Mission Impossible? Putting the Patient Back in Patient Care

Abstract

The primary focus of this teaching case is the patient journey, as facilitated and influenced by an e-system or electronic health record (EHR) system. The goal of this case is to provide the learner with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively incorporate patient-centered e-health (PCEH) principles into existing and planned e-health systems such as EHRs. This case can be used to help students understand a hospital experience from the perspective of a patient and her family. It is loosely based on an experience one of the authors had with an actual patient. This case is intended for use with upper level undergraduate and graduate health informatics, information systems, and nursing students. Students assigned to this case should have a working knowledge of clinical terms and the general workings of a hospital. This teaching case is best suited to an advanced course in a health informatics curriculum. Possible applications of the case include, but are not limited to, describing the patient journey, modeling the process flow, diagramming the data flow, and applying the principles of patient-centered ehealth.

Transitions of Care: A Patient-Centered Perspective of Health Information Systems That Support Post-Acute Care

“…Further, research specifically in the area of health information systems for LTPAC is lacking. For instance, there are a number of studies focused on assistive technologies that can be used in a residential setting (Cortelyou-Ward et al, 2012;Pardue et al, 2014), but these studies are generally not embedded in the context of LTPAC creating a disconnect between design and actual use. For example, studies have shown that LTPAC patients experience lack of information at discharge and feel excluded from management decisions made by providers about their care (Parks, 2015).…”

Mobile Access for Patient Centered Care: The Challenges of Activating Knowledge through Health Information Technology

“…As described by Pardue et al [35], the treatment process rarely takes into account input from the patient. Other than the recording of symptoms, test results and physicians examination, patients are left in the dark as to the nature of their treatments and the nature of any progress they may have.…”

“…In addition, putting the patient back in patient care would entail not just sharing their data but also involving them in their care. Otherwise the patient may not survive the hospital visit as described in a case by Pardue et al [35].…”

Editors’ Introduction to the Special Section on Patient-centered e-Health: Research Opportunities and Challenges

“…Moving to shared decision making is not only a cultural change, but is also very difficult when patients lack the necessary information to make decisions and physicians are too rushed to spend the time to help their patients make those decisions. Furthermore, in situations where a caregiver, rather than the patient, must take on decision-making responsibilities, healthcare providers, in following HIPAA rules [HHS.gov, 2013], might not share patient status information that is needed for decision making because they are unsure who is allowed to know, as illustrated in Pardue, Campbell, Campbell and Wisniewski [2014].…”

“…The article describes a variety of opportunities for IS theory development in the PCEH context. Pardue, Campbell, Campbell and Wisniewski [2014], "Mission Impossible? Putting the Patient Back in Patient Care," is a teaching case that illustrates the emergency room and hospital experience of patients and their families by describing the journey of one such patient from the arrival at the emergency room to discharge from the hospital the next day.…”