Email UpdatesThe information and data included in electronic health records (EHRs) can offer patients, family members, caregivers, and care team members the opportunity to become more engaged, empowered, and connected.
In this webinar recording, National Integration Academy Council members Alexander Blount, Ed.D. and Neil Korsen, M.D., M.Sc. discuss maximizing Open Notes to promote patient engagement and equity in integrated behavioral health. Key guidance for integrating behavioral health notes into EHRs includes:
- Writing from the patient perspective to ensure consistency between what occurs in the appointment and what appears in notes
- Highlighting patient individuality, strengths, and achievements
- Using simple language and short sentences
- Using positive/active words versus negative/passive professional wording
- Using activating and empowering language
- Avoiding or explaining jargon, acronyms, abbreviations, and technical language
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has also released a practical guide for integrating patient data gathered through queries or prompts or via patient-measured biometric data into EHRs. These patient-generated health data (or PGHD) can include information about patients’ mental and behavioral health, such as substance use. The guide provides tips, considerations, and steps that ambulatory care practices can tailor and use to implement a PGHD program and collect and integrate PGHD into EHRs.
For more information see:
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Integration Academy - AHRQ Integration Academy Co-Sponsors Webinar on Using Open Notes to Promote Equity
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality - Making Patients Part of Conversations About Their Care: Integrating Patient-Generated Health Data into Electronic Health Records
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality - Guide to Integrate Patient-Generated Digital Health Data into Electronic Health Records in Ambulatory Care Settings