Office Performance of Tasks in the 2 Test Results Management Safety Themes, Safety Awareness and Technological Adoption
| Themes and Safety Factors | Observed Behaviors in Office Sites for Each Factor | Office Sites Where Behaviors Were Observed |
|---|---|---|
| EHR=electronic health record. | ||
| a Technology automatically performs a task or requires user to perform a task to move forward. | ||
| Safety awareness | ||
| Leadership | Leadership often speaks out on safety and quality; backs up words with actions | A |
| Leadership occasionally speaks out on safety and quality; occasionally backs up words with actions | B, C | |
| Leadership rarely speaks out on safety and quality; rarely backs up words with actions | D | |
| Communication | Communication between staff, physicians, and management sometimes occurs often around patient safety and quality, but communication occasionally lacks respect or timeliness; it uses only written and verbal strategies | A, B, C |
| Communication between staff, physicians, management, and patients rarely occurs around patient safety and quality and is at times disrespectful and untimely; it uses only written and verbal strategies | D | |
| Teamwork | Teamwork between staff, physicians, and leadership is present in certain areas and tasks | A, B, C |
| Teamwork between staff, physicians, and leadership is spotty, occurring only occasionally in certain areas and tasks | D | |
| Protocols and procedures | Procedures and protocols exist for some results management steps, are occasionally evaluated and revised as needed | A, C |
| Procedures and protocols do not exist for results management steps | B, D | |
| Adoption of technology | ||
| EHR/computer technology | No EHR; office computer systems exist for billing, scheduling, and for additional tasks in results management | A, C |
| EHR exists and incorporates billing, scheduling, and additional tasks in office management or care of patients | B | |
| No EHR; computer systems exist for billing and scheduling only | D | |
| Digital connections | Digital connection between 1 office computer to the hospital laboratory for order entry and to a different computer for radiology result retrieval | A |
| EHR is digitally connected to major laboratory and radiology center for results retrieval only | B | |
| Digital connection between 1 office computer to the laboratory for order entry only and between 1 office computer and hospital for radiology results only | C | |
| Digital connection between 1 office computer to the laboratory for order entry only | D | |
| Patient communication | No electronic communication with patients and no electronic generation of patient communication materials | A, C, D |
| EHR generates paper communication for patients with test results | B | |
| Forcing functionsa | No computer technology automatically performs or monitors results management steps | A, C, D |
| Return of results is only automatic/forced step in EHR; others (tracking, signatures, patient notification), but must be regularly performed or monitored by staff or physicians | B | |