Diagnostic imaging requisition quality when using an electronic medical record: a before-after study.

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Health Services Research
• Radiology

Background:

• Diagnostic imaging requisitions (DIR) are legally constrained for quality and safety.
• A French national indicator (CDIR) monitors DIR conformity using administrative and clinical data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of the ORBIS™ electronic medical record system on CDIR at Tenon hospital.
• To assess changes in diagnostic imaging requisition conformity before and after EMR implementation.

Main Methods:

• A before-and-after study design was employed.
• Data collected from administrative and clinical sources to calculate CDIR.
• Comparison of CDIR rates and conformity criteria before and after ORBIS™ deployment.

Main Results:

• CDIR significantly increased from 37.0% to 49.1% (p < 10⁻⁵).
• Conformity of administrative criteria improved; clinical criteria conformity showed no statistical difference.
• ORBIS-edited requisitions had higher conformity (66.8%) compared to paper forms.

Conclusions:

• Electronic medical record deployment can enhance diagnostic imaging requisition conformity.
• Standardization of forms, whether paper or electronic, is crucial for improving CDIR.
• Further optimization may be needed to improve clinical criteria conformity in electronic systems.