Study of an Intervention to Improve Problem List Accuracy and Use

The clinical problem list is a cornerstone of the problem-oriented medical record. Problem lists are used in a variety of ways throughout the process of clinical care. In addition to its use by clinicians, the problem list is also critical for decision support and quality measurement.

Patients with gaps in their problem list face significant risks. For example, if a hypothetical patient has diabetes properly documented, his clinician would receive appropriate alerts and reminders to guide care. Additionally, the patient might be included in special care management programs and the quality of care provided to him would be measured and tracked. Without diabetes on his problem list, he might receive none of these benefits.

In this study, the investigators developed an clinical decision support intervention that will identify patients with problem lists gaps. The investigators will alert providers of these likely gaps and offer providers the opportunity to correct them.