1
WGU C802 TASK 1 |FOUNDATIONS IN HEALTHCARE
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT | ACCURATE AND
VERIFIED | 2026 UPDATE
Foundations in Healthcare Information Management Task #1:
EHR Functions
Western Governors University
Mary L. Adams,
9 |8 |2026
|
, 2
A. Acute Care Functions
Four EHR functions used in an acute care healthcare setting are point-of-care
documentation, medication management, clinical decision support (CDS), and results
management. (Oachs, 2020)
A1. Use of Acute Care Functions
According to the Hermann Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, 58% of what one learns
is forgotten within twenty minutes. For every hour a clinician delays making patient clinical
notes, the data accuracy decreases by 30%. Point-of-care documentation is done
concurrently with the examination of the patient, affording more accurate notes in the EHR.
(Courson, 2024) The nursing admission assessment of a patient is often the beginning of the
point-of-care documentation process. That initial assessment might include ten or more forms
that must be entered into the EHR system. Point-of-care documentation is used for nurses’
notes, documenting vital signs, and care planning. (Oachs, 2020)
Physicians can use computerized provider order entry to prescribe medications for
patients. Using the electronic system reduces the need for the pharmacy to ask questions about
unclear orders. The CPOE systems can automatically flag drug allergies if the patient's data is
available and check for contraindicated drug interactions. In hospitals, nurses giving drugs to
patients can document their activity via medical administration records. One technology used
by acute care facilities to track medications administered by nurses is the BCMAR (barcode
medication administration record). Each dose of medication is labelled with a barcode. The
nurse will scan that barcode and the barcode assigned to the patient when the medication is
administered to the patient. (Courson, 2024)
WGU C802 TASK 1 |FOUNDATIONS IN HEALTHCARE
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT | ACCURATE AND
VERIFIED | 2026 UPDATE
Foundations in Healthcare Information Management Task #1:
EHR Functions
Western Governors University
Mary L. Adams,
9 |8 |2026
|
, 2
A. Acute Care Functions
Four EHR functions used in an acute care healthcare setting are point-of-care
documentation, medication management, clinical decision support (CDS), and results
management. (Oachs, 2020)
A1. Use of Acute Care Functions
According to the Hermann Ebbinghaus forgetting curve, 58% of what one learns
is forgotten within twenty minutes. For every hour a clinician delays making patient clinical
notes, the data accuracy decreases by 30%. Point-of-care documentation is done
concurrently with the examination of the patient, affording more accurate notes in the EHR.
(Courson, 2024) The nursing admission assessment of a patient is often the beginning of the
point-of-care documentation process. That initial assessment might include ten or more forms
that must be entered into the EHR system. Point-of-care documentation is used for nurses’
notes, documenting vital signs, and care planning. (Oachs, 2020)
Physicians can use computerized provider order entry to prescribe medications for
patients. Using the electronic system reduces the need for the pharmacy to ask questions about
unclear orders. The CPOE systems can automatically flag drug allergies if the patient's data is
available and check for contraindicated drug interactions. In hospitals, nurses giving drugs to
patients can document their activity via medical administration records. One technology used
by acute care facilities to track medications administered by nurses is the BCMAR (barcode
medication administration record). Each dose of medication is labelled with a barcode. The
nurse will scan that barcode and the barcode assigned to the patient when the medication is
administered to the patient. (Courson, 2024)
