Introduction
Population health management is the collection of patient data from all health information technology resources, analyzing and putting the information into single data, identifying the gap from the analysis and hence taking action on how to improve both clinical and financial outcome
The purpose of a population, health management system is to help provide better health care service to the patient by monitoring one patient with a group. The system aggregates data and gives the complete picture of the patient being monitored. Health information system has been developed to improve the health service outcome from patient experience, cost-effectiveness and staff management. The most efficient program brings together all the aspects such as financial, clinical and operational data across the organization. It analyzes the data, which helps the clinician to decide on efficient patient care (Krysinska, Sachdev & Brodaty, 2016). In the PHM system, the patient register is commonly used. In this paper, I will discuss on Patient heath registry and its importance to the population’s health. We will also see how it affects clinical decision support and team workflow.
Patient health registry
A patient health registry records patient information to evaluate specific outcomes for the patient population (Krysinska, Sachdev & Brodaty, 2016). Patient data were initially recorded and kept in a book register where the researchers would be required to collect all the data and try to analyze them. Today, the patient registry has been improved because much data can be accessed and used to observe the trend of the disease and understand the outcome of the previous treatment.
The rationale for the patient registries
The registry is helpful in various which can broadly be described in terms of patient outcomes. There are purposes for registries. This paper will discuss three rationales for using patient registries: (1) describe the history of the disease, (2) make it cost-effective, and (3) improve the quality of care. Other importance includes its improving disease control strategy and public health surveillance.
- Describe the natural history of the disease
registries help to understand and evaluate the history of the disease. The medics can know the characteristics of certain diseases and how to manage them. However, the natural history of the disease may vary depending on geographical area and its change over time. For instance, Coronavirus 2019 has been mutating after a short period which has caused a shift in treatment and management procedures. One of the purposes of tracking the natural history of disease is to identify individuals who can participate in recruitment into clinical trials.
- Determine effectiveness
Patient registries may be established to determine the effectiveness of the clinical care and the cost of service in the clinical practice. The efficiency of the clinical trial in a group of people may not be accurate when we use the same result to assume another group. For example, many heart failure trials have been focusing on the male population of 60 years, while the actual patients are older and have a higher mortality rate than those in the trials. Data from the patient registries are now helpful in bridging the gap. It can provide information from a specific group hence the clinician can make a better decision (Creating a patient registry to facilitate data sharing and encourage patient-centred approaches to improving health and lowering costs, 2013, 2016). Registries are also helpful in measuring the effectiveness of the outcome in a population, giving room for adjustment and better improvement.
In addition, patient registries are helpful in modelling cost-effectiveness. Data collected in the system analyzes the resource input in the treatment. It should be noted that improving health care methodologies with better management leads to high-cost effectiveness.
- Improve quality care
Patient registries can be used to measure the quality of care. Aggregated data help medical practitioners improve their service so that there is the possibility of getting the most desired healthcare outcome aligned with professional knowledge. Registries that are quality-based monitor the performance and identify distractors to access care and give way for improvement
Clinical decision support
Clinical decision support enables the user to make an error-free decision and increases efficiency and quality of care. CDS require biomedical knowledge, specific data and a program that combines data and the ability to give valuable information to the clinician as they treat the patient.
Applying information available to support health care delivery is called clinical informatics. The clinician integrates the information provided in the patient registry and their professional knowledge as health care moves from an era of making personal decisions to the moment we have to apply electronic health record systems to improve its operation. Most clinical decision support systems operate as a complex EHR system; hence, the data available in the patient registry are used by the doctor to decide on the best prescription to use, method and procedure of treatment to use and also lay the foundation for further research.
Effect of patient registry on the team workflow
In any organization, such as health care, there is a need to have a workflow system to allow the effective operation of the organization. One factor that has affected the workflow in health care is the introduction of health IT into clinical practice (Alsalamah, 2011). The patient registry, which is currently held population health management system, has interfered with the typical workflow in the organization. Institutions adopting patient registry systems should be mindful of the workflow design so that workers can adapt quickly to the changes.
Health care organization that has established patient registry relies on the data in the system. Good information is essential in healthcare. Nurses have very instrumental in providing information because they closely monitor patients’ progress in the treatment processing. This information can be lost if there is poor communication and coordination in the health organization. Once there is work interference due to poor communication in the workflow, unnecessary delays interfere with the healthcare process. An
A good workflow targets improving efficiency and a clear roadmap on how the care team will accomplish its goal. An effective workflow will allow the timely accomplishment of the set goal leading to safe, reliable and consistent care delivery. A patient registry allows the required data to flow at any time and offer efficient analysis, which helps the clinician offer good services (Alsalamah, 2011). The registry has brought to consideration other information that may not be entirely kept in the mind of the nurses. Reducing the workload of the nurse and other staff improves the workflow process leading to more efficient and quality outcomes.
However, if a care provider enters inaccurate information in the patient registry, it may lead to inconsistency in the data system, which would make the population health system inaccurate. The healthcare worker should also use the registry correctly for the data entry, monitoring, evaluation and analysis to make an informed decision. Efficiency in the workflow is also brought about by team working where everyone in the organization does their role effectively and accurately.
Research has shown a need to effectively improve the workflow in the system to avoid parallelization of the organization. There should be a straightforward workflow design with a clear role for every person in the system and allow the flow of information by improving communication.
Challenges facing patient registry
Despite the overwhelming benefit incurred by the patient registry in health care, there are still challenges still affecting its purpose—first, the expert personnel in the health sector. Most clinicians are not utilizing the system as expected because of inadequate knowledge to manage the system. Secondly, the cost of a functional in-store system, especial in a young organization, can be overwhelming, which has caused some organizations to remain in the old system of collecting information.
Third, organizational problems. Some organizations may have invested in the patient registry system, but there is no person with sufficient education and awareness to handle the system. Poor management may also be a factor where the rapid change in management and policies interferes with system objectives.
Another challenge is poor coordination between the departmental system and other stakeholders, leading to overlapping pr parallel. Lack of interest from the staff members may also be a challenge where staffs feel the registry function is increasing the workload on mandatory data entry into the registry system.
Conclusion
Patient registries are essential in the monitoring of the diagnosis of diseases. It is aggregate data used by the researchers and analyses the natural progress of the disease; it helps recruit participants in the clinical trial; it monitors the treatment and the outcome of the patient; and it supports the establishment of disease-specific care. Many people and organizations continue embracing patient registries, and there has been increasing research accessibility and providing access to information that may be useful in improving disease management treatment.
Throughout the establishment patient registry, it is essential to have a clear objective and ensure that the patient-centred registry is sustainable and secure. Although a registry is developed to monitor a specific rare disease in the community, it can bring a more significant impact when integrated with many data sources. The trends toward innovation in population health management have enabled patient registry to be an essential tool in rare disease research. As many nations work toward the attainment of universal health coverage, the establishment of this program will be helpful in the fight against rare diseases.
Registries have caused severe effects on the workflow in the health organization; it calls for the designer to be clear on the map and put a role to avoid conflict among team members, which would affect efficiency.
References
Alsalamah, H. A. (2011). Workflows in health informatics: Using workflow technology in hospital information systems. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing.
Blokdyk, G. (2018). Population health management is a clear and concise reference. 5starcooks.
Creating a patient registry facilitates data sharing and encourages patient-centred approaches to improving health and lowering costs in 2013. (2016).
Krysinska, K., Sachdev, P., & Brodaty, H. (2016). Dementia registries around the world.
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