Does adoption of electronic health records improve the quality of care management in France? Results from the French e-SI (PREPS-SIPS) study.

BACKGROUND: Electronic health records (EHR) are increasingly being adopted by healthcare systems worldwide. In France, the "Hôpital numérique 2012-2017" program was implemented as part of a strategic plan to modernize health information technology (HIT), including the promotion of widespread EHR use. With significant upfront investment costs as well as ongoing operational expenses, it is important to assess this system in terms of its ability to result in improvements in hospital performances. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of EHR use on the quality of care management in acute care hospitals throughout France. METHODS: This retrospective study was based on data derived from three national databases for the year 2011: IPAQSS (indicators of improvement in the quality and the management of healthcare, "IPAQSS"), Hospi-Diag (French hospital performance indicators), and the national accreditation database. Several multivariate models were used to examine the association between the use of EHRs and specific EHR features with four quality indicators: the quality of patient record, the delay in sending information at hospital discharge, the pain status evaluation, and the nutritional status evaluation, while also adjusting for hospital characteristics. RESULTS: The models revealed a significant positive impact of EHR use on the four quality indicators. Additionally, they showed a differential impact according to the functionality of the element of the health record that was computerized. All four quality indicators were also impacted by the type of hospital, the geographical region, and the severity of the pathology. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that, to improve the quality of care management in hospitals, EHR adoption represents an important lever. They complete previous work dealing with EHR and the organizational performance of hospital surgical units.

Does adoption of electronic health records improve organizational performances of hospital surgical units? Results from the French e-SI (PREPS-SIPS) study.

BACKGROUND: Electronic health records (EHR) are increasingly being adopted by healthcare systems worldwide. In France, the "Hôpital numérique 2012-2017" program was implemented as part of a strategic plan to modernize health information technology (HIT), including promotion of widespread EHR use. With significant upfront investment costs as well as ongoing operational expenses, it is important to assess this system in terms of its ability to result in improvements in hospital performances. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of EHR use on the organizational performances of acute care hospital surgical units throughout France. METHODS: This retrospective study was based on data derived from three national databases for year the 2012: IPAQSS (Indicators of improvement in the quality and the management of healthcare, "IPAQSS"), Hospi-Diag (French hospital performance indicators), and the national accreditation database. National data and methodological support were provided by the French Ministry of Health (DGOS) and the French National Authority for Health (HAS). Multivariate linear models were used to assess four organizational performance indicators: the occupancy rate of surgical inpatient beds, operating room utilization, the activity per surgeon, and the activity per both nurse anesthetist and anesthesiologist which were dependent variables. Several independent variables were taken into account, including the degree of EHR use. RESULTS: The models revealed a significant positive impact of EHR use on operating room utilization and bed occupancy rates for surgical inpatient units. No significant association was found between the activity per surgeon or the activity per nurse anesthetist and anesthesiologist with EHR use. All four organizational performance indicators were impacted by the type of hospital, the geographical region, and the severity of the pathologies. CONCLUSION: We were able to verify the purported potential benefits of EHR use on the organizational performances of surgical units in French hospitals.