Higher reliance on electronic health records (EHRs) in ambulatory oncology practice was significantly associated with reduced safety actions among oncology nurses and prescribers, according to results of a statewide survey.
“The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree to which EHRs, satisfaction with technology, and clinician communication enable a safety culture in ambulatory oncology treatment settings,” wrote Minal R. Patel, PhD, MPH, of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and colleagues. The report is published in the Journal of Oncology Practice.
The researchers conducted a statewide survey of 297 oncology nurses and prescribers in 29 ambulatory oncology practices in Michigan. They obtained quantitative data for May to October 2017 from clinician surveys and practice logs at these clinical sites.
The study methodology was built by use of the sociotechnical framework, which examined how EHR technologies influenced the safe administration of chemotherapy.
Eligible survey participants included physicians, nurses, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners who cared for adult patients receiving infusion treatments for cancer.
A total of 438 clinicians were recruited and confirmed to be eligible, and 297 (68%) completed a survey.
After analysis, the researchers found that higher reliance on electronic health records in practice was associated with reduced safety scores (P less than .001). The mean safety score was reported to be 5.3 (standard deviation, 1.1; practice-level range, 4.9-5.4).
In an opposite manner, increased satisfaction with technology and better-quality communication were associated with higher safety actions.
The researchers acknowledged a key limitation of the study was cross-sectional design. As a result, confounding factors could influence the findings.
“Careful attention to technology adoption and updates coupled with high-quality communication skills across clinicians are promising strategies to administer high-risk treatments safely in ambulatory oncology settings,” they concluded.
The study was supported by grant funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Cancer Institute. No conflicts of interest were reported.
SOURCE: Patel MR et al. J Oncol Pract. 2019 Apr 22. doi: 10.1200/JOP.18.00507.
