HospSum: Integrating physician discharge notes with coded nursing care data to generate patient-centric summaries

To improve patient engagement, EHR data needs to be organized and presented in a coherent summary understandable to the patient. Focusing on inpatient hospital stays, we are developing a system combining physician discharge notes and nurse plans of care into a comprehensive narrative using patient accessible language. Introduction Every year, 7.9% of the US population is hospitalized, and up to two thirds of hospitalizations are due to an exacerbation of chronic health conditions. The acute inpatient stay is an opportunity to engage the patients in their care, which in turn requires them to understand what happened in the hospital. Access to the physician discharge notes in the Electronic Health Record (EHR) is not sufficient. Discharge notes only capture physician assessment and care. Nurses provide continuity of care during a hospitalization, which is described in nurses’ plans of care. To provide the patient with a full understanding of their hospitalization, both sources of information are necessary.