Physicians' Use of Clinical Information Systems in the Discharge Process: An Observational Study

This study has been performed in order to categorize and measure usage of different information sources and types in a well defined stage of clinical work. The underlying motivation is to improve computer-supported presentation and retrieval of relevant information and to be able to evaluate the functionality of a future improved interface to the electronic patient record (EPR). By observing and analyzing 52 discharge processes, we have seen that the EPR is primarily used for background information and verification. There is a large potential for improved EPR systems that support the clinicians in the plan/future part of the discharge.