System-wide integration of patient reported outcome measure collection through an electronic medical record system: A state-wide retrospective study

• Published in: Journal of clinical neuroscience 2023-08, Vol.114, p.137-143
• Main Authors: Mokanyk, Abigail R., Taylor, Christopher L., De la Garza Ramos, Rafael, Tadepalli, Swetha, Girasulo, Samantha A., Rossi, Maria C.S., O'Donnell, Brooke A., Bauman, Joel A., Sekhar, Rajat, Abbed, Khalid M., Matmati, Nabil, Yanamadala, Vijay
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; EHR (Electronic Health Record); Electronic Health Records; EMR (Electronic Medical Record); Humans; NDI (Neck Disability Index); ODI (Oswestry Disability Index); Pain; Patient Reported Outcome Measures; PROMs (Patient-Reported Outcome Measures); Retrospective Studies; Spine; Spine clinic
• ISSN: 0967-5868; 1532-2653
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jocn.2023.06.009

•Integration of PROMs in the electronic medical record eliminates known barriers to collection and improves collection rates in spine clinics.•Collection of PROMs is higher in patients seeing a doctor compared to patients seeing a physician assistant.•Female patients are less likely to have their PROMs collected compared to male patients.•Hispanic or Latino PROMs collection rates were higher compared to Non-Hispanic or Latino patients. In spine neurosurgery practice, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are tools used to convey information about a patient’s health experience and are an integral component of a clinician’s decision-making process as they help guide treatment strategies to improve outcomes and minimize pain. Currently, there is limited research showing effective integration strategies of PROMs into electronic medical records. This study aims to provide a framework for other healthcare systems by outlining the process from start to finish in seven Hartford Healthcare Neurosurgery outpatient spine clinics throughout the state of Connecticut. On March 1, 2021, a pilot implementation program began in one clinic and on July 1, 2021, all outpatient clinics were implementing the revised clinical workflow that included the electronic collection of PROMs within the electronic health record (EHR). A retrospective chart analysis studied all adult (18+) new patient visits in seven outpatient clinics by comparing the rates of PROMs collection in Half 1 (March 1, 2021–August 31, 2022) and in Half 2 (September 1, 2022–February 28, 2022) across all sites. Additionally, patient characteristics were studied to identify any variables that may lead to higher rates of collection. During the study period, 3528 new patient visits were analyzed. There was a significant change in rates of PROMs collection across all departments between H1 and H2 (p