Improving electronic health record documentation and use to promote evidence-based pediatric care.

Objective: Electronic health records (EHRs) often lack the necessary functionalities to support the full implementation of national clinical guidelines for pediatric care outlined in the American Academy of Pediatrics Bright Futures Guidelines. Using HealthySteps (HS), an evidence-based pediatric primary care program, as an exemplar, this study aimed to enhance pediatric EHRs, identify facilitators and barriers to EHR enhancements, and improve data quality for delivering clinical care as part of HS implementation and evidence building.

Methods: Three HS sites-each differing in location, setting, number of children served, and mix of child insurance coverage-participated in the study.