Incorporating Occupational Information in Electronic Health Records : Letter Report

by Wegman, David H.

• ISBN13: 9780309217439
• ISBN10: 0309217431
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-09-01
• Publisher: NATL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE

Summary

Each year in the United States, more than 4,000 occupational fatalities and more than 3 million occupational injuries occur along with more than 160,000 cases of occupational illnesses. Incorporating patients' occupational information into electronic health records (EHRs) could lead to more informed clinical diagnosis and treatment plans as well as more effective policies, interventions, and prevention strategies to improve the overall health of the working population. At the request of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the IOM appointed a committee to examine the rationale and feasibility of incorporating occupational information in patients' EHRs. The IOM concluded that three data elements - occupation, industry, and work-relatedness - were ready for immediate focus, and made recommendations on moving forward efforts to incorporate these elements into EHRs.

Table of Contents

Letter To Niosh	p. 1
Study Process	p. 6
Background	p. 7
Occupational Morbidity and Mortality	p. 7
EHR Use and Incentives for Meaningful Use	p. 9
Benefits of Incorporating Occupational Information in the Ehr	p. 11
Improve Quality, Safety, and Efficiency of Care and Reduce Health Disparities	p. 11
Engage Patients and Families in Their Health Care	p. 16
Improve Care Coordination	p. 17
Improve Population and Public Health	p. 18
Ensure Adequate Privacy and Security Protections for Personal Health Information	p. 21
Feasibility	p. 22
Current Environment and Technical Considerations for Each Occupational Data Element	p. 25
Cross-Cutting Challenges and Opportunities	p. 36
Initial Requirements and Information Modeling	p. 41
Conclusions	p. 42
Recommendations	p. 44
Initial Focus on Occupation,8 Industry, and Work-Relatedness Data Elements	p. 44
Enhance the Value and Use of Occupational Information in the EHR	p. 47
References	p. 49
Appendixes
Workshop Agenda	p. 59
Workshop Participants	p. 65
Committee Biographies	p. 69
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