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PubMed2004

A computerized clinical decision support system as a means of implementing depression guidelines.

The authors describe the history and current use of computerized systems for implementing treatment guidelines in general medicine as well as the development, testing, and early use of a computerized decision support system for depression treatment among "real-world" clinical settings in Texas. In 1999 health care experts from Europe and the United States met to confront the well-documented challenges of implementing treatment guidelines and to identify strategies for improvement. They suggested the integration of guidelines into computer systems that is incorporated into clinical workflow. Several studies have demonstrated improvements in physicians' adherence to guidelines when such guidelines are provided in a computerized format. Although computerized decision support systems are being used in many areas of medicine and have demonstrated improved patient outcomes, their use in psychiatric illness is limited. The authors designed and developed a computerized decision support system for the treatment of major depressive disorder by using evidence-based guidelines, transferring the knowledge gained from the Texas Medication Algorithm Project (TMAP). This computerized decision support system (CompTMAP) provides support in diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and preventive care and can be incorporated into the clinical setting. CompTMAP has gone through extensive testing to ensure accuracy and reliability. Physician surveys have indicated a positive response to CompTMAP, although the sample was insufficient for statistical testing. CompTMAP is part of a new era of comprehensive computerized decision support systems that take advantage of advances in automation and provide more complete clinical support to physicians in clinical practice.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

Pilot study optimizing MEDLINE queries in an automated disease management telemedicine system.

Clinicians encounter many medical questions while providing outpatient medical care. A significant number of these questions can be answered using MEDLINE; however it has proven to be difficult to incorporate MEDLINE into routine clinical workflow and for clinicians to generate well constructed MEDLINE queries. This study however hypothesized that that well-constructed MEDLINE queries could be semi-automatically generated by an application named LitButton which was incorporated into the TeleWatch telemedicine system. The LitButton application was then prospectively evaluated in a pilot study by four nurse case managers (NCM) who monitored sixty-eight outpatients for three weeks. During this period the NCMs used the LitButton application sixteen times, and they subjectively reported in real-time that they obtained an answer in 56% of the cases, but that none of the successful information retrieval events resulted in a change in a patient's clinical management. The small number of LitButton events and lack of clinical impact was likely due to the fact that the LitButton function was designed to search MEDLINE for treatment related information; however the NCMs had limited medical decision making responsibilities. As a result there was a mismatch between the user's information needs and the system capabilities.

Case Management↗
PubMed2003

[New computed radiography technologies in digital radiography].

Digital radiography (DR) has become integral to modern diagnostic radiology. One of the earliest forms of DR, computed radiography (CR) using storage phosphors, has established itself as the mainstay of DR-based diagnostic imaging over the past 20 years. More recently, flat-panel DR systems based on solid state X-ray detectors with integrated, large-area, active-matrix readout electronics are promising further improvements in clinical workflow and image quality. Despite CR's longevity, innovations continue to be made. New developments in CR screen technologies, like structured (needle) screens, and new scanner concepts based on line-at-a-time reading promise major improvements in image quality (comparable to that of flat-panel systems), system through-put and physical size, at a cost comparable to that of today's systems. Thus, despite the advent of flat-panel acquisition systems, there will still be an important role for CR in the foreseeable future. After a brief review of the current state of CR technology, this paper will explore several of these new CR developments and present some examples of their potential clinical impact.

Artifacts↗
PubMed2026

Intra-amniotic infection: diagnosis, nomenclature, clinical significance, management, and microbiologic tools used for the diagnosis.

SUMMARYIntra-amniotic infection is the main cause of spontaneous preterm birth and adverse maternal-fetal outcomes; therefore, rapid, robust, and accurate diagnosis remains a clinical priority. Conventional microbiological techniques, especially culture-based methods, are limited by long turnaround times and the inability to detect fastidious or unculturable organisms. This review summarizes the diagnosis, nomenclature, clinical significance, management, and laboratory approaches for diagnosing intra-amniotic infection. Targeted nucleic acid amplification methods, including species-specific polymerase chain reaction and broad-range 16S rRNA gene sequencing, have improved the detection of bacterial DNA and enabled the identification of organisms that evade routine culture in intra-amniotic infection. More recently, whole-genome sequencing and metagenomic next-generation sequencing have provided culture-independent strategies for comprehensive pathogen profiling, allowing simultaneous detection of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, as well as characterization of antimicrobial resistance determinants and virulence-associated genes. However, challenges remain, particularly in low-biomass samples such as amniotic fluid, where contamination, host DNA background, and data interpretation can compromise specificity. This review critically evaluates the advantages and limitations of each molecular modality and discusses pre-analytical, analytical, and bioinformatic considerations essential for reliable implementation. Integration of molecular diagnostics into clinical workflows holds promise for improving etiological diagnosis and guiding targeted therapy in intra-amniotic infection, thereby improving maternal and fetal outcomes.

Humans↗
PubMed1998

Modeling and performance analysis of image transfer in PACS.

Performance simulation plays an important role in the design of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). This paper presents simulation models of a PACS in a context of outpatient clinical workflow. Models, which are discussed focusing on shared facilities are resources of the system, consist of two levels. One is the workflow level and the other is the physical level. Patients medical staffs and images are picked up as the important system resources in the workflow level. A network, hard disks and network interface buffers of PACS components are mainly described in the physical level. Models are described with Petri Nets in both levels. Two examples of performance evaluation are also presented. Both of them estimate transfer time of computed radiology images for outpatient consultation. In the first example, both the data transfer rate of hard disks and network speed are varied under fixed system loads. While in the second example, system loads are varied against given system components. From the simulation results, following points are summarized. If physicians want to get a set of images in 5 seconds, both high performance hard disks or disk arrays and high speed network such as 100 Mbps networks are required. And it is effective for high speed network to be used in the acquisition phase. If we have to use the Ethernet and ordinary workstations, the PACS should be used in a single clinic. In conclusion this modeling method makes models simple and is quite useful for the performance evaluation of PACS in the early design phase.

Ambulatory Care Information Systems↗
PubMed2006

Improving pathway compliance and clinician performance by using information technology.

To deliver patient-specific advice at the time and place of a consultation is an important contribution to improving clinician performance. Using computer-based decision support on the basis of clinical pathways is a promising strategy to achieve this goal. Thereby integration of IT applications into the clinical workflow is a core precondition for success. User acceptance and usability play a critical role: additional effort has to be balanced with enough benefit for the users and interaction design and evaluation should be handled as an intertwined, continuous process. Experiences from routine use of an online surgical pathway at Marburg University Medical Center show that it is possible to successfully address this issue by seamlessly integrating patient-specific pathway recommendations with documentation tasks which have to be done anyway, by substantially reusing entered data to accelerate routine tasks (e.g. by automatically generating orders and reports), and by continuously and systematically monitoring pathway conformance and documentation quality.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2004

[Use of computer applications to support clinical processes. An electronic letter of discharge as resource for DRG-relevant coding].

Not long ago forensic aspects where the major driving force to complete and correct medical documentation. Diagnosis related groups becoming basic data for billing of hospital treatment in Germany now extremely extend the need for complex administrative documentation over-ruling all medical documentary needs. Due to unchanged personnel resources in hospitals and due to a lack of comfortable tools supporting these documentary needs medical personnel in most hospitals is confronted with an annoying effort to fulfill these needs. As a result innumerable hours of working time have to be shifted from patient focused to administrative work. This paper introduces a computer system based on a hospital-wide documentation concept and clinical workflow allowing to derive administrative data straight from medical documents so that redundant documentation and discrepancies between medical and administrative documentation can be avoided.

Computer Systems↗
PubMed2005

Flat detectors and their clinical applications.

Diagnostic and interventional flat detector X-ray systems are penetrating the market in all application segments. First introduced in radiography and mammography, they have conquered cardiac and general angiography and are getting increasing attention in fluoroscopy. Two flat detector technologies prevail. The dominating method is based on an indirect X-ray conversion process, using cesium iodide scintillators. It offers considerable advantages in radiography, angiography and fluoroscopy. The other method employs a direct converter such as selenium which is particularly suitable for mammography. Both flat detector technologies are based on amorphous silicon active pixel matrices. Flat detectors facilitate the clinical workflow in radiographic rooms, foster improved image quality and provide the potential to reduce dose. This added value is based on their large dynamic range, their high sensitivity to X-rays and the instant availability of the image. Advanced image processing is instrumental in these improvements and expand the range of conventional diagnostic methods. In angiography and fluoroscopy the transition from image intensifiers to flat detectors is facilitated by ample advantages they offer, such as distortion-free images, excellent coarse contrast, large dynamic range and high X-ray sensitivity. These characteristics and their compatibility with strong magnetic fields are the basis for improved diagnostic methods and innovative interventional applications.

Absorption↗
PubMed2004

[Use of an electronic patient record system at the Department of Ophthalmology, Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg].

BACKGROUND: The electronic or paper-based patient record is the most important documentation file. The electronic patient record has many advantages compared to a paper-based record. METHODS: An example of an electronic patient record (EPR) system accessed by several departments of the Faculty of Medicine of Magdeburg is presented. RESULTS: To guarantee faculty-wide communication with sharing of clinical pictures and findings, e.g., with the Departments of Radiology and Pathology, the system of MEDOS Inc. is used in our department. Several examination devices, for example fundus camera, slit lamp, and ultrasound, are equipped with an digital picture storage and communication system via a DICOM interface to the MEDOS system. The software AnalySIS is used as a gateway for picture transferation. The MEDOS system also supports the clinical workflow. CONCLUSIONS: The use of an electronic patient record system in ophthalmology is already possible, but still needs further tuning and improvement.

Computer Communication Networks↗
PubMed2026

CanVar-UK: A collaborative platform for germline interpretation in cancer susceptibility genes.

Germline variants in cancer susceptibility genes (CSGs) are typically inherited rather than arising de novo. Hence, wide cascade testing of families across geographies is common, meaning consistency in variant classification is particularly critical. Variant interpretation requires collation of variant-level data from diverse sources, as well as assembly of comprehensive clinical data, often necessitating sharing of information between genomic testing centers. Here, we describe CanVar-UK, a freely accessible web platform bespoke designed to support interpretation of germline CSG variants. CanVar-UK contains variant-level data for over 1.1 million single-nucleotide variants (SNVs), comprising all possible coding SNVs in 116 established CSGs. The data sources with which variants are annotated include in silico scores from 11 clinically relevant tools, population allele frequencies from gnomAD v4.1, case counts from multiple cohorts, including National Health Service (NHS) clinical laboratory testing, variant-level readouts from 47 selected functional and splicing datasets across 19 CSGs, genetic epidemiology studies, and live linkage to existing consensus classifications in the ClinVar database. The diagnostic discussion forum is only available to registered diagnostic scientist users. Through this, a variant-tagged email message can be dispatched in real time across the diagnostic forum community of >1,500 users, with all exchanges and classifications captured and stored in the platform. Already widely used by NHS diagnostic clinical scientists in the UK, CanVar-UK has a rapidly growing international diagnostic user base (>800 UK and >600 non-UK registered users). Survey of the NHS diagnostic user community illustrates the wide-ranging utility of CanVar-UK within their clinical workflows for interpretation of germline CSG variants.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Telemedicine and its impact on cancer management.

The latest dramatic progress in the technologies of the computer industry is likely to increasingly influence the oncologist's daily routine. Besides well known and established telemedical services such as videoconferencing, the most influential trends are the spread of digital hospital infrastructures with unlimited, secured access to all relevant patient information. This article seeks to summarise the most imminent influences of telemedical developments on the future of the oncologist: the effects of telemedical services and electronic infrastructures on clinical workflow and on medical quality management. In addition, the history of telemedicine, recent technologies and the performance of electronic patient records are described.

Computer Security↗
PubMed2004

Financing a large-scale picture archival and communication system.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: An attempt to finance a large-scale multi-hospital picture archival and communication system (PACS) solely based on cost savings from current film operations is reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A modified Request for Proposal described the technical requirements, PACS architecture, and performance targets. The Request for Proposal was complemented by a set of desired financial goals-the main one being the ability to use film savings to pay for the implementation and operation of the PACS. RESULTS: Financing of the enterprise-wide PACS was completed through an operating lease agreement including all PACS equipment, implementation, service, and support for an 8-year term, much like a complete outsourcing. Equipment refreshes, both hardware and software, are included. Our agreement also linked the management of the digital imaging operation (PACS) and the traditional film printing, shifting the operational risks of continued printing and costs related to implementation delays to the PACS vendor. An additional optimization step provided the elimination of the negative film budget variances in the beginning of the project when PACS costs tend to be higher than film and film-related expenses. CONCLUSION: An enterprise-wide PACS has been adopted to achieve clinical workflow improvements and cost savings. PACS financing was solely based on film savings, which included the entire digital solution (PACS) and any residual film printing. These goals were achieved with simultaneous elimination of any over-budget scenarios providing a non-negative cash flow in each year of an 8-year term.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2026

Radiomics as a spatial context for treatment decision-making in head and neck cancer.

Radiomics has been widely explored as a non-invasive biomarker in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), yet its clinical role remains unclear. Tissue-based biomarkers differ in their susceptibility to spatial sampling. Biomarkers such as PD-L1 expression, immune-cell infiltration, necrosis, and immune exclusion may exhibit substantial spatial heterogeneity, whereas HPV/p16 status and some genomic alterations are generally more stable across the tumor. Nevertheless, localized sampling may incompletely capture heterogeneity in selected clinical contexts. This mismatch becomes clinically relevant when treatment decisions, particularly for chemoradiotherapy, immunotherapy, or de-escalation, are based on potentially non-representative biopsy findings. In this narrative review, we argue that the role of radiomics is not to outperform established biomarkers, but to contextualize them by capturing spatial heterogeneity related to hypoxia, necrosis, stromal architecture, and immune exclusion. We synthesize current evidence linking radiomic features to these biological processes and map them to specific clinical decision points, including larynx preservation, immunotherapy stratification, and recurrence assessment. Rather than serving as a standalone predictor, radiomics may provide complementary spatial information that helps identify situations in which biopsy-derived biomarkers should be interpreted with caution. Although current evidence is largely retrospective, radiomics offers a pragmatic framework for integrating spatial information into biomarker-guided clinical workflows.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Availability and accessibility of evidence-based information resources provided by medical libraries in Australia.

This article reports on the results of an exploratory survey of the availability and accessibility of evidence-based information resources provided by medical libraries in Australia. Although barriers impede access to evidence-based information for hospital clinicians, the survey revealed that Medline and Cinahl are available in over 90% of facilities. In most cases they are widely accessible via internal networks and the Internet. The Cochrane Library is available in 69% of cases. The Internet is widely accessible and most libraries provide access to some full-text, electronic journals. Strategies for overcoming restrictions and integrating information resources with clinical workflow are being pursued. State, regional and national public and private consortia are developing agreements utilising on-line technology. These could produce cost savings and more equitable access to a greater range of evidence-based resources.

Australia↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Registration and fusion of CT and MRI of the temporal bone.

OBJECTIVE: To present and evaluate a registration method to fuse complementary information of CT and MRI of the temporal bone. METHODS: CT and MRI of the temporal bone of 26 patients were independently registered 4 times. A manual, iterative, intrinsic, rigid, and retrospective registration method was used. Mean CREm (consistency registration error) was calculated as a reproducibility measurement. RESULTS: CREm was 0.6 mm (95% CI = 0.52-0.68 mm). T-test revealed no difference between pathologic and normal cases (t[102] = -1.71; P = 0.09). Time needed: 13 minutes. In the registered and fused datasets, important bony surgical landmarks (eg, facial nerve canal, inner ear) could be assessed in 3 dimensions relatively to tumor tissue (eg, acoustic schwannoma). Fluid distribution within partially obliterated cochleae could be assigned to either scalae. CONCLUSION: An accurate, reproducible registration and fusion method that improves tumor surgery and cochlea implantation planning with only minor changes to the clinical workflow was presented and described. We suggest this method in selected cases.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Automating complex guidelines for chronic disease: lessons learned.

There is scant published experience with implementing complex, multistep computerized practice guidelines for the long-term management of chronic diseases. We have implemented a system for creating, maintaining, and navigating computer-based clinical algorithms integrated with our electronic medical record. This article describes our progress and reports on lessons learned that might guide future work in this field. We discuss issues and obstacles related to choosing and adapting a guideline for electronic implementation, representing and executing the guideline as a computerized algorithm, and integrating it into the clinical workflow of outpatient care. Although obstacles were encountered at each of these steps, the most difficult were related to workflow integration.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2006

From the front line, report from a near paperless hospital: mixed reception among health care professionals.

OBJECTIVE: Many Norwegian hospitals that are equipped with an electronic medical record (EMR) system now have proceeded to withdraw the paper-based medical record from clinical workflow. In two previous survey-based studies on the effect of removing the paper-based medical record on the work of physicians, nurses and medical secretaries, we concluded that to scan and eliminate the paper based record was feasible, but that the medical secretaries were the group that reported to benefit the most from the change. To further explore the effects of removing the paper based record, especially in regard to medical personnel, we now have conducted a follow up study of a hospital that has scanned and eliminated its paper-based record. DESIGN: A survey of 27 physicians, 60 nurses and 30 medical secretaries was conducted. The results were compared with those from a previous study conducted three years earlier at the same department. MEASUREMENTS: The questionnaire (see online Appendix) covered the frequency of use of the EMR system for specific tasks by physicians, nurses and medical secretaries, the ease of performing these tasks compared to previous routines, user satisfaction and computer literacy. RESULTS: Both physicians and nurses displayed increased use of the EMR compared to the previous study, while medical secretaries reported generally unchanged but high use. CONCLUSION: The increase in use was not accompanied by a similar change in factors such as computer literacy or technical changes, suggesting that these typical success factors are necessary but not sufficient.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗