Accuracy of Physician Electronic Health Record Usage Analytics using Clinical Test Cases

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Clinical Data Management
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Electronic health record (EHR) usage log data is vital for assessing system burden.
• Concerns about data validity and accuracy have limited the utility of EHR usage logs.
• Pandemic restrictions have hindered traditional in-person time-motion studies for data validation.

Observation:

• A practical approach for validating EHR usage log data in a controlled environment was developed.
• Test runs based on clinical workflows were conducted in a test EHR environment.
• This method allows for comparison of recorded timings and retrospective investigation of discrepancies.

Findings:

• The study validated physician EHR usage logs at a Canadian academic teaching mental health hospital.
• Ten test runs were conducted over three days to validate eight EHR usage log metrics.
• Differences between recorded measurements and the usage analytics platform ranged from 9% to 60%.

Implications:

• This validated approach offers a reliable method for assessing EHR log data accuracy.
• Accurate EHR usage data can better inform system design and resource allocation.
• The findings support the use of controlled validation studies for health informatics research.