A novel use of the discrete templated notes within an electronic health record software to monitor resident supervision

Abstract

Objective: Monitoring the supervision of residents can be a challenging task. We describe our experience with the implementation of a templated note system for documenting procedures with the aim of enabling automated, discrete, and standardized capture of documentation of supervision of residents performing floor-based procedures, with minimal extra effort from the residents.

Materials and methods: Procedural note templates were designed using the standard existing template within a commercial electronic health record software. Templates for common procedures were created such that residents could document every procedure performed outside of the formal procedural areas. Automated reports were generated and letters were sent to noncompliers.

Results: A total of 27 045 inpatient non-formal procedural area procedures were recorded from August 2012 to June 2014. Compliance with NoteWriter template usage averaged 86% in the first year and increased to 94.6% in the second year ( P = .0055).

Initially, only 12.5% of residents documented supervision of any form. By the end of the first year, this was above 80%, with the gains maintained into the second year and beyond. Direct supervision was documented to have occurred where required in 62.8% in the first year and increased to 99.8% in the second year ( P = .0001) after the addition of hard stops. Notification of attendings prior to procedures was documented 100% of the time by September 2013. Letters sent to errant residents decreased from 3.6 to 0.83 per 100 residents per week.

Conclusion: The templated procedure note system with hard stops and integrated reporting can successfully be used to improve monitoring of resident supervision. This has potential impact on resident education and patient safety.

Keywords: electronic health record; graduate medical education; resident education; resident supervision; templated notes.

Figure 1.

Screenshot of NoteWriter procedural note template © 2015 Epic Systems Corporation. Used with permission.

Figure 2.

(A) Proportion of non–formal procedural area (FPA) procedures in the inpatient setting documented using the NoteWriter procedure note template since implementation in July 2012. (B) Proportion of non–FPA procedures documented using the NoteWriter procedure note template that included the level of supervision provided to residents. (C) Proportion of non–FPA procedures in the inpatient setting documenting direct supervision when it was required. (D) Number of letters sent per week to noncompliers in the first 6 months since the initiative started in March 2013. Data from July 2012 were omitted due to the introductory period and the changeover period of the academic year. For the months of August, September, and October 2012, no procedures reported the need for direct supervision.