Table 1 Recommendations Summary and their relation to Socio-Technical dimensions
From: Improving the Effectiveness of Electronic Health Record-Based Referral Processes
Recommendation | Primary Socio-Technical Dimension* | |
|---|---|---|
1 | Include real-time clinician-to-clinician communication features as part of the referral system. | Hardware & Software |
2 | Design and use electronic standardized referral templates that include both structured and free-text fields. | Human-Computer Interface |
3 | Enforce electronic capture of the reason for the referral. | Clinical Content |
4 | Bring PCPs and specialists together to collaboratively develop referral guidelines for inclusion into the electronic referral system | People |
5 | Integrate patient communication into the electronic referral process | People |
6 | Use automation to pre-populate electronic referral requests with patient-specific data | Workflow & Communication |
7 | Include the capability of electronic consultations (information-only referrals). | Workflow & Communication |
8 | Close the communication loop by providing referral status tracking and feedback capabilities and integrating these tools into providers’ workflows | Workflow & Communication |
9 | Standardize and maintain up-to-date institutional policies and procedures for electronic referrals. | Organization Policies & Procedures |
10 | Monitor electronic referral communication performance. | Measurement & Monitoring |