Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Primary care physicians (PCPs) now widely use electronic health records (EHRs) during medical encounters. Experts in clinical communication issued recommendations for a patient-centered use of EHRs. However, they have never been validated by patients themselves.Objective
To explore patients' preferences regarding physicians' EHR-related behaviors.Design
Discrete choice experiment study.Patients
French-speaking patients waiting for a medical consultation at two outpatient clinics in Geneva, Switzerland.Main measures
We invited patients to watch videos displaying 2 or 3 variations of four specific EHR-related behaviors and asked them to indicate which one they preferred. EHR-related behaviors were (1) typing: continuous/intermittent/handwriting in biomedical or psychosocial focused consultations; (2) maintaining contact while typing: visual/verbal/both; (3) signposting the use of EHR: with/without; (4) position of physicians' hands and bust: on the keyboard and towards the patient/away from the keyboard and towards the patient/on the keyboard and towards the screen.Key results
Three hundred thirty-six patients participated (response rate 61.4%). They preferred intermittent typing versus handwriting or continuous typing for biomedical issues (32.7%; 95% CI: 26.0-40.2% vs 31.6%; 95% CI: 24.9-39.0% or 14.9%; 95% CI: 10.2-21.1%) and psychosocial issues (38.7%; 95% CI: 31.6-46.3% vs 24.4% 95% CI: 18.4-31.5% or 17.9%; 95% CI; 12.7-24.4%). They favored visual and verbal contact (38.9%; 95% CI: 31.9-46.3%) over verbal (30.3%; 95% CI: 23.9-37.5%) or visual contact only (11.4%; 95% CI: 7.5-17.1%) while the doctor was typing. A majority preferred signposting the use of EHR versus no signposting (58.9%; 95% CI: 53.5-64.0% vs 34.8%; 95% CI: 29.9-40.1%). Finally, half of the patients (49.7%; 95% CI: 42.0-57.4%) favored the position with the physician's bust towards the patient and hands away from the keyboard.Conclusions
Our study shows that patients' preferences regarding EHR-related behaviors are in line with most experts' recommendations. Such recommendations should be more consistently integrated into under- and postgraduate communication skills training.
SUBMITTER: Lanier C
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8298679 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Lanier Cédric C Dominicé Dao Melissa M Baer Dave D Haller Dagmar M DM Sommer Johanna J Junod Perron Noëlle N
Journal of general internal medicine 20210426 7
<h4>Background</h4>Primary care physicians (PCPs) now widely use electronic health records (EHRs) during medical encounters. Experts in clinical communication issued recommendations for a patient-centered use of EHRs. However, they have never been validated by patients themselves.<h4>Objective</h4>To explore patients' preferences regarding physicians' EHR-related behaviors.<h4>Design</h4>Discrete choice experiment study.<h4>Patients</h4>French-speaking patients waiting for a medical consultation ...[more]