Andrew Georgiou

The Impact of Mobile Handheld Technology on Hospital Physicians' Work Practices and Patient Care: A Systematic Review

The substantial growth in mobile handheld technologies has heralded the opportunity to provide physicians with access to information, resources, and people at the right time and place. But is this technology delivering the benefits to workflow and patient care promised by increased mobility? The authors conducted a systematic review to examine evidence regarding the impact of mobile handheld technology on hospital physicians work practices and patient care, focusing on quantification of the espoused virtues of mobile technologies. The authors identified thirteen studies that demonstrated the ability of personal digital assistants (PDAs) to positively impact on areas of rapid response, error prevention, and data management and accessibility. The use of PDAs demonstrates the greatest benefits in contexts where time is a critical factor and a rapid response crucial. However, the extent to which these devices improved outcomes and workflow efficiencies because of their mobility was largely absent from the literature. The paucity of evidence calls for much needed future research that asks explicit questions about the impact the mobility of devices has on work practices and outcomes.

Failure to Follow-Up Test Results for Ambulatory Patients: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDSerious lapses in patient care result from failure to follow-up test results.OBJECTIVETo systematically review evidence quantifying the extent of failure to follow-up test results and the impact for ambulatory patients.DATA SOURCESMedline, CINAHL, Embase, Inspec and the Cochrane Database were searched for English-language literature from 1995 to 2010.STUDY SELECTIONStudies which provided documented quantitative evidence of the number of tests not followed up for patients attending ambulatory settings including: outpatient clinics, academic medical or community health centres, or primary care practices.DATA EXTRACTIONFour reviewers independently screened 768 articles.RESULTSNineteen studies met the inclusion criteria and reported wide variation in the extent of tests not followed-up: 6.8% (79/1163) to 62% (125/202) for laboratory tests; 1.0% (4/395) to 35.7% (45/126) for radiology. The impact on patient outcomes included missed cancer diagnoses. Test management practices varied between settings with many individuals involved in the process. There were few guidelines regarding responsibility for patient notification and follow-up. Quantitative evidence of the effectiveness of electronic test management systems was limited although there was a general trend towards improved test follow-up when electronic systems were used.LIMITATIONSMost studies used medical record reviews; hence evidence of follow-up action relied upon documentation in the medical record. All studies were conducted in the US so care should be taken in generalising findings to other countries.CONCLUSIONSFailure to follow-up test results is an important safety concern which requires urgent attention. Solutions should be multifaceted and include: policies relating to responsibility, timing and process of notification; integrated information and communication technologies facilitating communication; and consideration of the multidisciplinary nature of the process and the role of the patient. It is essential that evaluations of interventions are undertaken and solutions integrated into the work and context of ambulatory care delivery.

Computerized Provider Order Entry—What are health professionals concerned about? A qualitative study in an Australian hospital

PURPOSEnTo identify the main concerns of a broad range of hospital staff about the implementation of a new Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) system for medication management.nnnMETHODSnThe study was conducted in a large Australian teaching hospital using semi-structured interviews (n=20) and focus groups (six focus groups involving a total of 30 participants) from a broad section of health professionals including doctors, nurses, managers, pharmacists and senior health executives. Systematic concurrent analysis of the data was undertaken by a team of researchers.nnnRESULTSnWe identified 20 recurrent themes related to nine areas of shared concern including work practices, software/hardware, relationships/communication, education and training, inexperienced staff and de-skilling. A higher level of analysis identified four interrelated constructs that highlight what people are concerned about: (1) Will it help? (2) Will it work? (3) Will we cope? (4) Will it impair existing interaction?nnnLIMITATIONSnThe research provides a snapshot overview of perceptions from a range of hospital personnel in the lead up to CPOE implementation. Generalizability is limited by the size of the sample and the contextual circumstances of the hospital being studied.nnnDISCUSSIONnThis work contributes valuable evidence about an often-neglected dimension in the evaluation of computer systems in hospitals, namely the pre-implementation concerns of staff. These pre-conceptions can have a significant effect on how technology is implemented and utilised. Acknowledging and addressing peoples concerns can contribute to the establishment of durable channels of negotiation and communication. Further research informed by the findings of this study will help advance this process.

The development, design, testing, refinement, simulation and application of an evaluation framework for communities of practice and social-professional networks

BackgroundCommunities of practice and social-professional networks are generally considered to enhance workplace experience and enable organizational success. However, despite the remarkable growth in interest in the role of collaborating structures in a range of industries, there is a paucity of empirical research to support this view. Nor is there a convincing model for their systematic evaluation, despite the significant potential benefits in answering the core question: how well do groups of professionals work together and how could they be organised to work together more effectively? This research project will produce a rigorous evaluation methodology and deliver supporting tools for the benefit of researchers, policymakers, practitioners and consumers within the health system and other sectors. Given the prevalence and importance of communities of practice and social networks, and the extent of investments in them, this project represents a scientific innovation of national and international significance.Methods and designWorking in four conceptual phases the project will employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods to develop, design, field-test, refine and finalise an evaluation framework. Once available the framework will be used to evaluate simulated, and then later existing, health care communities of practice and social-professional networks to assess their effectiveness in achieving desired outcomes. Peak stakeholder groups have agreed to involve a wide range of members and participant organisations, and will facilitate access to various policy, managerial and clinical networks.DiscussionGiven its scope and size, the project represents a valuable opportunity to achieve breakthroughs at two levels; firstly, by introducing novel and innovative aims and methods into the social research process and, secondly, through the resulting evaluation framework and tools. We anticipate valuable outcomes in the improved understanding of organisational performance and delivery of care. The projects wider appeal lies in transferring this understanding to other health jurisdictions and to other industries and sectors, both nationally and internationally. This means not merely publishing the results, but contextually interpreting them, and translating them to advance the knowledge base and enable widespread institutional and organisational application.

Use of information and communication technologies to support effective work practice innovation in the health sector: a multi-site study

BackgroundWidespread adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) is a key strategy to meet the challenges facing health systems internationally of increasing demands, rising costs, limited resources and workforce shortages. Despite the rapid increase in ICT investment, uptake and acceptance has been slow and the benefits fewer than expected. Absent from the research literature has been a multi-site investigation of how ICT can support and drive innovative work practice. This Australian-based project will assess the factors that allow health service organisations to harness ICT, and the extent to which such systems drive the creation of new sustainable models of service delivery which increase capacity and provide rapid, safe, effective, affordable and sustainable health care.DesignA multi-method approach will measure current ICT impact on workforce practices and develop and test new models of ICT use which support innovations in work practice. The research will focus on three large-scale commercial ICT systems being adopted in Australia and other countries: computerised ordering systems, ambulatory electronic medical record systems, and emergency medicine information systems. We will measure and analyse each systems role in supporting five key attributes of work practice innovation: changes in professionals roles and responsibilities; integration of best practice into routine care; safe care practices; team-based care delivery; and active involvement of consumers in care.DiscussionA socio-technical approach to the use of ICT will be adopted to examine and interpret the workforce and organisational complexities of the health sector. The project will also focus on ICT as a potentially disruptive innovation that challenges the way in which health care is delivered and consequently leads some health professionals to view it as a threat to traditional roles and responsibilities and a risk to existing models of care delivery. Such views have stifled debate as well as wider explorations of ICTs potential benefits, yet firm evidence of the effects of role changes on health service outcomes is limited. This project will provide important evidence about the role of ICT in supporting new models of care delivery across multiple healthcare organizations and about the ways in which innovative work practice change is diffused.

Does Computerised Provider Order Entry Reduce Test Turnaround Times? A Before- and-After Study at Four Hospitals

Few multi-centre studies of the impact of computerised provider order entry (CPOE) systems on health care efficiency and effectiveness exist. Further, demonstrating a link between system use and improvements in patient outcomes is challenging. An often neglected step is to characterise the nature of the problem prior to CPOE introduction to ensure that the problem being addressed has a demonstrated impact on the outcome of interest. We undertook a two-staged project to i) investigate the link between test turnaround time (TAT) and length of stay for emergency department patients prior to CPOE; ii) to measure the impact of CPOE on TAT in four Australian hospitals to examine the consistency of findings. We found TAT is a significant contributor to length of stay. All four hospitals experienced a significant reduction in TAT following CPOE. This study presents evidence that TAT is directly related to length of stay and that CPOE systems are effective at reducing TAT. These results add weight to the hypothesis that the introduction of CPOE may positively impact upon patient outcomes.

Releasing test results directly to patients: A multisite survey of physician perspectives.

OBJECTIVEnTo determine physician perspectives about direct notification of normal and abnormal test results.nnnMETHODSnWe conducted a cross-sectional survey at five clinical sites in the US and Australia. The US-based study was conducted via web-based survey of primary care physicians and specialists between July and October 2012. An identical paper-based survey was self-administered between June and September 2012 with specialists in Australia.nnnRESULTSnOf 1417 physicians invited, 315 (22.2%) completed the survey. Two-thirds (65.3%) believed that patients should be directly notified of normal results, but only 21.3% were comfortable with direct notification of clinically significant abnormal results. Physicians were more likely to endorse direct notification of abnormal results if they believed it would reduce the number of patients lost to follow-up (OR=4.98, 95%CI=2.21-1.21) or if they had personally missed an abnormal test result (OR=2.95, 95%CI=1.44-6.02). Conversely, physicians were less likely to endorse if they believed that direct notification interfered with the practice of medicine (OR=0.39, 95%CI=0.20-0.74).nnnCONCLUSIONnPhysicians we surveyed generally favor direct notification of normal results but appear to have substantial concerns about direct notification of abnormal results.nnnPRACTICE IMPLICATIONSnWidespread use of direct notification should be accompanied by strategies to help patients manage test result abnormalities they receive.

Lessons learned from the introduction of an electronic safety net to enhance test result management in an Australian mothers' hospital

This study describes the implementation and impact of an electronic test result acknowledgement (RA) system in the Mater Mothers’ Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. The Verdi application electronically records clinicians’ acknowledgement of the review of results. Hospital data (August 2011–August 2012) were extracted to measure clinicians’ acknowledgement practices. There were 27u2005354 inpatient test results for 6855 patients. All test results were acknowledged. 60% (95% CI 59% to 61%) of laboratory and 44% (95% CI 40% to 48%) of imaging results were acknowledged within 24u2005h. The median time between report availability and acknowledgement was 18.1u2005h for laboratory and 1u2005day 18u2005h for imaging results. The median time from when a result was first viewed to its acknowledgement was 7u2005min for laboratory and 1u2005min for imaging results. The longest recorded time to acknowledgement was 38u2005days. Electronic RA provides a safety net to enhance test result management.

Comprehensive medical assessments for monitoring and improving the health of residents in aged care facilities: existing comprehensive medical assessments coverage and trial of a new service model.

Aim:u2002 To measure comprehensive medical assessment (CMA) completions among aged care residents in Australia; and to report the outcomes of a CMA service trial.

Computerized provider order entry systems - Research imperatives and organizational challenges facing pathology services

Information and communication technologies (ICT) are contributing to major changes taking place in pathology and within health services more generally. In this article, we draw on our research experience for over 7 years investigating the implementation and diffusion of computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems to articulate some of the key informatics challenges confronting pathology laboratories. The implementation of these systems, with their improved information management and decision support structures, provides the potential for enhancing the role that pathology services play in patient care pathways. Beyond eliminating legibility problems, CPOE systems can also contribute to the efficiency and safety of healthcare, reducing the duplication of test orders and diminishing the risk of misidentification of patient samples and orders. However, despite the enthusiasm for CPOE systems, their diffusion across healthcare settings remains variable and is often beset by implementation problems. Information systems like CPOE may have the ability to integrate work, departments and organizations, but unfortunately, health professionals, departments and organizations do not always want to be integrated in ways that information systems allow. A persistent theme that emerges from the research evidence is that one size does not fit all, and system success or otherwise is reliant on the conditions and circumstances in which they are located. These conditions and circumstances are part of what is negotiated in the complex, messy and challenging area of ICT implementation. The solution is not likely to be simple and easy, but current evidence suggests that a combination of concerted efforts, better research designs, more sophisticated theories and hypotheses as well as more skilled, multidisciplinary research teams, tackling this area of study will bring substantial benefits, improving the effectiveness of pathology services, and, as a direct corollary, the quality of patient care.