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Electronic Health Records prime Clinicians
to provide Progressive Care to Older Adults
COLUMBIA, MO, July 2010 – In 20 years,
approximately 72 million older adults will
reside in the United States, almost double
the current number, according to the U.S.
Administration on Aging.
Potential issues are compounded by the
projected shortage of health care workers
needed to provide elder care.
As part of the solution, an
interdisciplinary team of
University of Missouri researchers is
refining electronic health record (EHR)
technology to more efficiently meet
increasing health care demands.
The MU researchers are developing an EHR
system that encompasses standard health
assessments and those obtained through new
technologies. The goal is to increase
efficiency and accuracy, improve patient
outcomes and reduce costs for long-term
care.
“As the use of emerging technologies
increases along with the older population,
maintaining complete and accurate patient
information can be overwhelming,” said
Marilyn Rantz, professor in the MU Sinclair
School of Nursing.
“A comprehensive system that encompasses all
measures, old and new, is the key to
enhanced and efficient clinical decision
making.”
The EHR is being tested at TigerPlace, an
independent senior-living facility that
helps residents age in place.
According to the researchers’ initial
findings, use of the EHR system can enhance
nursing care coordination and advance
technology use and clinical research.
“New technologies to passively monitor older
adults’ health are being developed and are
increasingly commercially available,” Rantz
said.
“The challenge remains to integrate clinical
information systems with passive monitoring
data, especially in long-term care and home
health settings, in order to improve
clinical decision making and ensure patient
records are complete.”
Effective EHR systems display data in ways
that are meaningful and quickly assessable
for clinicians, Rantz said. With access to
comprehensive data, clinicians can make more
informed clinical decisions, better perform
risk assessments and provide risk-reducing
interventions.
The study, “Developing a Comprehensive
Electronic Health Care Records to Enhance
Nursing Care Coordination, Use of Technology
and Research,” was published in the
Journal
of Gerontological Nursing.
The research was supported by the U.S.
Administration on Aging and the National
Science Foundation. Project collaborators
included researchers from the MU Sinclair
School of Nursing, University Hospital,
School of Medicine and the College of
Engineering.
For more information, visit the eldercare
and rehabilitation technology Web site:
http://eldertech.missouri.edu/
