Journal of Health and Biomedical Informatics
Assistant Professor, PhD in Health Information Management, Department of Health Information Technology, Ferdows Faculty of Medical Sciences, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Abstract: (765 Views)
Introduction: The unique characteristics of clinical workflows and ophthalmic data management processes necessitate a distinct design for ophthalmic electronic medical record (EMR) systems compared to those developed for other medical specialties. This study aimed to identify the functional requirements of an ophthalmic EMR system specifically tailored to the operational needs of ophthalmology hospitals and specialized eye-care clinics.
Method: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 at Khatam Al-Anbia Eye Hospital in Mashhad, Iran. Functional requirements for the ophthalmic EMR system were identified using a multimethod approach, which included brainstorming sessions, field surveys, literature reviews, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and the Delphi method.
Results: The identified functional requirements were categorized into four main domains: clinical documentation, physician order management, clinical results management, and reporting. Within the clinical documentation domain, the most important requirements were “creating electronic records for patients” (mean: 4.93) and “scanning and displaying previous outpatient records” (mean: 4.79). For physician order management, the highest-rated requirements were “scheduling surgical procedures within the system” and “tracking consultations and referrals” (mean: 4.53). In the clinical results management domain, the most important requirements included “recording laboratory test results in the patient record and enabling physician access to these results” and “capturing and storing special disease cases to establish ophthalmic disease registries”(mean: 4.67).Overall, clinical results management received the highest mean score (4.56), followed by clinical documentation (4.47), reporting (4.40), and physician order management (4.38), indicating the highest and lowest priorities among the identified functional requirements.
Conclusion: Clinical results management has emerged as the highest-priority functionality for ophthalmic EMR systems. Ophthalmology is a high-volume specialty characterized by complex workflows and team-based patient care models. Timely diagnosis and effective treatment of ocular diseases heavily rely on a wide range of diagnostic and paraclinical investigations. Consequently, immediate access to clinical results is essential for enhancing the quality of care, enabling timely diagnosis, informed clinical decision-making, and early therapeutic interventions.
Method: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 at Khatam Al-Anbia Eye Hospital in Mashhad, Iran. Functional requirements for the ophthalmic EMR system were identified using a multimethod approach, which included brainstorming sessions, field surveys, literature reviews, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and the Delphi method.
Results: The identified functional requirements were categorized into four main domains: clinical documentation, physician order management, clinical results management, and reporting. Within the clinical documentation domain, the most important requirements were “creating electronic records for patients” (mean: 4.93) and “scanning and displaying previous outpatient records” (mean: 4.79). For physician order management, the highest-rated requirements were “scheduling surgical procedures within the system” and “tracking consultations and referrals” (mean: 4.53). In the clinical results management domain, the most important requirements included “recording laboratory test results in the patient record and enabling physician access to these results” and “capturing and storing special disease cases to establish ophthalmic disease registries”(mean: 4.67).Overall, clinical results management received the highest mean score (4.56), followed by clinical documentation (4.47), reporting (4.40), and physician order management (4.38), indicating the highest and lowest priorities among the identified functional requirements.
Conclusion: Clinical results management has emerged as the highest-priority functionality for ophthalmic EMR systems. Ophthalmology is a high-volume specialty characterized by complex workflows and team-based patient care models. Timely diagnosis and effective treatment of ocular diseases heavily rely on a wide range of diagnostic and paraclinical investigations. Consequently, immediate access to clinical results is essential for enhancing the quality of care, enabling timely diagnosis, informed clinical decision-making, and early therapeutic interventions.
Keywords: Electronic health record, Health information system, Functional requirement, Eye diseases, Ophthalmology
Type of Study: Original Article |
Subject:
Health Information Systems
Received: 2025/12/13 | Accepted: 2026/02/15
Received: 2025/12/13 | Accepted: 2026/02/15
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