A smart EHR tool to help ER clinicians follow pneumonia care guidelines
Official title: Development of SMART on FHIR interoperable clinical decision support for emergency department patients with pneumonia and pilot deployment into novel Epic electronic health record environments
Funded at Ihc Health Services, INC. · NIH-11144467 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A smart electronic tool to help emergency clinicians treat adults with pneumonia across different hospital computer systems.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ihc Health Services, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Murray, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 1, 2023 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $999,999 |
| NIH project number | 5R18HS028955-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11144467 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults who present to emergency departments with suspected or confirmed community-acquired pneumonia at hospitals participating in the pilot (using the Epic EHR) are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients receiving care outside the participating hospitals or those with non-pneumonia chest conditions are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this specific deployment.
What this research studies
This project brings a proven electronic decision tool called ePNa into new hospital computer systems using SMART on FHIR standards so it can work where you receive care. It combines real-time and past health record information with AI reading of chest images to guide diagnosis, estimate risk, recommend whether you need admission, and suggest appropriate antibiotics. The team will adapt and test the tool in Epic electronic health record environments and run pilot deployments to see how it performs for different patient groups and hospital workflows. Earlier controlled uses of ePNa in Cerner-based emergency departments increased guideline-based care and lowered 30-day mortality, and this project aims to reproduce those benefits in new settings.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the tool could produce more consistent guideline-based care, reduce unnecessary hospital admissions, and lower short-term mortality for adults with pneumonia.
How similar studies have gone: Prior controlled studies of ePNa deployed in Cerner-based EDs demonstrated increased guideline-recommended care and reduced 30-day all-cause mortality, so this builds on proven results.
Where this research is happening
-
Ihc Health Services, INC.
Murray, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Dean, Nathan C — Ihc Health Services, INC.
- Study coordinator: Dean, Nathan C
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.