Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38588712›Full record

ArticleApplied clinical informatics2024

Standardization of Emergency Department Clinical Note Templates: A Retrospective Analysis across an Integrated Health System.

Christopher S Evans, Barry Bunn, Timothy Reeder, Leigh Patterson, Dustin Gertsch, Richard J Medford

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Applied clinical informatics, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Christopher S EvansInformation Services, ECU Health, Greenville, North Carolina, United States.
Barry BunnDepartment of Emergency Medicine, ECU Health Edgecombe, Tarboro, North Carolina, United States.
Timothy ReederDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, United States.
Leigh PattersonDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, United States.
Dustin GertschDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, United States.
Richard J MedfordInformation Services, ECU Health, Greenville, North Carolina, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

objectiveClinical documentation is essential for conveying medical decision-making, communication between providers and patients, and capturing quality, billing, and regulatory measures during emergency department (ED) visits. Growing evidence suggests the benefits of note template standardization; however, variations in documentation practices are common. The primary objective of this study is to measure the utilization and coding performance of a standardized ED note template implemented across a nine-hospital health system.

methodsThis was a retrospective study before and after the implementation of a standardized ED note template. A multi-disciplinary group consensus was built around standardized note elements, provider note workflows within the electronic health record (EHR), and how to incorporate newly required medical decision-making elements. The primary outcomes measured included the proportion of ED visits using standardized note templates, and the distribution of billing codes in the 6 months before and after implementation.

resultsIn the preimplementation period, a total of six legacy ED note templates were being used across nine EDs, with the most used template accounting for approximately 36% of ED visits. Marked variations in documentation elements were noted across six legacy templates. After the implementation, 82% of ED visits system-wide used a single standardized note template. Following implementation, we observed a 1% increase in the proportion of ED visits coded as highest acuity and an unchanged proportion coded as second highest acuity.

conclusionWe observed a greater than twofold increase in the use of a standardized ED note template across a nine-hospital health system in anticipation of the new 2023 coding guidelines. The development and utilization of a standardized note template format relied heavily on multi-disciplinary stakeholder engagement to inform design that worked for varied documentation practices within the EHR. After the implementation of a standardized note template, we observed better-than-anticipated coding performance.

Indexed as

DocumentationElectronic Health RecordsEmergency Service, HospitalDelivery of Health Care, IntegratedHumansReference StandardsRetrospective Studies

Identifiers

PMID38588712
PMCPMC11111310

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.