Computers are being used in increasing numbers to support health care facilities. Consequently, there is a need to examine how this technology can be effectively used to assist in the process of patient care. At the present time, most computer applications are directed toward (1) the management of large and amounts of data during a short period of time (e.g., ECG analysis and physiological monitoring) or (2) the transfer of information within a facility (e.g., Hospital Information System (HIS) order entry/results reporting). Some systems use the data for the purposes of surveillance or patient management. Other systems are concerned with the organization and presentation of the clinical data as part of the decision making process. This paper considers the ways in which systems can effectively display information. It draws upon experience with the Johns Hopkins Oncology Clinical Information System (OCIS).

Cancer Care Facilities↗

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Cancer statistics: a measure of progress.

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American Cancer Society↗

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Evaluation of the clinical management of cancer patients. A pilot study.

The Johns Hopkins Oncology Center, Baltimore, has carried out a pilot study of a method of data collection and analysis to be used for planning and evaluation of continuing education programs conducted in the Maryland region. This study includes definition of techniques used to prepare a test instrument that will accurately reflect actual medical practice within a hospital. The system has been field tested in three diseases, cancer of the lung, breast, and uterine cervix, in two Maryland hospitals. The system appears to be an efficient and inexpensive method for definition of decision making in specific clinical settings and for measurement of change if serial reassessment is instituted.

Breast Neoplasms↗

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OCIS: 15 years' experience with patient-centered computing.

In the mid-1970s, the medical and administrative staff of the Oncology Center at Johns Hopkins Hospital recognized a need for a computer-based clinical decision-support system that organized patients' information according to the care continuum, rather than as a series of event-specific data. This is especially important in cancer patients, because of the long periods in which they receive complex medical treatment and the enormous amounts of data generated by extremely ill patients with multiple interrelated diseases. During development of the Oncology Clinical Information System (OCIS), it became apparent that administrative services, research systems, ancillary functions (such as drug and blood product ordering), and financial processes should be integrated with the basic patient-oriented database. With the structured approach used in applications development, new modules were added as the need for additional functions arose. The system has since been moved to a modern network environment with the capacity for client-server processing.

Artificial Intelligence↗