Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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Review Comparative Study
Computerized physician order entry and online decision support.
Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and decision support systems (DSS) can reduce certain types of error but often slow clinicians and may increase other types of error. The net effect of these systems on an emergency department (ED) is unknown. The consensus participants combined published evidence with expert opinion to outline recommendations for success. ⋯ Additional CPOE and DSS research is needed quickly, and this research should receive funding priority. DSS and CPOE hold great promise to improve patient care, but not all systems are equal. Evidence must guide these efforts, and the measured outcomes must consider the many factors of quality care.
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Review Comparative Study
Developing consensus in emergency medicine information technology.
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Review Comparative Study
Disparate systems, disparate data: integration, interfaces, and standards in emergency medicine information technology.
As part of the broader informatics consensus initiative sponsored by Academic Emergency Medicine, this report addresses the issues of integration, interfaces, and data standards and how they are relevant to information management in emergency medicine. The purpose of this report, and the workgroup that contributed to its content, is to provide emergency physicians and other stakeholders in the emergency informatics community a sense of direction as they design, build, and/or choose systems. Problems are identified, strategies to address these problems are discussed, and consensus recommendations are provided.
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Review Comparative Study
See one, do one, teach one: advanced technology in medical education.
The concept of "learning by doing" has become less acceptable, particularly when invasive procedures and high-risk care are required. Restrictions on medical educators have prompted them to seek alternative methods to teach medical knowledge and gain procedural experience. Fortunately, the last decade has seen an explosion of the number of tools available to enhance medical education: web-based education, virtual reality, and high fidelity patient simulation. This paper presents some of the consensus statements in regard to these tools agreed upon by members of the Educational Technology Section of the 2004 AEM Consensus Conference for Informatics and Technology in Emergency Department Health Care, held in Orlando, Florida. ⋯ Across specialties, patient simulation, virtual reality, and the Web will soon enable medical students and residents to... see one, simulate many, do one competently, and teach everyone.
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Review Comparative Study
Information technology principles for management, reporting, and research.
Information technology holds the promise to enhance the ability of individuals and organizations to manage emergency departments, improve data sharing and reporting, and facilitate research. The Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM) Consensus Committee has identified nine principles to outline a path of optimal features and designs for current and future information technology systems. The principles roughly summarized include the following: utilize open database standards with clear data dictionaries, provide administrative access to necessary data, appoint and recognize individuals with emergency department informatics expertise, allow automated alert and proper identification for enrollment of cases into research, provide visual and statistical tools and training to analyze data, embed automated configurable alarm functionality for clinical and nonclinical systems, allow multiexport standard and format configurable reporting, strategically acquire mission-critical equipment that is networked and capable of automated feedback regarding functional status and location, and dedicate resources toward informatics research and development. The SAEM Consensus Committee concludes that the diligent application of these principles will enhance emergency department management, reporting, and research and ultimately improve the quality of delivered health care.