How to Use EHRs to Increase Patient Engagement

How to Use EHRs to Increase Patient Engagement Physicians can adopt various strategies to prioritize patients over electronic paperwork and also increase patient engagement at the encounter.

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When used effectively and along with medical transcription services, the electronic health record (EHR) has improved patient care and allows physicians to spend more time on treatment instead of searching for physical files. They can get a comprehensive view of their patient through the EHRs, putting them in greater control of their patients’ care. EHRs allow better recording of care, sharing of information,

streamline

workflow,

and

improve

billing

efficiency

through

standardized documentation. However, one gripe is that physicians spend too much time on EHR data entry during the visit, which reduces the time they have to interact meaningfully with patients. One of the reasons why the EHR is a source of distraction during the patient encounter is that physicians are required to overdocument in order to demonstrate that they have provided services so they can get paid for them.

According to a recent Medical Economics article, finding the right balance between thorough

documentation

and

a

successful

patient

encounter

requires

“understanding the doctor’s own style of conducting visits and the quirks of their EHR software and exam rooms, not to mention a strong dose of pre-planning and staff support.” Physicians can adopt various strategies to prioritize patients over electronic paperwork and also increase patient engagement at the encounter.

Better Connect with Patients 

Establish eye contact with patients: Establishing eye contact with patients and maintaining it at reasonable intervals is an important communication skill for practitioners. Listening, empathy, and paying attention to the paraverbal and nonverbal clues in the communication can improve patient compliance and overall satisfaction. Physicians should avoid any time pressure and interruptions to allow for a focused discussion. Medical Economics reports one physician as saying that says he never types on a computer during patient examinations. Instead he jots a few notes on paper while maintaining good eye contact and focusing on patients to understand their body language.

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

Do prep work before the appointment: Another effective strategy to increase direct patient interaction is to do some good background work in advance.

Before walking into the exam room, physicians can study the patient’s data and history as well as preventive care screenings and lab tests the patient needs. This will give them the basic knowledge they need so that they don’t have to rely on the computer. They can copy and paste the patient’s history in their EHR to get a good start on the note before the forthcoming encounter. The idea is to make the computer as unobtrusive as a paper chart, says Lucarelli, a Medical Economics Editorial Advisory Board member.

With good prep work, the physician doesn’t have to waste time thinking about what they want to do during the exam.

Increase Patient Engagement One of the biggest grouse about EHR data entry is that it causes disengagement from the patient. But experts say that the EHR need not be a barrier and that it is a tool to potentially increase patient engagement. A 2015 IJMI study found that when physicians look at the computer, the patient’s gaze usually follows. The study’s authors say that physicians should take advantage of this moment to use the EHR as a “shared artifact”, a strategy to gain the patient’s attention. The EHR can be used to increase patient engagement in the following ways:  Visually share information: Patient satisfaction and involvement in the decision-making process improves when physicians share information visually from the electronic patient record. Physicians can bring the patient into the encounter by using data and charts to show trend lines for weight, hemoglobin A1C and other types of relevant data. Patients can view their medical charts, prescriptions, lab reports, radiology images, and more on the EHR.  Communicate communication

with tool

patients: that

both

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EHRs

are

physicians

a and

secure

repository

patients

CALL US:

can

use

and to

1-800-670-2809

send/receive preventive care or follow-up care reminders, send patient education

materials,

receive

patient

questions

and

requests,

schedule/reschedule appointments, and more. Patients can use the portal to actively manage their care and address common issues. They can access results through a portal, which helps save a lot of time. ď ś Shared decision making and education: The visual integration of data can encourage shared decision making between physician and patient. They can work together to determine the best care options. This approach play a crucial role in patient engagement since it allows patients to choose care options based on their unique values and perspectives. Clinicians can also use EHRs to educate patients by providing materials and giving them a better understanding of their conditions and deeper insight into their clinician's recommendation. Patients can help optimize their outcomes by reviewing educational material provided in the EHR, and using the patient portal to communicate between visits.

Using these strategies can bring the patient right into the medical record. Leverage solutions such as medical transcription services can improve EHR capabilities and increase patient engagement. Technologically advanced medical transcription companies offer accurate EHR-integrated documentation solutions in custom turnaround time.

This ensures that physicians have more time to interact with

patients in the exam room during visits. A 2016 study from www.jwatch.org reported that physicians who had documentation support, such as dictation or a documentation assistant, had more direct interaction time with patients than physicians without support.

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CALL US:

1-800-670-2809