![]() ![]() However, it is unclear whether PACT providers possess the appropriate information literacy to use these tools. PACT providers are expected to access the PC Almanac and PACT Compass regularly and act on data collected across clinical settings. These tools were implemented as applications for providers to use in addition to the VA’s existing EHR system. ![]() proportion of patients seeing the same provider at each visit proportion of patients contacted within two days of hospital discharge) and access (proportion of patients receiving same day access). The PACT Compass allows comparisons of provider, team, facility, regional, and national benchmarks of quality measures such as continuity of care (i.e. The PC Almanac enables PACT providers to view and filter their patients with chronic conditions by last appointment date or specific clinical variables and find subgroups of patients with missing lab values, immunizations, or other care gaps. To support PACT, the VA also introduced two digital information tools: The Primary Care (PC) Almanac and the PACT Compass. The VA’s Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) restructured over 800 primary care clinics into teams of 1–5 primary care providers (PCP), a registered nurse care manager (RNCM), a licensed practical nurse, and a clerk. In 2010, the Veterans Administration (VA) implemented their own version of the PCMH model. Studies examining information literacy have thus far focused on patients, linking limited health literacy to poor patient engagement and outcomes, and on medical trainees, where findings suggest limited statistical literacy. Via one centralized electronic system, providers can locate information about changes in a patient’s medications or treatment plan following a visit to a specialist or hospitalization. These goals can be radically simplified with digital health tools. Panel management (PM), a key component of the PCMH and the larger population health trend, involves tracking the health statuses of multiple patients in real-time, systematically identifying gaps in care, and providing proactive outreach to improve outcomes. Information literacy is especially important in team-based care settings like the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model where multiple clinical providers are responsible for coordinating care for a panel, or set number, of patients. Information literacy also includes users’ understanding of the social, legal and economic issues with respect to use of information. As opposed to computer literacy, which involves general computing skills like word processing and email communications, information literacy emphasizes users’ abilities to access, interact with, evaluate, understand and apply data and information to accomplish a specific task. Information literacy is the ability to recognize when information is needed, locate potential resources, develop appropriate search strategies, evaluate results, and apply relevant knowledge to decision-making. The ability to navigate increasingly complex clinical information systems requires information literacy. ![]() However, the capacity of clinicians to effectively utilize the full range of existing and emerging digital tools can be limited by their general knowledge of technology and associated understanding and skills. Clinical dashboards that combine multiple data sources into icons and graphs are also becoming increasingly common. ![]() To counter issues with the growing complexity of EHR systems, health care organizations are implementing data visualization and analytical aids, like animations and charts, that aim to simplify the presentation of patient information. Moreover, complex information systems can get in the way of provider-to-provider as well as provider-to-patient communication. While there are many positive aspects to tools like EHRs, their adoption generates an overwhelming volume of unstructured data that is difficult to access and interpret. As clinical practice shifts towards population health management and technology makes information increasingly accessible, policies have driven the adoption of increasingly complex digital healthcare tools like electronic health record (EHR) systems. Clinical providers are responsible for integrating their knowledge, skills, and experience into effective patient care and have been increasingly tasked with adapting to new technology to deliver healthcare more efficiently. ![]()
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