Design, Implementation, Utilization, and Sustainability of a Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources-Based Inpatient Rounding List

Objective: We designed and implemented an application programming interface (API)-based electronic health record (EHR)-integrated rounding list and evaluated acceptability, clinician satisfaction, information accuracy, and efficiency related to the application.

Methods: We developed and integrated an application, employing iterative design techniques with user feedback. EHR and application user action logs, as well as hospital safety reports, were evaluated. Rounding preparation characteristics were obtained through surveys before and after application integration. To evaluate usability, inpatient providers, including residents, fellows, and attendings were surveyed 2 weeks prior to and 6 months after enterprise-wide EHR application integration. Our primary outcome was provider time savings measured by user action logs; secondary outcomes include provider satisfaction.

Results: The application was widely adopted by inpatient providers, with more than 69% of all inpatients queried by the application within 6 months of deployment. Application utilization was sustained throughout the study period with 79% (interquartile range [IQR]: 76, 82) of enterprise-wide unique patients accessed per weekday. EHR action logs showed application users spent -3.24 minutes per day (95% confidence interval [CI]: -6.8, 0.33), p = 0.07 within the EHR compared with nonusers. Median self-reported chart review time for attendings decreased from 30 minutes (IQR: 15, 60) to 20 minutes (IQR: 10, 45) after application integration (p = 0.04). Self-reported sign-out preparation time decreased by a median of 5 minutes (p < 0.01), and providers were better prepared for hand-offs (p = 0.02). There were no increased safety reports during the study period.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates successful integration of a rounding application within a commercial EHR using APIs. We demonstrate increasing both provider-reported satisfaction and time savings. Rounding lists provided more accurate and timely information for rounds. Application usage was sustained across multiple specialties at 42 months. Other application designers should consider data density, optimization of provider workflows, and using real-time data transfer using novel tools when designing an application.