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AJPH First Look, published online ahead of print Apr 5, 2007
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AJPH.2006.104943v1
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April 2007, Vol 97, No. Supplement_1 | American Journal of Public Health S136-S141
© 2007 American Public Health Association
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2006.104943

RESEARCH AND PRACTICE

Use of Electronic Health Records in Disaster Response: The Experience of Department of Veterans Affairs After Hurricane Katrina

Steven H. Brown, MD, MS, Linda F. Fischetti, RN, MS, Gail Graham, BS, RHIA, Jack Bates, MS, Anne E. Lancaster, BS, David McDaniel, BA, Joseph Gillon, BA, Melody Darbe, MSN and Robert M. Kolodner, MD

Steven H. Brown is with the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Health Administration; Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University; Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System Health Services Research Center for Patient Healthcare Behavior; and the Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System Special Fellowship Program in Medical Informatics, Nashville, Tenn. Linda F. Fischetti, Gail Graham, Jack Bates, Anne E. Lancaster, David McDaniel, Joseph Gillon, Melody Darbe, and Robert M. Kolodner are with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Washington, DC.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Steven H. Brown, 2100 West End Ave, Suite 840, Nashville, TN 27203 (e-mail: steven.brown{at}va.gov).

Objectives. We describe electronic health data use by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the month after Katrina, including supporting technologies, the extent and nature of information accessed, and lessons learned.

Methods. We conducted a retrospective study using cross-sectional panels of data collected sequentially over time.

Results. By September 30, 2005, clinical data were accessed electronically for at least 38% (14941 of 39910) of patients cared for prior to Hurricane Katrina by New Orleans–area VA medical facilities. Approximately 1000 patients per day had data accessed during the month following Hurricane Katrina, a rate approximately two thirds of pre-Katrina values. Health care data were transmitted to more than 200 sites in 48 states and to at least 2300 users.

Conclusions. The VA electronic health records supported continuity of care for evacuated veterans after Katrina. Our findings suggest that pharmacy and laboratory computerization alone will not be sufficient for future disaster support systems.






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