IT adoption of clinical information systems in Austrian and German hospitals: results of a comparative survey with a focus on nursing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>IT adoption is a process that is influenced by different external and internal factors. This study aimed</p> <p indent="1">1. to identify similarities and differences in the prevalence of medical and nursing IT systems in Austrian and German hospitals, and</p> <p indent="1">2. to match these findings with characteristics of the two countries, in particular their healthcare system, and with features of the hospitals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 2007, all acute care hospitals in both countries received questionnaires with identical questions. 12.4% in Germany and 34.6% in Austria responded.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The surveys revealed a consistent higher usage of nearly all clinical IT systems, especially nursing systems, but also PACS and electronic archiving systems, in Austrian than in German hospitals. These findings correspond with a significantly wider use of standardised nursing terminologies and a higher number of PC workstations on the wards (average 2.1 PCs in Germany, 3.2 PCs in Austria). Despite these differences, Austrian and German hospitals both reported a similar IT budget of 2.6% in Austria and 2.0% in Germany (median).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Despite the many similarities of the Austrian and German healthcare system there are distinct differences which may have led to a wider use of IT systems in Austrian hospitals. In nursing, the specific legal requirement to document nursing diagnoses in Austria may have stimulated the use of standardised terminologies for nursing diagnoses and the implementation of electronic nursing documentation systems. Other factors which correspond with the wider use of clinical IT systems in Austria are: good infrastructure of medical-technical devices, rigorous organisational changes which had led to leaner processes and to a lower length of stay, and finally a more IT friendly climate. As country size is the most pronounced difference between Germany and Austria it could be that smaller countries, such as Austria, are more ready to translate innovation into practice.</p

Data from: Evaluation of electronically supported nursing transfers between hospital and nursing home based on a test health telematics infrastructure: a case analysis

Background: Improper information transmission can lead to compromised patient safety and quality of life when patients are transferred from one setting to another. Electronic instruments may improve this situation, however, they are rarely used. Objective: The aim of this study therefore was to investigate the technical and organizational feasibility, usability, usefulness and completeness of an electronic instrument that is based on the German HL7 CDA standard for eNursing Summaries. Materials and methods: To this end, a test health telematics infrastructure, which included the German electronic health card, was established and nursing summary application was developed that allowed summary documents to be communicated between a hospital and a nursing home. The users were asked to evaluate the usability of the nursing summary application as well as to compare the usefulness and completeness of electronically and paper transmitted information. Results: This study demonstrated the feasibility of implementing an electronic nursing summary application that was based on the German HL7 CDA standard eNursing Summary and that was integrated in a test health telematics infrastructure. It could also be shown that the users rated this application as usable and that electronically supported patient transfers were superior to paper based ones. The use of the German electronic health card was regarded as a barrier by the users. Discussion: This study emphasizes the feasibility, relevance and barriers of electronically supported transfers of patients with nursing needs. Nurses working in hospitals and long-term care can integrate an application based on the HL7 CDA Standard ePfgebericht into their working processes and get better and more complete information. To ensure continuity of care in a sustainable manner in the future, the German HL7 CDA based eNursing Summary standard should become part of the German telematics infrastructure

Evaluation einer elektronisch unterstützten pflegerischen Überleitung zwischen Krankenhaus und Pflegeheim unter Nutzung einer Test-Telematikinfrastruktur: eine Fallanalyse

Background: Improper information transmission can lead to compromised patient safety and quality of life when patients are transferred from one setting to another. Electronic instruments may improve this situation, however, they are rarely used. Objective: The aim of this study therefore was to investigate the technical and organizational feasibility, usability, usefulness and completeness of an electronic instrument that is based on the German HL7 CDA standard for eNursing Summaries.Materials and methods: To this end, a test health telematics infrastructure, which included the German electronic health card, was established and nursing summary application was developed that allowed summary documents to be communicated between a hospital and a nursing home. The users were asked to evaluate the usability of the nursing summary application as well as to compare the usefulness and completeness of electronically and paper transmitted information.Results: This study demonstrated the feasibility of implementing an electronic nursing summary application that was based on the German HL7 CDA standard eNursing Summary and that was integrated in a test health telematics infrastructure. It could also be shown that the users rated this application as usable and that electronically supported patient transfers were superior to paper based ones. The use of the German electronic health card was regarded as a barrier by the users.Discussion: This study emphasizes the feasibility, relevance and barriers of electronically supported transfers of patients with nursing needs. Nurses working in hospitals and long-term care can integrate an application based on the HL7 CDA Standard ePfgebericht into their working processes and get better and more complete information. To ensure continuity of care in a sustainable manner in the future, the German HL7 CDA based eNursing Summary standard should become part of the German telematics infrastructure