Evaluating a Proof-of-Concept Approach of the German Health Telematics Infrastructure in the Context of Discharge Management

Stud Health Technol Inform. 2015:216:492-6.

Abstract

Although national eHealth strategies have existed now for more than a decade in many countries, they have been implemented with varying success. In Germany, the eHealth strategy so far has resulted in a roll out of electronic health cards for all citizens in the statutory health insurance, but in no clinically meaningful IT-applications. The aim of this study was to test the technical and organisation feasibility, usability, and utility of an eDischarge application embedded into a laboratory Health Telematics Infrastructure (TI). The tests embraced the exchange of eDischarge summaries based on the multiprofessional HL7 eNursing Summary standard between a municipal hospital and a nursing home. All in all, 36 transmissions of electronic discharge documents took place. They demonstrated the technical-organisation feasibility and resulted in moderate usability ratings. A comparison between eDischarge and paper-based summaries hinted at higher ratings of utility and information completeness for eDischarges. Despite problems with handling the electronic health card, the proof-of-concept for the first clinically meaningful IT-application in the German Health TI could be regarded as successful.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Clinical Laboratory Information Systems / statistics & numerical data*
  • Germany
  • Health Smart Cards / statistics & numerical data*
  • Meaningful Use / statistics & numerical data
  • Medical Record Linkage / methods
  • Nursing Records / statistics & numerical data*
  • Patient Discharge / statistics & numerical data*
  • Patient Discharge Summaries / statistics & numerical data*
  • Pilot Projects
  • Telemedicine / statistics & numerical data*
  • Utilization Review