Increasing timely and available prenatal studies by electronic health records

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Health Informatics
• Family Medicine Education

Background:

• Government initiatives promote electronic medical record (EMR) adoption.
• Limited research exists on EMR use in obstetrics, particularly in family medicine residency programs.
• The study addresses a gap in understanding EMR impact on prenatal care processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the association between EMR implementation and improvements in prenatal test ordering and availability.
• To assess the impact of EMRs on the documentation of prenatal screening tests.
• To provide insights for family medicine residencies considering EMR adoption for obstetric care.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review comparing pre- and post-EMR implementation data.
• Analysis focused on the presence, timely ordering, and accurate recording of prenatal laboratory values and screening tests.
• Data collection included first and second-trimester screening tests and ultrasounds.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant improvements were observed in the percentage of patients with complete first trimester (96.0% vs 87.5%) and quadruple screening tests (98.1% vs 91.1%) in their charts post-EMR.
• Timely ordering of first trimester laboratory tests (99.5% vs 91.6%) and second trimester ultrasounds (97.3% vs 90.9%) increased significantly.
• Recording of first trimester results (95.5% vs 88.2%) and second trimester ultrasounds (100% vs 93.5%) on the standardized flow sheet also showed significant improvement.

Conclusions:

• Adoption of an electronic medical record system is associated with enhanced prenatal test management.
• EMRs positively impact the rate of timely ordering, chart availability, and accurate recording of prenatal tests.
• The findings support the integration of EMRs in family medicine residencies for improved obstetric care quality.