With the arrival of electronic medical record (EMR) platforms, data collection and data sharing has taken on a new meaning for health care professionals. Until recently, many of the EMR platforms available in Ontario had very little customization to meet the needs of rheumatologists. Through the efforts of the Ontario Rheumatology Association (ORA) and its EMR committee, rheumatology-specific tools have been developed and fully embedded within rheumatologists’ EMR platforms.
Of particular interest has been the initial integration of e-OBRI data collections forms. These have allowed data to be collected from physician EMRs and transmitted directly to the OBRI methods center. The next phase of work is ongoing and involves the creation of a web-based forms-library to house clinician, patient, research, and administrative forms that can be readily accessed by EMR users. This would allow for the collection of structured data within EMRs, and the seamless extraction of data in real time.
The OBRI is excited to be leading this effort in collaboration with the ORA and will provide reporting requirements for rheumatology EMR users.