Patient Record Enhancement Project (PREP)

This research project commenced in 2009 and was completed in 2014. 

PREP’s aim is to enhance the usability of health records for public health purposes. The team is particularly interested in developing techniques for using free text information, which is hard to access and analyse, and limits the use of the records to answer key questions in biomedical, clinical and public health research.

The information contained in free text fields (notes, letters, reports etc.) can be difficult to manage, By determining the balance between free text and coded data along with completeness of recording in primary care, the PREP team is examining how this variation affects data accessibility for the users of electronic patient records.

SSPARC researchers are involved in the human-computer interaction ‘user studies’ element of the project, undertaking field studies in General Practice to understand how and why data is collected in the electronic patient record in the way it is.

Impact will be reported at the end of the project. It is hoped that findings will improve understanding about how ‘real life’ records are produced and used and contribute to the development of techniques to enhance the impact of free text information.

Initial findings suggest that GPs’ recording practices are influenced by a range of factors including: national and local policies (Department of Health, professional bodies, GP practice policies); system/technology affordances, design and customisation issues; local primary care audit requirements; practitioner training, roles and preferences; and patient health condition.

Awareness of, and interest in, recording for secondary users such as public health researchers was low. GPs’ priorities focused on how recording could be used to enhance patient care, demonstrate clear clinical thinking, support team working within the organisation, show risk awareness and protect both GP and patient, and secure payment.