Daily Electronic Health Record Reports Meet Meaningful Use Requirements, Improve Care Efficiency, and Provide a Layer of Safety for Trauma Patients.

The electronic health record (EHR) is frequently viewed as a government-mandated charting system. As simply a replacement for the paper record, however, it was also frequently found to be inconvenient and a distraction to patient care. Broader use of the technology inherent in the EHR in the form of daily reports focused on key information that allows trauma clinical teams to efficiently monitor important information such as specific laboratory results or medications that might be missed or overlooked. In addition, other clinical personnel can monitor and assist in the care of trauma patients from remote locations such as an administrative office. Implementation of EHR reports is feasible, can be easily adopted by the clinical team, and has the potential to promote quality, safety, and efficiency. In addition, this innovation satisfies many of the requirements for meaningful use.