Studies in health technology and informatics
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2013
Observational StudyEvaluating the impact of a mobile oral telemedicine system on medical management and clinical outcomes of patients with complicated oral lesions in Botswana.
Mobile telemedicine, which involves the use of cellular phone telecommunications to facilitate exchange of information between parties in different locations to assist in the management of patients, has become increasingly popular, particularly in resource-limited settings. In Botswana, small studies of mobile telemedicine programs suggest access to these services positively affect patients, but these programs' impact is difficult to capture given limitations of baseline and comparative data. Our observational study uses each patient receiving mobile oral telemedicine services in Botswana as his/her own control to assess the impact of these services on his/her diagnosis and management plan. At month 5 of 12 total, preliminary analysis of eligible cases (n = 27) reveals management plan discordance between clinicians submitting cases and the specialist was 68.0% (17/25), suggesting that telemedicine can result in significant changes in management of patients.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2013
Challenges in data quality assurance for electronic health records.
Data quality is an integral part of EHR systems. Quality assurance for these systems not only identifies the current defects in the data but also aims for minimizing the risk of their future occurrence. ⋯ Although those methods were successful in small scale research studies, their application to large scale day-to-day flow of information in EHR systems involves many challenges. In this paper, we highlighted those challenges for each method and each dimension and proposed a framework for using existing technologies to address those challenges.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2013
Identifying computerized provider order entry (CPOE) medication errors.
Computerized provider order entry (CPOE) can help reduce the occurrence of medication errors. In Saudi Arabia, CPOE has been implemented for years, with a small number of studies evaluating the impacts of CPOE on medication errors. ⋯ Data was reviewed and evaluated to identify and analyze all drug prescribing errors and subsequently exploring factors that have contributed to the identification of the drug prescribing errors by the dispensing pharmacists. Recommendations on developing policies and procedures, working in a safe environment, healthcare provider awareness, and improved technology to reduce medication errors in Saudi Arabia are discussed.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2013
Impact of Thailand universal coverage scheme on the country's health information systems and health information technology.
Thailand achieved universal healthcare coverage with the implementation of the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) in 2001. This study employed qualitative method to explore the impact of the UCS on the country's health information systems (HIS) and health information technology (HIT) development. The results show that health insurance beneficiary registration system helps improve providers' service workflow and country vital statistics. ⋯ The financial incentive of outpatient data quality improvement project enhance providers' HIS and HIT investment and also induce data fraudulence tendency. Implementation of UCS has largely brought favorable impact on the country HIS and HIT development. However, the unfavorable effects are also evident.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2013
Tailored care management with patient-centered web-based portal in primary health care: sustaining a relational context.
While many innovative information and communication technologies have been offered as solutions to primary care management challenges, few have been shown to be effective and or sustainable over time. Information technology approaches have been narrow in focus, relying on designs that enhance usability, interoperability and adaptability by delimiting the traits, attributes, and characteristics of individual communication processes. It is increasingly understood in primary health care settings that relational communication continuity between the patient and the health care team is essential for optimizing co-determined treatments, interventions, and self-management strategies. Successful utilization of a patient-centered web-based portal must account for essential proximity of the relational aspect of care between the patient and the immediate health care team.