Role-based access in a unified electronic patient record

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Healthcare Management
• Team Collaboration in Medicine

Background:

• Healthcare is transitioning to a patient-centric model, increasing the need for effective teamwork.
• Existing healthcare information systems struggle to support the dynamic requirements of modern patient-centered care.
• The UK prioritizes a unified electronic patient record (EPR) for national practitioner use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify support needs for healthcare teams beyond a unified electronic patient record (EPR).
• To propose and evaluate a system that tracks practitioners within patient care teams and their professional roles.
• To enhance practitioner access to role-appropriate EPR information and improve team collaboration.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual system design focusing on team and role tracking.
• Evaluation of the proposed system's potential to tailor EPR views.
• Assessment of the system's capacity to support interprofessional collaboration.

Main Results:

• The proposed system can provide role-specific views of the EPR.
• Tracking teams and professional roles enhances support for collaborative practice.
• The system offers a potential solution to bridge the gap between unified EPRs and team-based care needs.

Conclusions:

• A system that recognizes practitioners as part of a patient's care team is crucial.
• Tailoring EPR access based on professional roles improves information utility.
• This approach can significantly enhance collaboration in patient-centered healthcare settings.