Statistics are presented on the utilization of short-stay hospitals based on data collected in the Hospital Discharge Survey from a national sample of hospital records of discharged patients. Discharges, days of care, and average length of stay are distributed by each of the variables age, sex, and color of patient and by geographic region, bed size, and type of ownership (control) of hospital....

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of race on whether or not a patient would accept an invasive cardiac procedure when referred by a physician. METHODS A retrospective longitudinal review of medical records at a public health hospital in southeastern Louisiana was conducted to determine cardiovascular patient acceptance/ rejection differences. Patient charts were e...

Purpose: This study was conducted to clarify the utility of patient-held records as an integrated care approach for patients with dementia in the community. Method: We analyzed the familyheld/patient-held records of patients with dementia in the community. The inclusion criteria in the study were as follows: 1) patient-held/family member-held records of patients with dementia in the community; ...

BACKGROUND In the United States, national incentives for offering access to electronic personal health records (ePHRs) through electronic means are geared toward creating a culture of patient engagement. One group of patients who stand to benefit from online access to ePHRs is the growing population with multiple chronic conditions (MCC). However, little is known about the current availability ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Handoffs ensure patient safety during patient care transitions in the hospital setting. At our institution, verbal handoffs communicated by resident physicians are suggested practice for patients transferring from the PICU to the hospital medicine (HM) service. Despite their importance, these verbal handoffs occurred only 76% of the time before patient arrival on HM uni...

BACKGROUND Electronic health record (EHR)-linked patient portals are a promising approach to facilitate shared decision-making between families of children with chronic conditions and pediatricians. This study evaluated the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of MyAsthma, an EHR-linked patient portal supporting shared decision-making for pediatric asthma. METHODS We conducted a 6-month ran...

It is not news that electronic health records (EHRs) are a major cause of job dissatisfaction among physicians. Advances in patient portal technology over the past few years, however, have opened numerous opportunities for health information technology to actually improve your office and your job satisfaction. Patient portals, when implemented well, can increase workplace efficiency and reduce ...

Personal Health Records (PHRs), patient-controlled information systems, are believed to be a key to transform healthcare. We argue that a single system, no matter how it is designed, is highly unlikely to have the power to reconfigure a whole sectors. PHRs are not merely technical objects that exist on their own but they should be considered as socio-technical arrangements of systems and users ...

Background There is limited evidence on the course of health service costs before and after psychiatric inpatient treatment, which might also be affected by source of cost data. Thus, this study examines: i) differences in health care costs before and after psychiatric inpatient treatment, ii) whether these differences vary by source of cost-data (self-report vs. administrative), and iii) predi...

OBJECTIVES Electronic patient record (EPR) systems are increasingly used and have matured sufficiently so as to contribute to high quality care and efficient patient management. Our objective is to summarize current trends and major achievements in the field of EPR in the last year and to discuss their future prospects. RESULTS Integrating health data from a variety of sources in a comprehens...