented approximately three times as many nutrition care process steps per patient per chain that demonstrated appropriate relationships as did nutrition practitioners at institution B (2.69+/-1.15 and 0.80+/-0.62, respectively [mean+/-standard deviation]) (P<.001). There were no outcome judgments related to goals documented in chains at either institution and because of this there were no completed nutrition care process chains at either institution. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition practitioners with orientation to nutrition care process standards documented more related nutrition care process steps than practitioners without this orientation. Providing nutrition practitioners with ongoing education and clinical experiences in use and documentation of the nutrition care process and a standardized language may be indicated to increase the number of completed nutrition care process chains and improve documentation of nutrition care and patient outcomes.

Chi-Square Distribution↗

PubMed1998

Using a hospitalwide performance improvement process for patient education documentation.

BACKGROUND: Decreases in length of hospital stay have increased pressure on staff to provide appropriate patient education. A hospitalwide continuous quality improvement (CQI) program was implemented to improve patient education documentation at Raritan Bay Medical Center (RBMC; Perth Amboy, NJ). IMPROVING THE PATIENT EDUCATION DOCUMENTATION PROCESS: In March 1995 the patient education committee was given the responsibility to develop a CQI program to improve documentation of patient education. Patient interviews revealed that assessment of patients' initial knowledge was inadequate and goal setting was omitted. The committee developed generic and disease-specific patient education documentation forms for educational assessment and patient education. The patient chart was reconfigured to include a central location for patient education. RESULTS: A review of almost 900 patient records established that the percentage of records on which patient education was documented had improved from 41% in summer 1995 to 93% in fall 1996, with an improvement across all disciplines. A follow-up review in fall 1997 of 136 randomly chosen records indicated a slight decrease in rate of documentation of content areas, although nursing services and nutritional care continued to maintain their patient documentation education at a rate of > or = 90%. DISCUSSION: Factors such as providing continuous feedback on patient education documentation performance to all nursing units and disciplines involved, developing additional disease-specific education assessment plans/documentation tools through an interdisciplinary process, and improving the data collection tool after each measurement period all contributed to improved patient education documentation. CONCLUSIONS: Patient education is now truly integrated at RBMC, with every pertinent discipline involved in decision making throughout the process of continuously improving the patient education process and documentation.

Documentation↗

PubMed2004

The effect of a VIPS implementation programme on nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards documentation.

The Copenhagen University Hospital decided to adhere to the standards of the Joint Commission of International Accreditation in 2000. These standards require systematic assessment of patient care needs and include the use of written nursing care plans. In order to meet these standards, the hospital management decided to introduce the Swedish VIPS model, which is a model designed to structure nursing documentation (VIPS is an acronym for well-being, integrity, prevention and safety). The present study explores the nurses' knowledge and attitudes towards documentation and addresses the research questions: (a) what are the nurses' attitudes towards documentation of nursing care? and (b) do nurses have sufficient knowledge of the documentation system to systematically document their patient assessment and clinical decisions? The research design was prospective, comparative, and quasi-experimental (nonrandomized), including a study group (n=72) and a control group (n=57). A questionnaire was used to compare nurses' self-evaluated attitudes towards documentation, and a multiple-choice test was given in order to assess nurses' knowledge of the documentation system. The study group participated in a special implementation programme (response rate 82%), while the control group attended the regular 3-day documentation course at the hospital (response rate 79%). The study showed that the two groups responded similarly, but the nurses in the study group were significantly stronger in their conviction that they had the knowledge to make care plans and that they routinely made them. The study group demonstrated slightly less motivation than the control group, while the two groups shared a positive attitude towards nursing documentation. The study group did consistently better on the knowledge tests. The findings show that the implementation programme had a positive impact on nursing documentation, and that the VIPS model increased the nurses' understanding of the nursing process.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Impact of a statewide trauma system on rural emergency department patient assessment documentation. OHSU Rural Trauma Research Group.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the association of rural ED patient assessment documentation with state trauma system implementation, hospital trauma categorization level (i.e., Level-3 vs Level-4), injury diagnosis, and patient demographics. METHODS: A pre- vs post-system implementation (historical control) analysis of trauma documentation was performed using a sample of rural ED trauma patients from 4 Level-3 and 5 Level-4 trauma hospitals. The medical records of patients with specific index diagnoses in 4 anatomic regions (head, chest, liver/spleen, and femur/open-tibia) were reviewed for 3-year periods before statewide trauma system implementation and after hospital categorization. Vital sign, % inspired O2, and O2 saturation determinations were identified relative to the first and the last vital signs documented on the ED record. If not documented in the medical chart within 5 minutes of the first or last ED vital sign assessment, these measurements were considered missing. Separately, neurologic documentation (initial and final) also was sought for patients meeting criteria for an index head injury. RESULTS: Of 1,057 patients entered into the database, 532 were evaluated during the pre-system period and 525 were evaluated during the post-system period. Overall, 47% had a head injury, 34% had a chest injury, 23% had a femur/open-tibia injury, and 12% had a spleen/liver injury. There were 142 (13%) patients with an injury in > 1 index area. Except for initial systolic blood pressure, documentation of all other initial and final patient vital signs increased significantly (p < 0.05). Documentation of the Glasgow Coma Scale score (initial and final; p = 0.0001) and a final pupil examination on head-injured patients (p = 0.025) also increased. The effects of hospital level, injury diagnosis, and patient demographics on documentation rate were minimal. CONCLUSION: The study found overall improved ED documentation of trauma patient status in association with implementation of a statewide trauma system. This improvement in documentation suggests an enhanced process of care with trauma system participation.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Documentation and coding of medical records in a tertiary care center: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Since the medical record is the major source of health information, it is necessary to maintain accurate, comprehensive and properly coded patient data. We reviewed 300 medical records from patients at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, representing four departments (medicine, surgery, pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology). METHODS: The records were audited following the guidelines of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) for accuracy and completeness of documentation and coding of primary and secondary diagnoses and procedures performed. RESULTS: Of 1051 items abstracted, 876 (83.3%) were accurately documented, 41 (3.9%) were inaccurately documented, and 134 (12.7%) were not documented. Of the items abstracted, 736 (70%) were assigned a correct code, 110 (10.5%) were assigned an incorrect code, and 205 (19.5%) were not coded. More items classified as accurately documented were coded correctly (71.1%) than items inaccurately documented (49.7%) (P < 0.0001). The difference in comprehensiveness of documentation, which reflects physician performance, was not statistically significant among the four departments (P value < 0.234). The difference in the accuracy of coding, which reflects coder performance, was statistically significant (P value < 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: Only 60% of the audited records met the benchmark for good quality medical records with regards to documentation and coding. A positive correlation between the accurate documentation and correct coding was noted, which supports the conclusion that high quality documentation enhances coding accuracy. These data, although encouraging, suggest room for improvement, which can be achieved through the collaboration of clinicians, who have extensive clinical experience, and coding professionals, who have comprehensive classification system expertise.

Documentation↗