Value of the topic studied
Dullabh, Moiduddin and Babalola (2010) have extensively explored the use of electronic health records (HER) in healthcare establishments. According to the authors, the measurement of healthcare records are instrumental especially in regards to improving healthcare delivery. The United States of America has struggled with efficient healthcare delivery for some decades.
According to the ideas presented in this research article, healthcare can be best improved by adopting such types of records. The value of the topic studied has also been presented in form of a discussion on how slow progress in the adoption of EHRs has hindered smooth delivery of healthcare services.
As a matter of fact, significant variance has been generated in relation to the modern methods of appraising EHR usage. The authors have managed to present some of the latest estimates on how the electronic health records are gradually being embraced.
Moreover, value has been added to this research study due to an empirical environmental scan conducted by authors. The literature has been adequately reviewed in the study. A collection of discussions with professionals as well as healthcare network experts has been included in the review.
The core reason for this research study is to evaluate the current adoption level of electronic health records in the USA. The relevance of tracking EHR usage and development of a systematic approach on the latter are some of the intrinsic values of this research study.
Choice of the study method
Before choosing a particular study method for any research activity, it is usually necessary to craft the most fundamental research questions. Fortunately, the authors have pointed out four major research questions to be addressed by the adopted methodology. For example, key informant discussions, a series of EHR surveys and literature review are some of the primary research activities that have been conducted in this study.
In other words, the EHR surveys were identified by the literature review. However, one of the most outstanding weaknesses in this approach is that a clear framework for classifying the electronic health records functions is not evident. Moreover, the series of discussions carried out by respondents in the field should have been undertaken in form of personalized interviews.
Detailed questionnaires could have been used to gather vital data form the field instead of using general discussions. Questionnaires could have vividly contextualized the lessons shared in the literature review.
The authors also made use of literature materials that are both published and unpublished as part of the methodology. These materials assisted in gathering background knowledge in the adoption of electronic health records. Nonetheless, it is important to mention that materials that have not been published may not be suitable for this type of study.
Unpublished materials may contain irrelevant, inaccurate or even unverified information. In the case of published materials, the authors utilized reliable health databases such as CINAHL, MedLine, Academic Search Premier, and PubMed.
The survey instruments were analyzed and identified using the outcomes obtained from the literature review. The authors used several criteria in order to identify suitable surveys to use in the analysis. Some of the criteria used included recent ambulatory settings and samples from the national representative surveys.
Such surveys are indeed fundamental when assessing the adoption of electronic health records in a geographical location such as the United States. As much as the latter methodologies were appropriate, the authors were supposed to review the core functionalities of electronic health records systems in order to align them with the healthcare administrative features (Chris, Tillal, Ray & Athanasia, 2001).
Sampling
In the course of searching the necessary literature, the authors employed three surveys that were nationally representative and recurring. This sampling technique is indeed suitable when there is need to appraise large volumes of data obtained from electronic health records.
Both the Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey were used in the sampling of important information needed to assess the adoption of electronic health records.
Presentation of the results and potential biases
The results of the survey have been presented by the authors appropriately. For instance, the adoption of electronic health records has been presented for quite a number of years. However, the span of the survey was quite short. Therefore, it is possible to present biased results in such a case.
Besides, the actual use of EHRs by physicians has not been documented by the authors in the study. Accurate results can only be obtained when the core domains are included in the survey. The results only indicate institutional use of electronic health records and ignore the input of individual physicians or even small established healthcare facilities.
In this particular survey, the level of systematic utilization of electronic health records is not evident (Chris, Tillal, Ray & Athanasia, 2001). The authors have mainly concentrated on assessing system availability.
In regards to the relevance of discussion in the obtained results, the authors of the survey have thoroughly described the entire survey. All the information presented in the article has been interlinked. Nevertheless, the accuracy of the conclusion based on the presented results is not convincing to the audience because it is too brief. It does not capture or recap the content of the survey.
References
Chris, A., Tillal, E., Ray, P. & Athanasia, P. (2001). Integrated approaches to health informatics research and development. Logistics Information Management 15(1/2), 138-152.
Dullabh, P., Moiduddin, A. & Babalola, E. (2010). Measurement of the Utilization of an Installed Electronic Health Record. Stud Health Technol Inform, 160(1), 81- 85.