Use of electronic forms within an electronic patient record to create an institutional clinical data repository

The transition to an electronic patient record (EPR) and a paperless, filmless patient care environment provided new opportunities for clinical data collection, storage and retrieval. Electronic patient care forms were developed using accepted information science principles, such as controlled vocabularies, and agreed upon levels of term specificity. Electronic forms in concert with information science principles enabled The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston (UTDB) to streamline patient care and to create a robust, well-organized and functional institutional repository of clinical data.