THE USE OF CLINICAL SYSTEMS TO IMPROVE OUTCOMES AND EFFICIENCIES

 Literature Review: The Use Of Clinical Systems To Improve Outcomes and Efficiencies

Conduct a search for recent (within the last 5 years) research focused on the application of clinical systems. The research should provide evidence to support the use of one type of clinical system to improve outcomes and/or efficiencies, such as “the use of personal health records or portals to support patients newly diagnosed with diabetes.”

Identify and select 4 peer-reviewed research articles from your research.

 

The Assignment: (4-5 pages not including the title and reference page)

 

In a 4- to 5-page paper, synthesize the peer-reviewed research you reviewed. Format your Assignment as an Annotated Bibliography. Be sure to address the following:

 

Identify the 4 peer-reviewed research articles you reviewed, citing each in APA format.

Include an introduction explaining the purpose of the paper.

Summarize each study, explaining the improvement to outcomes, efficiencies, and lessons learned from the application of the clinical system each peer-reviewed article described. Be specific and provide examples.

In your conclusion, synthesize the findings from the 4 peer-reviewed research articles.

Use APA format and include a title page

 

Literature Review: The Use Of Clinical Systems To Improve Outcomes and Efficiencies

Clinical systems have become pivotal in today’s healthcare system and organizations. More so, they are linked with diverse benefits, including improvements of outcomes and care efficiencies diversely. According to Kruse et al. (2018), the success of the healthcare sector has been defined by the ability to deliver patient and evidence-based care, cost-effective and quality care. The adoption of clinical systems has come in handy to help in achieving these goals. Some of the clinical systems being used in the healthcare sector today include electronic health records, clinical decision support, telehealth and remote monitoring, medication management, and patient management, among other systems (Hefner et al., 2019).

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In summary, it can be deduced that clinical systems are indispensable tools in today’s healthcare, with their utilization contributing to improved patient outcomes and increased operational efficiencies. According to Stewart et al. (2020), the continued use in the sector continues to evolve, providing multiple opportunities to enhance not only the quality of the care delivered but also the effectiveness of the process. This paper provides detailed literature-based research on four different scholarly and peer-reviewed articles on the use of clinical systems to improve outcomes and efficiencies.

Article I: Hefner, J. L., MacEwan, S. R., Biltz, A., & Sieck, C. J. (2019). Patient portal messaging for care coordination: a qualitative study of perspectives of experienced users with chronic conditions. BMC Family Practice, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-019-0948-1

The increasing utilization of clinical systems and nursing informatics tools such as patient portals has revolutionized the communication between care providers and their patients. According to the article by Hefner et al., secure messaging has been identified as a critical factor in regard to successful communication and sharing of information between patients and healthcare providers (Hefner et al., 2019). Patient portals have become common tools facilitating this successful coordination, follow-up, and communication with patients. The article has identified that secure and successful communication plays a critical role in the management of chronic conditions. This is because patient portals provide an extension of the healthcare facility to patients homes and at any time. More so, it helps to improve care coordination between the patient, healthcare professionals, family, and caretakers.

The article highlights the application of patient portals to enhance care outcomes and efficiency through promoting patient engagement, improved communication, and better coordination, as the tool provides patients with timely access to health resources and information. When effectively integrated into clinical systems, the portals can foster a better care experience and overall improved care quality. However, for effective and maximum benefit from the portals, healthcare providers and patients need to be trained on how to utilize the portals effectively (Hefner et al., 2019).

Article II: Kruse, C. S., Stein, A., Thomas, H., & Kaur, H. (2018). The use of Electronic Health Records to Support Population Health: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Journal of Medical Systems, 42(11). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-018-1075-6

One of the major and widely utilized clinical systems is electronic health records (EHRs). According to Kruse et al. (2018), EHRs have become critical and indispensable parts of modern healthcare settings. They are commented with multiple benefits, including improved patient care coordination, reduced errors, and ease in sharing or exchange of health information among the different healthcare departments and professionals. According to the article by Kruse et al., the adoption of EHR systems would be critical in addressing healthcare disparities. The adoption of the EHR system resulted in lower mortality rates in ICU care settings while reducing healthcare-acquired infections (Kruse et al., 2018). With reference to care efficiency, the EHR system was aligned with the support of patient-based care plans in addition to positive coordination among different professionals participating in care delivery.

Despite the unlimited benefits aligned with the use of EHRs, different factors have reduced the full utilization of the system among patients and care providers. According to Kruse et al. (2018), it takes teamwork and coordination among the different stakeholders to ensure the adoption of EHRs and related change processes are well assimilated and accepted in healthcare settings among patients and care providers. For maximum benefit from the EHRs, all stakeholders must actively participate. This would subsequently result in improved health outcomes, efficiency in care coordination, and safe and well-defined workflow within a healthcare organization. Through the team, healthcare organizations would be able to overcome the barriers related to the adoption of EHRs, including cost, patient resistance, workflow distraction, interoperability issues, and complexity. Once the challenges are effectively addressed, the EHRs are easily integrated into the clinical system, resulting in improved outcomes and care efficiencies.

Article III: Lyles, C. R., Nelson, E. C., Frampton, S., Dykes, P. C., Cemballi, A. G., & Sarkar, U. (2020). Using Electronic Health Record Portals to Improve Patient Engagement: Research Priorities and Best Practices. Annals of Internal Medicine, 172(11_Supplement), S123–S129. https://doi.org/10.7326/m19-0876

The article by Lyles et al. focuses on the utilization of EHRs to improve patient engagement. Overall, EHRs enhance patient engagement by giving individuals more control over their healthcare information, facilitating communication with care teams, and promoting active participation in their health management. This engagement leads to better-informed patients who are more likely to adhere to treatment plans and ultimately achieve improved health outcomes (Lyles et al., 2020). However, for better outcomes and effective utilization of EHRs, patient training is indispensable; hence, to improve the clinical systems, patient interests, skills, and abilities should be factored in when designing the systems (Lyles et al., 2020.  Literature Review: The Use Of Clinical Systems To Improve Outcomes and Efficiencies

Article IV: Stewart, M. T., Hogan, T. P., Nicklas, J., Robinson, S. A., Purington, C. M., Miller, C. J., Vimalananda, V. G., Connolly, S. L., Wolfe, H. L., Nazi, K. M., Netherton, D., & Shimada, S. L. (2020). The Promise of Patient Portals for Individuals Living With Chronic Illness: Qualitative Study Identifying Pathways of Patient Engagement. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(7), e17744. https://doi.org/10.2196/17744

Chronic illnesses have turned out to be a huge concern for patients, healthcare providers, facilities, and families. However, effective management of the conditions has been recognized as a key step towards improved life quality of the patient and better care outcomes. According to Stewart et al. (2020), the role of the patients can hardly be overlooked in meeting the set objectives in regard to managing chronic illnesses. The article highlights the overall adoption and use of EHRs and patient portals in patient care coordination and engagement. The article recognizes patient engagement as the active involvement of individual patients in their respective care plans. The integration and use of the patient portals, together with the EHRs, empower patients to take an active role in their health lives and, subsequently, result in improved care outcomes.

Not only do the systems reduce the physical gap between the care provider and the patient, but they also provide a platform where care information can be presented, hence ensuring patients are well-informed to make the best of decisions regarding their care plans. The major takeaway from the article is that patient portal utilization use empowers patients to be actively involved in deciding the best-suited care plan (Stewart et al., 2020). This results in better care outcomes, a high level of satisfaction, and efficiency in care coordination between the healthcare experts and the patients.

In conclusion, the selected article provides a detailed review of different clinical systems and their connection to better care outcomes and streamlined and efficient care delivery. The use of clinical systems, such as predictive analytics, EHRs, patient portals, etc., has been linked to multiple benefits, including better care quality, efficiency in care coordination, and promotion and implementation of patient and evidence-based care. For successful implementation and utilization of different clinical systems, effective planning, teamwork, and collaboration are key to the process. More so, patient training helps to improve user experience and, hence, better care outcomes. The different systems, such as the use of EHRs, help save time and cost, which further indicates efficiency in healthcare.

 

 

References

Hefner, J. L., MacEwan, S. R., Biltz, A., & Sieck, C. J. (2019). Patient portal messaging for care coordination: a qualitative study of perspectives of experienced users with chronic conditions. BMC Family Practice, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-019-0948-1

Kruse, C. S., Stein, A., Thomas, H., & Kaur, H. (2018). The use of Electronic Health Records to Support Population Health: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Journal of Medical Systems, 42(11). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-018-1075-6

Lyles, C. R., Nelson, E. C., Frampton, S., Dykes, P. C., Cemballi, A. G., & Sarkar, U. (2020). Using Electronic Health Record Portals to Improve Patient Engagement: Research Priorities and Best Practices. Annals of Internal Medicine, 172(11_Supplement), S123–S129. https://doi.org/10.7326/m19-0876

Stewart, M. T., Hogan, T. P., Nicklas, J., Robinson, S. A., Purington, C. M., Miller, C. J., Vimalananda, V. G., Connolly, S. L., Wolfe, H. L., Nazi, K. M., Netherton, D., & Shimada, S. L. (2020). The Promise of Patient Portals for Individuals Living With Chronic Illness: Qualitative Study Identifying Pathways of Patient Engagement. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(7), e17744. https://doi.org/10.2196/17744   Literature Review: The Use Of Clinical Systems To Improve Outcomes and Efficiencies