ATSU-SOMA VCHC project receives grant from General Electric for use of Centricity^TM Electronic Medical Records

By: fabcom | Tags: news | Comments: 0 | February 3rd, 2014

With assistance from a $300,000 grant from the GE Foundation, A.T. Still University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona (ATSU-SOMA) is piloting Centricity^TM Electronic Medical Records (EMR) as part of each Virtual Community Health Center (VCHC) case study. During the first phase, 2014-16 EMR will be integrated into cases slated for first- and second-year medical students.

According to Hammoud et al. (2012), EMR are frequently used in clinical healthcare settings, and it is incumbent upon medical schools to teach skills related to electronic record keeping. Integrating EMR into virtual cases also makes scenarios more authentic and real to life. Here is how it works:

1. Students access virtual patients in Decision Simulation^TM − this allows students to assume the roles of the healthcare team.
2. As the case progresses, a patient’s history and lab work is added into the EMR. Students review EMR pages, searching for specific information.
3. Teams of two to three students collaborate on clinical decisions. Students receive immediate feedback after each decision.