What the study found
An electronic health record (EHR)-based monitoring dashboard was associated with higher return rates for developmental screening questionnaires and shorter times to return and case completion in pediatric patients.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that completion of recommended developmental screening can be challenging for certain patient populations, and the study suggests that EHR-based tools may be useful to improve return rates and reduce return and case completion times.
What the researchers tested
The researchers used EHR data from a large integrated health care system to study children aged 6 to 66 months referred to a secondary screening program. They examined patient- and system-level characteristics linked to questionnaire return rates and time to return, and compared outcomes before and after implementation of an EHR-embedded monitoring dashboard.
What worked and what didn't
Among 17,303 screening referral orders, questionnaires were returned for 43.3% of referrals. Lower return rates were associated with older age, non-English language preference, Black race, Hispanic ethnicity, highest neighborhood deprivation quintile, and Medicaid insurance, while online portal account access was associated with higher return rates and faster return times. After dashboard implementation, return rates rose from 41.2% to 54.7%, and time to return and time to case completion both decreased.
What to keep in mind
This was a retrospective cohort study in one large integrated health care system, so the findings are limited to the setting and population studied. The abstract does not describe other limitations beyond the study design and scope.
Key points
- Questionnaires were returned for 43.3% of 17,303 developmental screening referral orders.
- Lower return rates were linked with older age, non-English language preference, Black race, Hispanic ethnicity, higher neighborhood deprivation, and Medicaid insurance.
- Online portal account access was associated with higher return rates and faster return times.
- After dashboard implementation, return rates increased from 41.2% to 54.7%.
- Time to return and time to case completion both decreased after the dashboard was introduced.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- EHR dashboard was linked to better developmental screening return rates
- Image credit:
- Photo by Lukas Blazek on Pexels
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