Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects
Access Control
Open Access
Embargo Period
5-14-2018
Degree Program
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Degree Track
Family Nurse Practioner
Year Degree Awarded
2018
Month Degree Awarded
May
Keywords
medical terms, patient understanding, health literacy, chronic disease, electronic health record usability
Advisor
Dr. Pamela Aselton
Abstract
Background: Patients are increasingly given access to their electronic medical records (EMRs) to help them keep track of their care, but many may have a difficult time understanding what is in them. Programs such as NoteAid assist in translating medical records and may increase the number of patients who actively use their EMRs, a development which may improve the management of chronic diseases.
Purpose: To work on a translation system developed by the University of Massachusetts Informatics group to make outpatient records more understandable for adult patients with chronic disease by using and testing a machine-learning database (NoteAid). Patients’ self-management of chronic disease may improve, as they increase their understanding of medical terminology.
Methods: A test version of NoteAid was used with volunteer adult patients during face-to-face sessions in an outpatient office at a health system in Southeastern Pennsylvania. These sessions were used to test NoteAid’s effectiveness as a tool to improve patients’ understanding of their EMRs. Patients read their own office note from a recent visit without the use of NoteAid, and then interpreted the same note using it.
Results: 13 participants participated over a two-month period with 85% reporting they would use the system from a patient portal and 100% answering strongly agree or agree when asked if the NoteAid system helped them comprehend their clinical EMR notes.
Conclusions: Machine-learning databases like NoteAid have the potential to improve the management of chronic diseases. By integrating these systems into an informative and user-friendly portal, patients are afforded the opportunity to improve understanding of their EMRs.
Keywords: medical terms, patient understanding, health literacy, chronic disease, and electronic health record usability
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.