Paperless reporting and electronically verifying clinical investigations

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Systems Engineering in Healthcare
• Clinical Pathology Reporting

Background:

• Traditional paper-based reporting systems present challenges in efficiency and accuracy.
• The need for robust systems to manage non-critical but abnormal results is often underestimated.
• Integrating electronic systems requires careful planning and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail the process of introducing electronic reporting and verification in a healthcare setting.
• To assess the impact of 'forcing functions' on improving verification rates.
• To highlight the role of systems design in enhancing health information management.

Main Methods:

• Formation of a multidisciplinary workgroup to transition from print to electronic reporting.
• Implementation of a mixed electronic and paper record system in a tertiary hospital.
• Weekly analysis of activity to assess the success of electronic verification.

Main Results:

• The introduction of a verification forcing function led to a marked improvement in verification activity.
• Non-verified results stabilized at 7% up to 75 weeks post-implementation.
• Successful integration of electronic reporting with strategic forcing functions and alert systems.

Conclusions:

• Electronic reporting and verification can be effectively implemented in a tertiary hospital setting.
• Stakeholder engagement and a patient safety-focused systems design are critical for success.
• Systems design offers significant value for managing non-critical abnormal results and improving health information delivery.