Ambulatory Care Coordination Data Gathering and Use.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Health Informatics
• Patient Care

Background:

• Care coordination is vital for healthcare systems.
• Data needs and uses in ambulatory care coordination are not well understood.
• Ambulatory settings present unique challenges for data integration in care coordination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the types of information gathered and utilized for care coordination in ambulatory settings.
• To understand the current data practices among healthcare professionals involved in ambulatory care coordination.
• To establish a baseline for future research on data standards in care coordination.

Main Methods:

• A survey was distributed to 33 respondents in ambulatory care settings.
• Respondents provided demographic information, practice patterns, and details on data collection and usage.
• The survey assessed the use of electronic health records (EHRs) and other documentation systems.

Main Results:

• Respondents, predominantly nurses, reported diverse practice settings and patterns.
• While most utilized EHRs, some still relied on paper documentation.
• Over 25% of respondents gathered and used a majority of the 72 assessed data elements, often across multiple contexts.

Conclusions:

• Significant heterogeneity exists in how ambulatory care coordination data is currently used.
• Further research is needed to define common data elements essential for advancing care coordination.
• Establishing data standards will support knowledge development within a learning health system framework.