A needs assessment of patient health card technology at a university teaching medical center

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the attitudes of service providers and patients at a local teaching hospital toward patient health card technology.

A Needs Assessment was done to determine what attitudes were held by each group. Focus groups and key informant interviews were conducted with physicians. hospital administration and staff, and questionnaire interviews were conducted with cancer patients and outpatients. By comparing the current environment with the desired environment, the researcher was able to identify some possible uses for patient health cards and what service providers and patients would be most likely to use such a technology.

Possible uses of patient cards included identification of the patient upon arriving at the medical center and a re-verification tool, to ensure information is current and accurate. Patient health cards could also be used to improve communication between UTMCK departments. Finally, a patient health card might help bond patients to UTMCK’s integrated delivery system.

A comparison was also made between magnetic stripe cards and smart cards regarding their applicability to the situation being evaluated in the study.

The transcripts indicated the majority of patients would be willing to use a patient health card and wanted their identification, insurance provider and medical history to be stored on it. They felt this would expedite the hospital registration process. Most service providers were hesitant about putting medical information on the card, but they thought the concept would help bond patients to the integrated delivery system.

Other discrepancies between service providers and patients also were noted. Service providers repeatedly mentioned the need for an incentive to help patients remember their cards. However, patients said they would put the patient health card with their insurance cards and remembering to bring it would not be a problem.

The most intriguing finding was a general mistrust among service providers about relying on another department’s information. Most administrative personnel did not trust information entered by physicians’ offices or other hospital departments and felt they must re-verify it.