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Tip: More definitions to ease transition from paper records to EHRs

EHR Connection, May 19, 2008

New technology usually requires a new language and EHRs are no exception.

These definitions can help demystify the process of transitioning from paper records to an EHR:

  • Discrete data is data that can be computed. They represent separate and distinct values of observations, captured as structured data elements and encoded by a computer system to support subsequent users of the data.
  • Metadata is statistical information about data obtained as the data is captured and used in electronic systems.
  • Clinical decision support system refers to software embedded in EHR that provides for the convergence of evidence-based knowledge, clinically relevant algorithms, and institutional protocols with patient-specific clinical variables to offer alerts, reminders, and knowledge-enriched, context-sensitive recommendations, which directly assist healthcare professionals with clinical decision-making.
  • Clinical decision support interventions (“rules”) are specific alerts, reminders, recommendations, and other interventions that are generated (“fired”) from the clinical decision support system.

This tip is from The No-Hassle Guide to EHR Policies published by HCPro, Inc.

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