Extracting Data from the Electronic Health Record of Patients with ADHD Reveals Pediatricians' Discussions of...

Primary care physicians (PCPs) have an important role in the identification and management of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). There is a paucity of research on PCPs' practices related to the discussion of educational interventions. We conducted a retrospective chart review using Natural Language Processing to extract data on how often PCPs in an outpatient clinic: 1) discuss educational support with patients and caregivers; and 2) obtain educational records. About three-quarters of patients had at least one term related to educational support included in at least one note, but only 13 percent of patients had at least one educational record uploaded into the electronic health record (EHR). There was no association between having an educational document uploaded into the EHR and inclusion of a term related to educational support in a note. Almost half (48 percent) of these records were unclearly labeled. Further education of PCPs is warranted to increase discussions of educational support and obtaining educational records, as is collaboration with health information management professionals around labeling.