[The concept of medical electronics].
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OBJECTIVES: We tested whether improvements in depressive symptoms precede improved adherence to aspirin in patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). BACKGROUND: Depression is associated with medication nonadherence in patients with ACS, but it is unclear whether changes in depression impact on adherence. METHODS: Electronic medication monitoring was used to measure adherence to aspirin during a 3-month period in a consecutive cohort of 172 patients (25 to 85 years) recruited within 1 week of hospitalization for ACS. Depressive symptom severity was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) during hospitalization and at 1 and 3 months after hospitalization. Adherence was defined as the percentage of days aspirin was taken as prescribed. RESULTS: Depression severity in hospital was associated with nonadherence in a gradient fashion: 15% of non-depressed patients (BDI score 0 to 4), 29% of mildly depressed patients (BDI score 10 to 16), and 37% of patients with moderately-to-severely depressive symptoms (BDI score >16) took aspirin less than 80% of the time (p = 0.03). A cross-lagged path analytic model revealed that improvements in depressive symptoms in the first month after the ACS were associated with improvements in adherence rates in the subsequent 2 months (standardized direct effect -0.32, p = 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Diagnosis and treatment of depressive symptoms may improve medication adherence in patients after ACS.
An electronic medical record system can provide benefits beyond the obvious functions of efficient and less labor-intensive scanning, archiving, retrieving, and printing of patient care information. The less tangible benefit of providing record access to several users simultaneously is difficult to quantify, but can enhance operations and improve the quality of patient care throughout a healthcare facility.
Frustrated with electronic health records systems on the market, a California physician took matters into his own hands. The result is an electronic medical records system in use by 9,000 physicians in about a dozen communities.
Implementing an electronic medical record (EMR) is a major initiative that should be undertaken only after a thoughtful analysis of the costs and benefits involved. Unfortunately, demonstrating financial returns on an EMR often is regarded as an inexact science at best, which has caused many healthcare executives to avoid adopting this technology. With the right approach, however, it is possible to demonstrate convincingly that the financial benefits will far outweigh the costs. To do this, it is necessary to involve representatives from operational areas throughout the organization, because they are best able to identify the potential for cost savings and additional revenue opportunities.
OBJECTIVES: To compare the use of three electronic medical records systems by doctors in Norwegian hospitals for general clinical tasks. DESIGN: Cross sectional questionnaire survey. Semistructured telephone interviews with key staff in information technology in each hospital for details of local implementation of the systems. SETTING: 32 hospital units in 19 Norwegian hospitals with electronic medical records systems. PARTICIPANTS: 227 (72%) of 314 hospital doctors responded, equally distributed between the three electronic medical records systems. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Proportion of respondents who used the electronic system, calculated for each of 23 tasks; difference in proportions of users of different systems when functionality of systems was similar. RESULTS: Most tasks listed in the questionnaire (15/23) were generally covered with implemented functions in the electronic medical records systems. However, the systems were used for only 2-7 of the tasks, mainly associated with reading patient data. Respondents showed significant differences in frequency of use of the different systems for four tasks for which the systems offered equivalent functionality. The respondents scored highly in computer literacy (72.2/100), and computer use showed no correlation with respondents' age, sex, or work position. User satisfaction scores were generally positive (67.2/100), with some difference between the systems. CONCLUSIONS: Doctors used electronic medical records systems for far fewer tasks than the systems supported.
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The acceptability of an electronic medical record in a court presents a challenge to the legal system which has yet to be met. A definitive solution must straddle the boundaries of the disciplines of law, medicine and information technology. This paper discusses the law as it relates to evidence, information security as it applies to assuring the integrity of an electronic record, and solutions for the GP. While a definitive answer to the problem of legal acceptability of electronic medical records is not offered, the issues are explored in order to stimulate discussion among the relevant disciplines, for only through the cooperation of experts in these fields can a solution ultimately be found.
A computerised general medical practice using electronic medical records is described. Issues including security, confidentiality, shared access to records, use of knowledge bases and decision support are discussed. The practice has electronic data interchange links with local hospitals and health authorities. The practice has demonstrated increased clinical effectiveness, improved primary care team working and cost savings on administrative and clerical tasks.
In the clinical setting, the functions required for electronic medical records for chemotherapy are proposed from a system developed for individuals. The directivity of a future electronic medical record system is considered in the present condition of an electronic medical record system and a medical system expansionist policy from the history of medical information from Japan.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to describe a paper-based, template-driven and an electronic medical record used for capturing emergency care clinical information and to compare the accuracy of these documentation systems for coding patient encounters using the American Medical Association Current Procedural Terminology-2004 (AMA CPT-2004) evaluation and management codes intended for provider reimbursement. METHODS: A retrospective, cross-sectional study of 4-consecutive-day samples of ED patient encounter records from 2 similar community hospitals was done. For clinical documentation, hospital A uses an electronic medical record, whereas hospital B uses a paper-based template-driven record. Using a simple analytic model, expert coders A and B, respectively, coded the records from hospitals A and B for completeness. First, power analysis determined the acceptability of the patient record sample sizes (1 - beta = .90 at 1% significance level), and the frequency of AMA CPT-2004 primary evaluation and management codes 99281 through 99285 was calculated. Second, the completeness discrepancy rates for hospitals A and B were compared to determine the accuracy of both the paper-based, template-driven record and the electronic medical record in documenting and representing the clinical encounter. Third, interrater reliability between expert coders A and B was calculated to assess the level of agreement between each expert coder in determining the completeness discrepancy rates between hospitals A and B. Finally, the frequency of primary evaluation and management codes was analyzed to determine if there was a statistically significant difference between the paper-based, template-driven record and the electronic medical record representation of the clinical information, and if that difference could be attributable to the differing clinical documentation systems used in hospitals A and B. RESULTS: First, descriptive display demonstrated a difference in the frequency of the primary evaluation and management codes 99283 and 99284 within hospital A (expert coder A assessment, 36.1% vs 39.1%; expert coder B assessment, 36.6% vs 38.7%) and hospital B (expert coder A assessment, 47.8% vs 21.9%; expert coder B assessment, 48.6% vs 21.4%) was noted with the median, primary evaluation, and management code for hospital A of 99284 and the median, primary evaluation, and management code for hospital B of 99283. Second, Fisher exact test compared the completeness discrepancy rates between hospitals A and B as assessed by each expert coder and demonstrated no statistically significant difference in the completeness discrepancy rates (accuracy) between the paper-based, template-driven record and the electronic medical record documentation and coding system when assessed by either expert coder A (P = .370) or expert coder B (P = .819). Third, interrater reliability between expert coders A and B was evaluated using Cohen's kappa statistic. When evaluated both individually and jointly with respect to hospitals A and B, expert coders A and B had a good strength of agreement in their assessments of the accuracy of the documentation and coding system for hospital A (kappa = 0.6200) and hospital B (kappa = 0.6906) as well as for both hospitals evaluated together (kappa = 0.6616). Finally, interhospital differences in the frequency of primary evaluation and management codes were evaluated using Pearson chi(2) test with 3 df. The results for expert coder A (chi(2) = 47.4160; P < .001) and expert coder B (chi(2) = 46.5946; P < .001) recognize that there is a statistically significant degree of difference between hospitals A and B in the frequency distribution of primary evaluation and management codes, probably because of the dispersion of codes 99283 and 99284. CONCLUSIONS: A keystroke-driven, electronic medical record that resides on a knowledge platform that incorporates a clinical structured terminology, administrative coding schemata, AMA CPT-2004 codes and uses object-oriented, open-ended, branching chain clinical algorithms that "force" physician documentation of the clinical elements provides an equally accurate capture and representation of ED clinical encounter data as a paper-based, template-driven documentation system both in terms of the presence or absence of both the medically necessary, discrete data elements and the textual documentation-dependent, medical decision-making elements.
The biggest problem in organisation of the effective and rational health care of good quality in Bosnia quality and Herzegovina is a functional and updated Health Information System. In this system, important role play Health Statistic System in which documentation and evidence are very important segment. Developed countries proceeded from the manual and semiautomatic method of medical data processing and system management to the new methods of entering, storage, transfer, searching and protection of data using electronic equipment. Recently, the competition between manufacturers of the Smart Card and Laser Card is reality. Also scientific and professional debate exists about the standard card for storage of medical information in Health Care System. First option is supported by West European countries that developing Smart Card called Eurocard and second by USA and Far East countries. Because the Health Care System and other segments of Society of Bosnia and Herzegovina innovate intensively similar systems, the authors of this article intend to open discussion, and to show advantages and failures of each technological medium.
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) with electronic medical equipment by radio waves from mobile telephone handsets has been reported and is currently receiving wide attention. The possibility of EMI with electronic medical equipment by radio waves coming into the hospital has also been pointed out. But so far, there are no reports measuring the frequency distribution of electric field intensity induced by incoming radio waves. Therefore, we measured electric field intensity induced by radio waves coming into our 11-floor hospital, which was under construction. The maximum intensity observed was about 200 V/m at 2.79 GHz, from airport surveillance radar waves. The maximum intensity induced by radio waves from cellular phone base stations was 1.78 V/m. These data show that various frequencies of radio waves are common in this urban area, and that they induce strong electricfield intensity. This strong electric field intensity might cause EMI with electronic medical equipment. Measurement of the electromagnetic environment should be done by each hospital in urban areas to prevent EMI with electronic medical equipment.
The electronic medical record in the ambulatory setting will be a force to be reckoned with during the 1990s. The increased quality of the medical record will lead to an increased quality of patient care at a fairly level cost (no long-term increase). With the new and increasing excitement about continuous improvement in health care, the electronic medical record can be a cornerstone of our quality assurance program and our quality improvement program. The electronic medical record needs to be taken seriously.
CONTEXT: Electronic medical devices (EMDs) with downloadable memories, such as implantable cardiac pacemakers, defibrillators, drug pumps, insulin pumps, and glucose monitors, are now an integral part of routine medical practice in the United States, and functional organ replacements, such as the artificial heart, pancreas, and retina, will most likely become commonplace in the near future. Often, EMDs end up in the hands of the pathologist as a surgical specimen or at autopsy. No established guidelines for systematic examination and reporting or comprehensive reviews of EMDs currently exist for the pathologist. OBJECTIVE: To provide pathologists with a general overview of EMDs, including a brief history; epidemiology; essential technical aspects, indications, contraindications, and complications of selected devices; potential applications in pathology; relevant government regulations; and suggested examination and reporting guidelines. DATA SOURCES: Articles indexed on PubMed of the National Library of Medicine, various medical and history of medicine textbooks, US Food and Drug Administration publications and product information, and specifications provided by device manufacturers. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were selected on the basis of relevance to the study objectives. DATA EXTRACTION: Descriptive data were selected by the author. DATA SYNTHESIS: Suggested examination and reporting guidelines for EMDs received as surgical specimens and retrieved at autopsy. CONCLUSIONS: Electronic medical devices received as surgical specimens and retrieved at autopsy are increasing in number and level of sophistication. They should be systematically examined and reported, should have electronic memories downloaded when indicated, will help pathologists answer more questions with greater certainty, and should become an integral part of the formal knowledge base, research focus, training, and practice of pathology.
OBJECTIVES: To assess the role of electronic medical records (EMR) in facilitating the content and process of patient-provider exchanges about medications during outpatient primary care visits. METHODS: Fifty encounters with six physicians using the EMR were videotaped, transcribed and content-analysed by applying conversation analysis and ethnomethodology techniques. The analysis focused on three aspects of medication communication: (1) process of care: practices by patients and physicians to implement medication decisions; (2) themes: medication topics that consistently emerge; and (3) names: ways patients and physicians refer to medications. In-depth analysis of 20 encounters examined the extent to which either or both parties initiated, expanded and concluded medication discussions. RESULTS: On average 21.2 (range: 8-35; SD=7.4) distinct exchanges per encounter were observed. Of those, 33% were related to medication. Of the 350 medication-related exchanges throughout the encounters, 56% were categorised as routine medication discussion such as ordering and/or refilling medications. Mailing issues were the next most common medication-related exchanges (10.6%), followed by partial adherence (8.9%), self-regulation (7.4%), alternative therapy/over-the-counter medication (6.6%), side effects (6%) and formulary issues (4.6%). Patients and providers used three ways to name medications: generic/scientific name (42%); physical description (39.7%) and brand name (18.3%). Forty-one percent of exchanges included initiation by one or both parties but no further discussion of the issue; 42% included initiation and expansion by both parties but not conclusion; only 17% of exchanges contained complete medication exchanges (initiation, expansion and conclusion) by both parties. CONCLUSIONS: EMR facilitated content and process of communication regarding medications during outpatient encounters, especially among patients taking multiple medications and patients who used physical descriptions to identify their medications. EMR use stimulated medication exchanges, leading to further expansion about the topic. However, fewer than one-fifth of exchanges ended with clear conclusions by both parties regarding prescribed medication regimens.
No clinical computing topic is being given more attention than that of electronic medical records. Health care organizations, finding that they do not have systems adequate for answering questions crucial to strategic planning and for remaining competitive with other provider groups, are looking to information technologies for help. Many institutions are developing integrated clinical workstations, which provide a single point of entry for access to patient-related, administrative, and research information. At the heart of the evolving clinical workstation lies the medical record in a new incarnation: electronic, accessible, confidential, secure, acceptable to clinicians and patients, and integrated with other, non-patient-specific information. The author describes the problems associated with paper-based record keeping and the promise of the electronic medical record, emphasizing the areas of clinical trials and decision support. He then discusses the issues that must be addressed and the requirements that must be met if electronic medical record systems are to move beyond intranet environments within single health systems or practices and to integrate with regional, national, and international resources via the Internet.