Congress Abstracts 2005

72

DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTERIZED PATIENT EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE CLINICAL SETTING. June Eilers, PhD, RN, BC, The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; Judith Heermann, PhD, RN, University of Nebraska College of Nursing, Omaha, NE; and Lisa Janousek, RN, MSN, The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE.

Development of a computerized patient education system establishes an effective mechanism for providing and recording teaching over time and across settings.

The purpose of this project was to develop a system for patient/family education that would allow for tracking of education, promote high quality standardized content, provide for linkages with other components of the computerized medical record, and build on the strength of electronic documentation.

Although long acknowledged as an important component of quality cancer care, patient/family education has become increasingly critical with high acuity levels, increased expectations regarding self-care, and extended trajectories of active disease, treatment, remissions, and disease free periods. In addition third-party payers are basing reimbursement on education received and documented. The involvement of multiple disciplines in various settings increases the need for a system that clearly articulates the responsibilities of the different disciplines and fosters an integrated approach to teaching that benefits patients/families.

Components of the system include teaching materials and standardized content which are intranet accessible, and electronic documentation of content delivered and the patient’s mastery of content. Team members involved have included: informatics nurse specialist, information technology specialist, clinical nurse researchers, clinical nurse specialist, patient education coordinator, and representatives from the multiple disciplines involved in the education: nursing, pharmacy, social work, nutrition services, respiratory therapy, and physical/occupational therapy. A formative evaluation approach has been integrated into the project to allow for modification of the plan based on data. This approach includes the use of small focus group sessions and paper/pencil questionnaires for end-user input and on-going evaluation.

The components incorporated into the evaluation include user reactions to the (1) overall system, (2) clarity of goals and standardized documentation terminology, (3) adequacy of teaching standards and content, (4) availability of necessary teaching materials and content, (5) usefulness of the system to track education over time and (6) end-user performance. Multiple waves of data collection provide guidance for continued development of the system throughout the project.

Development of an integrated system for patient/family education in the clinical setting requires a carefully planned approach. Involvement in the formative phases of the development of such systems enables nursing to play an influential role in the usability of the final product.