Healthcare is a complex and dynamic industry. It is often disjointed and fragmented as care is provided in a siloed manner. At the center of the healthcare industry, patients and their families often find the healthcare system difficult to navigate in order to effectively manage their own care. Through team-based care, healthcare teams can partner with patients and their families to coordinate care, collaborate on treatment plans and ultimately improve the outcomes for patients and their families. Team-based care has proven effective for caring for diverse, complex patient populations, improving outcomes, lowering cost and improving the patient experience through patient-centered care. However, there is a lack of evidence examining optimal team composition due to the absence of a consensus for team definition, theoretical foundation and ability to measure the team in the “real-world” practice environment. Additionally, traditional ways to assess teams in the literature often omit “hidden” members of the team.
This presentation describes a novel approach to “finding” the team in the electronic health record (EHR). Through addressing key questions surrounding team composition, steps to developing a “team variable” from raw EHR data will be described. These steps will focus on:
• Applying team definitions and theories to processes for analyzing raw EHR data in order to create the team variable
• Working in the EHR data set to “find the team”
• Applications of this methodology that will allow researchers to utilize big data to study the effects of teams to improve patient-centered outcomes within the virtual walls of the EHR.
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education. The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
As a Jointly Accredited Provider, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
