EFFECT OF SPECIALTY ORIENTED HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (HMS) ON QUALITY OF ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS (EMRs) IN 2 TERTIARY CARE HOSPITALS

Abstract

Objective: To assess effect of “specialty oriented HMS software” on “quality of EMRs”.

Study Design: Comparative interventional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Obstetrics Out Patient Department (OPD) of Pak Emirates Military Hospital (PEMH) Rawalpindi and Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Lahore, from Apr 2015 to Mar 2018.

Material and Methods: The study began in 2015 with a baseline survey of quality of EMRs produced by generic HMS software in vogue. We used an observational checklist derived from hospital SOPs including 12 mandatory EMR fields. We then collaborated with IT experts to develop and implement a specialty oriented test-HMS in obstetrics OPD, PEMH. After 6 months, quality of EMRs generated by test-HMS was assessed using same
method. We cross tabulated the quality of pre and post intervention EMRs. EMR quality among individual EMR fields was also compared for each software. In 2018, we assessed quality of EMRs at tertiary care hospital, a year after the official launch of customized new-HMS software in the hospital.

Results: Both the test-HMS and new-HMS had a statistically significant effect in improving quality of EMRs. A statistically significant variation was also observed among EMR quality of individual fields irrespective of the software being used.

Conclusion: Customization of HMS improves the quality of EMRs but there may be other factors effecting EMR quality besides customization of HMS. We need to Identify and address those factors to attain true benefits of HMS.