AMIA ... Annual Symposium proceedings / AMIA Symposium. AMIA Symposium
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The problem of developing a curriculum for biomedical informatics is highly dependent on how we choose to define and practice the field. Numerous authors have questioned how to position biomedical informatics along the continuum of formal, empirical and engineering disciplines. A concern with current educational programs in biomedical informatics is that students finish without a clear understanding of the relation between theory and practice, or worse, with the impression that the field does not possess any theoretical basis. ⋯ We posit that that knowledge of formalization is necessary to build testable empirical models, and that model-driven approaches are necessary for deploying information systems that can be evaluated in a meaningful way. A curricular framework is proposed that identifies a set of methods, techniques and theories that have broad applicability within the domain of biomedicine, and which can span a wide range of application areas: bioinformatics, imaging informatics, clinical informatics and public health informatics. A stronger linkage between theory and practice will result in students who are empowered to create effective and lasting solutions to biomedical problems.
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AMIA Annu Symp Proc · Jan 2003
Albumin versus crystalloid therapy in the management of hepatorenal syndrome: a model for using meta analysis in cost effectiveness studies and the design of clinical trials.
We applied traditional methods of gathering, integrating and summarizing findings of current literature, with new approaches for assessing the cost effectiveness of two treatments for hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). Findings of this cost effectiveness study are used to form a proposal for a multi-center prospective clinical trial, to assess the economic and clinical benefits of albumen versus crystalloid therapy in the care of these patients. Our initial findings suggest that albumin therapy is superior to standard crystalloid therapy, in the treatment of HRS patients. The number of survival days appears to increase with this form of therapy per dollar cost, while patients await liver transplantation.
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University of Minnesota Physicians, the faculty clinical practice organization of the Medical School, is implementing an Electronic Medical Record (EMR). During this process, we anticipated the need for an evaluative study of the implementation to examine process and satisfaction. ⋯ The use of these data to evaluate the implementation and user-acceptance of change of process presents a unique research opportunity. The study of the impact of the EMR implementation on patient care, education, and other issues of academic interest make this research study valuable.
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The aim of this study was to identify the organisation of and knowledge about triage work in Swedish emergency departments (ED) as a first step to understanding what is necessary for decision support in ED triage systems in Sweden. A national survey using telephone interviews for data collection was used. Results showed great variety in how work regarding ED triage is organised and performed. The variety occurs in several areas including education, personnel performing triage, facilities available and scales used.
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AMIA Annu Symp Proc · Jan 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialIntelligent intravenous infusion pumps to improve medication administration safety.
Intravenous (IV) medications are vital in the management of hospitalized patients. Inpatients frequently receive several IV medications concurrently, and these are commonly delivered with infusion pump systems. In particular, critically ill patients receive potent "high-alert" IV drugs, many with narrow safety margins requiring careful nursing titration. ⋯ Although errors in prescribing are often intercepted, administration errors do not get caught with most current systems While several safety improvements in IV infusion pump design have reduced mechanical complications, errors with IV drug administration such as incorrect programming persist. Intelligent IV infusion pumps have integrated software to provide point of care decision support (DS). This software includes drug library profiles configured for specific patient care units and includes programming of safety limits for drug/dose calculations.