Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Spring;1(1):83-8.
doi: 10.1353/cpr.0.0001.

Using information technology to improve health quality and safety in community health centers

Neil Calman  1 , Kwame Kitson, Diane Hauser
Affiliations

Using information technology to improve health quality and safety in community health centers

Neil Calman et al. Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2007 Spring.

Abstract

Problem: Community health centers (CHCs) face a unique set of challenges and can learn much from each other as they prepare for the adoption of health information technology (HIT).

Purpose: This paper presents a research agenda aimed at providing information CHCs will need to successfully implement HIT.

Key points: Community health centers must be able to evaluate whether an investment in HIT is the best way to achieve improvements in health outcomes for their communities given the limited resources and high demands they face. Community health centers need better information to guide them in selecting and implementing information technology that will result in improved health quality and safety. Guidance in optimal use of the system, particularly in the effective use of data made available through electronic health records, is needed to realize health care goals. Community health centers need to be active participants in HIT developments in their communities to ensure that their patients benefit from technological advancements that improve health care.

Keywords: community health centers; electronic health records; health care quality; health care safety; health information technology.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Health Information Technology Leadership Panel; Falls Church: Lewin Group 2006. Final report. [updated 15, May 2006; cited 2006 December 1]. Available from www.hhs.gov/healthhit/HITFinalReport.pdf.
    1. Leadership by example: Coordinating government roles in improving health care policy. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2002. Committee on Enhancing Federal Healthcare Quality Programs, Institute of Medicine.
    1. Goverman IL. Orienting health care information systems toward quality: How Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound did it. Journal of Quality Improvement. 1994;20:595–605. - PubMed
    1. McGlynn EA, Asch SM, Adams J, Keesey J, Hicks J, et al. The quality of health care delivered to adults in the United States. N Engl J Med. 2003;348:2635–2645. - PubMed
    1. Adams WG, Mann AM, Bauchner H. Use of an electronic medical record improves the quality of urban pediatric primary care. Pediatrics. 2003;111:626–632. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources