The form fields that are selected for each question will determine the quality of a form and the quality of the data you collect in your EHR software. It’s important that you understand each of the different field types to make sure you’re selecting the one that works best for your purposes.
Monopoly is a board game credited with consistently bringing out a group’s competitive spirit and ruining thousands of friendships in the process. But it’s also a great example of how to maintain regulatory compliance, if someone doesn’t follow the rules of the game, they’re sent to jail. They don’t pass go, they don’t collect $200.
A checkbox can be used for quality reminders similar to task items. Clinicians will be prompted to mark a checkbox next to a prompt like “Client is aware of supporting housing services available.” The clinician will then ensure that the client has completed the action related to the prompt. This helps the clinician ensure that they and their client are meeting the standards to maintain regulatory compliance.
Do check-boxes sound like a yes/no question?
That’s because they’re very similar. The major difference is in the reporting output. Typically, a checkbox outputs as checked=1, and unchecked=0, where a yes/no, returns yes and no as reportable fields.
The difference between check-boxes that return “1” or “0” vs “yes” or “no” that return text substantially alters what you can and can’t do with each in a report.
Check-boxes are also used more for quality reminders while yes/no questions tend to be used as conditional questions that begin a new branch of questions.
Both check-boxes and yes/no fields play an important role in form structure and should be considered as you are building your form. As always, you want to make the selection that provides you with the data you need and creates a seamless experience for your end-users. To learn more about how and when to apply check-boxes, download the Principles of Data Collection eBook below!
