Biomedical subjects

Meghan Dierks

Publications and source records attributed to Meghan Dierks.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Developing a simulation-based training program for medical first responders.

A major stumbling block for widespread incorporation of simulators into EMT training includes the limited availability of curricula infrastructure linking the key components of skills, scenarios, and measures as well as the expertise required to run such programs. To meet these needs we are developing a training program for first responders that uses mannequin-based simulator technology effectively to fill the identified training need for valid meaningful scenarios that can be integrated into the curriculum and are applicable for a variety of EMT skill levels. The program will provide detailed scenarios, instructions for administering the program, and measures for performance feedback. Each scenario will exercise a combination of task work and cognitive skills and the set of scenarios will span all of the higher-level skills that have been identified as benefiting from targeted training.

Computer Simulation↗

PubMed2004

Organization and representation of patient safety data: current status and issues around generalizability and scalability.

Recent reports have identified medical errors as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among patients. A variety of approaches have been implemented to identify errors and their causes. These approaches include retrospective reporting and investigation of errors and adverse events and prospective analyses for identifying hazardous situations. The above approaches, along with other sources, contribute to data that are used to analyze patient safety risks. A variety of data structures and terminologies have been created to represent the information contained in these sources of patient safety data. Whereas many representations may be well suited to the particular safety application for which they were developed, such application-specific and often organization-specific representations limit the sharability of patient safety data. The result is that aggregation and comparison of safety data across organizations, practice domains, and applications is difficult at best. A common reference data model and a broadly applicable terminology for patient safety data are needed to aggregate safety data at the regional and national level and conduct large-scale studies of patient safety risks and interventions.

Humans↗

PubMed2003

Coverage of patient safety terms in the UMLS metathesaurus.

The integration and large-scale analyses of medical error databases would be greatly facilitated by the use of a standard terminology. We investigated the availability in the UMLS metathesaurus of concepts that are required for coding patient safety data. Terms from three proprietary patient safety terminologies were mapped to the concepts in UMLS by an automated mapping program developed by us. From these candidate mappings, the concept that matched its corresponding term was selected manually. The reliability of the mapping procedure was verified by manually searching for terms in the UMLS Knowledge Source Server. Matching concepts in UMLS were identified for less than 27% of the terms in the study dataset. The matching rates of terms that describe the type of error and the causes of errors were even lower. The lack of such terms in the existing standard terminologies underscores the need for development of a standard patient safety terminology.

Humans↗