Using Health Records to Track COVID-19 in Nursing Homes
Author Information
Author(s): Wieland-Jorna Y, Verheij RA, Francke AL, Coppen R, de Greeff SC, Elffers A, Oosterveld-Vlug MG
Primary Institution: Nivel, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research
Hypothesis
What barriers and facilitators were encountered during the development of a COVID-19 repository for nursing homes?
Conclusion
Setting up a repository based on electronic health record data for COVID-19 surveillance in nursing homes was challenging due to various facilitators and barriers.
Supporting Evidence
- Inter-organizational collaboration was crucial for support.
- Legal uncertainties complicated data extraction from health records.
- Different EHR systems affected data completeness and comparability.
- High workload in nursing homes impacted data recording practices.
- Changes in national testing policy influenced data interpretation.
- Clear communication was necessary to inform nursing homes about the repository.
Takeaway
This study looked at how to use health records to keep track of COVID-19 in nursing homes and found it was hard to do because of many different challenges.
Methodology
Inductive content analysis of 325 documents related to the development of the COVID-19 repository.
Potential Biases
Different interpretations of legal requirements among stakeholders may introduce bias.
Limitations
Some information might be missing, and the authors' involvement in the documents could influence outcomes.
Participant Demographics
Nursing home residents, primarily frail older adults, with a mean age of 85 years.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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