Hospital information systems: an overview.
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The Problem Oriented Medical Record is ideally suited to the documentation and management of patients with spinal cord injury, with their involvement of multiple organ systems and need for long term follow-up. The classic format described by Weed has been modified by use of a predetermined problem list, subdividing spinal cord injury into eight problems. We find this method to be of value in organizing the records and managing patients, from the acute phase to the follow-up phase, and additionally in organizing the records of long term patients when seen in follow-up. The problems listed are: 1--neurologic injury; 2--spinal skeletal injury; 3--other injuries; 4--general medical conditions; 5--urologic; 6--gastrointestinal; 7--sexual function; 8--rehabilitation. As complications or other problems arise, they are added to this list. Presented are two case histories, one of a long term patient and the other of a patient with new acute spinal cord injury to illustrate the application of this method.
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A protocol for upper-respiratory tract complaints was administered to 226 patients in a walk-in clinic. The protocol, for use by a physician-extender in conjunction with a physician, specified the collection of data necessary for management. A decision-making algorithm separated the major causes of upper respiratory infection (URI) complaints and led to one of four plans: a physician referral, a culture only, antibiotic treatment, or symptomatic treatment only. Each patient was seen by a physician following the health assistant's interview. Of 226 patients, 96 (42 percent) would have been sent home by the protocol without seeing the physician. None of these had a complication of URI. Sixteen (seven percent) of the 226 had serious complications - all would have been referred to the physician. The protocol proved to be safe and efficient, acceptable to patients, and a reliable approach to physician-extender management of URI.
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We present a detailed anterospective inventory on headache which has been developed systematically with several alterations in the course of the experience of several years. It offers the possibility of an almost complete collection of data which can be fed directly into a computer and it appears to be a valuable aid in the training of new co-workers. Some clinical results are discussed on the basis of the inventory.
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As part of a demonstration study, 567 male patients presenting to a "walk-in" clinic with common genitourinary complaints were interviewed by health assistants guided by a protocol. Independent examination of 19 patients by a health assistant and a physician formally demonstrated that the health assistants could collect the clinical data accurately. Forty-four patients were then randomly chosen to be examined, diagnosed and treated either by a health assistant guided by the protocol and supported by an available physician, or only by a physician. Using medical records and a follow-up interview, we assessed the thoroughness of the medical record, adequacy of diagnosis and treatment, symptom relief, patient satisfaction and patient education: the health assistant-protocol system proved as safe and effective as the MD-only system, and the health assistants were able to manage 68% of patients without involving the physician. The study suggests that briefly-trained health assistants may help save physician and nurse time, and that the development of protocols can help set standards for the medical management of defined problems while providing a mechanism for rapidly creating a complete medical record which can be easily audited for conformance with standards.
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The integration of pharmacy into the computerized problem-oriented medical information system (PROMIS) at the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont is discussed. Practioners who generate and retrieve information communicate directly with the computer without intermediary personnel. Touch-screen cathode-ray tube terminals are used for data input. Under PROMIS, the pharmacist has two new resources which better integrate his services into total patient care: (1) the ability to directly access online patient data in the pharmacy, and (2) the ability to directly couple online current drug information to a specific patient's computerized medical record in the pharmacy. The PROMIS solutions to pharmacy problems in drug ordering, drug distribution and drug therapy audit are discussed; In a demonstration project on a 20-bed unit, PROMIS made the medical record readily available to all health care providers, reduced reliance on memory, preserved the logic of medical action, and provided feedback loops for corrective action in everyday medical practice. Also discussed are user acceptance of the system, effect on pharmacy staffing, and implications for pharmacy.
A medical audit revealed marked deficiency in the quality of functional evaluations in a rehabilitation hospital. Routine staff educational programs and an optional, simple functional evaluation form failed to correct this deficiency. The functional evaluations of the patients never reached 100% completion and the quality of the evaluations varied widely. As a result, a mandatory functional status form was devised for incorporation into the patients' charts. This form included past, present, and future goals in a problem-oriented design. Review of charts after six months of use showed that the form led to improved rates of functional status reporting, with all functional areas now documented in over 90% of charts. It is hoped that a comprehensive program including use of functional status form will be successful in improving patient care and physician education, and in facilitating a comprehensive medical audit.
The management of surgical patients requiring intensive care is complicated by abnormalities in multiple body systems. An effective method of organizing data collection and treatment is essential. The widely applied "problem-oriented" approach is not entirely satisfactory in the context of surgical intensive care. An alternative method is presented in which management is structured by body systems. The function of each system is analyzed and a plan for each is defined. Data display is arranged by systems rather than problems and is compatible with modern computer technology. A surgical patient under treatment for pancreatitis is presented to illustrate this approach. Experience with 220 patients on a residency teaching service supports the impression that system-structured management is an effective method of managing the course of an acutely ill patient and should be widely applicable to such patients in any general surgical environment.
The Multi-State Information System for Psychiatric Patients (MSIS) is a computer based, clinical and administrative management information system used by numerous mental health programs and facilities for patient and program management. Structured forms are used for the collection of core information on patients, on services rendered, on affiliated agencies, and on fiscal and administrative processes. A variety of output reports and general retrieval techniques are being used to help administer and evaluate patient care programs, monitor clinical and program management functions, refer clients to other service agencies, and review individual cases, as well as for administrative functions such as cost finding, rate setting, billing, and inventory control. MSIS is currently field testing an automated problem-oriented psychiatric record, and a goal-oriented record to be used with the mentally retarded is under development.