Exploring practical approaches to maximising data quality in electronic healthcare records in the primary care setting and associated benefits. Report of panel-led discussion held at SAPC in July 2014.

Background: Electronic healthcare records provide information about patient care over time which not only affords the opportunity to improve patient care directly through effective monitoring and identification of care requirements but also offers a unique platform for both clinical and service-model research essential to the longer-term development of the health service. The quality of the recorded data can, however, be variable and can compromise the validity of data use both for primary and secondary purposes.

Objectives: In order to explore the challenges and benefits of and approaches to recording high quality primary care electronic records, a Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) sponsored workshop was held at the Society of Academic Primary Care (SAPC) conference in 2014 with the aim of engaging GPs and other data users.

Encouraging nurses to take the lead on the information agenda.

This is the final in a series of four articles that discuss issues relating to the UK's growing reliance on health information technology. It is becoming increasingly clear that information and communication technologies are increasing the availability of health care, and improving the management, sharing and understanding of health care at a local and national level. This article explores the role of senior nurses in the management, delivery and support of care.

Measuring the nursing contribution using electronic records.

This article is the third in a series of four, looking at the impact on the nursing profession of the increasing demand to demonstrate the nursing contribution to patient care in terms of quality and performance. Information management processes and indicators for the measurement of care are described. The necessary improvements that need to be made to patient records to support integrated care in the future and examples of nursing classifications are also provided.

Information systems that support effective clinical decision making.

This article is the second in a series of four on the role of information and its management across health and social care. It describes the role of data in delivering nursing care and the importance of structured nursing content in electronic records to support modern services. The article gives examples of information systems that enable nurses to access data for clinical decision making, looks at the knowledge needs of future service users, and reflects on the support and training nurses need to operate in integrated health and care services.

A prolonged outbreak of exfoliative toxin A-producing Staphylococcus aureus in a newborn nursery.

An outbreak of erythromycin-resistant, exfoliative toxin-producing Staphylococcus aureus infection in a neonatal unit is described. The organism was coagulase positive but staphyloslide negative, and this unusual phenotype facilitated early recognition of the organism in the routine laboratory. In the initial outbreak there were 77 probable or confirmed cases, with a peak attack rate of 66%.