Integrating the Electronic Health Record Into Patient Encounters: An Introductory Standardized Patient Exercise for...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Electronic health records (EHR) are integral to modern patient care.
• Medical student training must include EHR utilization skills.
• Existing curricula often overlook EHR interaction skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a training session for preclinical medical students on EHR use.
• To enhance skills in EHR data verification and history taking during patient encounters.
• To improve doctor-patient relationship strategies within an EHR context.

Main Methods:

• Developed training materials: notes, videos, standardized patient (SP) cases, and a simulated EHR.
• Students reviewed materials and practiced EHR interaction with SPs.
• Incorporated peer and faculty feedback post-encounter.

Main Results:

• High effectiveness ratings from students (83-89%) for practicing EHR interaction and data verification.
• Training improved doctor-patient relationship strategies within the EHR context.
• The simulation provided valuable practice for EHR data verification.

Conclusions:

• The training session effectively introduced fundamental EHR skills to preclinical students.
• This approach offers a low-cost method for early medical education on EHR integration.
• The curriculum successfully addressed EHR-related communication and data management skills.