The SCAN Foundation

While electronic devices and systems are helpful in many settings, “in long-term care they may be particularly pronounced,” according to a June 2009 study, “Understanding the Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technology in Nursing Homes and Home Health Agencies: Case Study Findings" by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Long-term care is provided by interdisciplinary teams of clinicians that all have to share the same record in order to coordinate services,” the study said. The report noted that there are many reasons for using devices and systems to link providers. “In home health care, both the patients and the care team are geographically dispersed, which is also the case for some members of the nursing home care team that work on a contractual basis. Physicians, integral members of the team, are almost always remote from a nursing home or HHA [home health agencies] and often need to review information to make clinical decisions and write orders. In addition, the patients are often frail and less able to advocate for themselves.”