Standardizing Nursing Information in Canada for Inclusion in Electronic Health Records: C-HOBIC
- Kathryn J Hannah, RN, PhDa,
- Peggy A White, RN, MNb,
- Lynn M Nagle, RN, PhDc,
- Dorothy M Pringle, OC, RN, PhDd
- aC-HOBIC, Canadian Nurses Association, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- bC-HOBIC, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Toronto, ON, Canada
- cNagle & Associates, Inc., Toronto, ON, Canada
- dHealth Outcomes for Better Information and Care, Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Correspondence: Kathryn J. Hannah, RN, PhD, C-HOBIC, c/o Canadian Nurses Association, 50 Driveway, Ottawa, ON Canada K2P 1E2; email: <khannah{at}tapit.ca>.
- Received 21 August 2008
- Accepted 24 February 2009
Abstract
The Canadian Health Outcomes for Better Information and Care (C-HOBIC) project introduced systematic use of standardized clinical nursing terminology for patient assessments. Implemented so far in three Canadian provinces, C-HOBIC comprises an innovative model for large-scale capture of standardized nursing-sensitive clinical outcomes data within electronic health records (EHRs). To support this activity, nursing assessment and outcomes concepts were mapped to the International Classification for Nursing Practice (ICNP®). By comparing serial data on a patient across multiple time points, the C-HOBIC model can generate nursing-sensitive patient outcome reports. A principle benefit of the C-HOBIC model is that it provides nurses with information critical to planning for and evaluating patient care. Inclusion of nursing information in either provincial databases or EHRs in three Canadian provinces promotes continuity of patient care across sectors of the healthcare systems in those provinces and also facilitates aggregation and analysis by administrators and policy makers. The C-HOBIC model provides standardized, consistent, interoperable clinical information that reflects nursing practice throughout the Canadian healthcare System.
Footnotes
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CNA is a federation of 11 provincial and territorial registered nurses associations representing Canadian registered nurses.
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Canada Health Infoway is a Canadian federally funded, independent, not-for-profit organization and is the national-level catalyst for collaborative change to accelerate use of electronic health information systems and EHRs across Canada.
