|
Researchers pilot new electronic system for infectious illness
April 10, 2008Researchers at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Harvard Medical School, Atrius Health, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health have created and tested a set of computer programs that use electronic medical records to help clinicians detect contagious illness and automatically report them to public health departments.
The new system, called Electronic Medical Record Support for Public Health, or ESP, was described in the April 11 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a publication of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pilot version of ESP was installed in January 2007 at Atrius Health, a multi-specialty physician group with 30 practice sites in Eastern Massachusetts. Atrius Health is an alliance of five medical groups serving approximately 600,000 patients at outpatient clinical sites and hospitals.
"This is a good example of the way clinicians can provide better support for public health activities that benefit everyone," says Richard Platt, senior author for this study and chairman of the Harvard Medical School Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. "It is especially noteworthy that this system also reduces the amount of work required of busy practitioners."
Typically, clinicians report diseases by filling out paper forms and mailing or faxing them to health authorities. This time-consuming work has historically led to delays in disease reporting and even failure to report some cases altogether. The new system will save time by automatically scanning electronic medical records to identify cases and electronically report them to the health department on clinicians' behalf. The system will also benefit health officials by providing more complete, timely, and accurate disease reports.
At present, 45 percent of Massachusetts clinicians use an electronic medical record, a number expected to rise to 75 percent by 2010.
ESP substantially increased both the number of reported infections and the completeness of information sent to health officials. In a one year period, the electronic system reported approximately 40 percent more cases of Chlamydia and 50 percent more cases of gonorrhoea. In addition, the electronic system did a better job of reporting if the infected patient was pregnant and whether correct antibiotics had been prescribed. The electronic disease reports contain the same information that clinicians currently report in accordance with state law.
ESP is currently designed to report seven different infections: active tuberculosis, acute hepatitis A, acute hepatitis B, acute hepatitis C, Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and pelvic inflammatory disease. The research team is developing methods to detect and report additional kinds of infections.
"Despite increasing use of electronic medical records, disease reporting is still frequently done by paper. ESP offers the promise of more rapid detection of threats to the public health. This would allow faster action to prevent further transmission of infection," says Alfred DeMaria, Jr, MD, Director of the Bureau of Communicable Disease Control at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Harvard Medical School
Typically, clinicians report diseases by filling out paper forms and mailing or faxing them to health authorities. This time-consuming work has historically led to delays in disease reporting and even failure to report some cases altogether. The new system will save time by automatically scanning electronic medical records to identify cases and electronically report them to the health department on clinicians' behalf. The system will also benefit health officials by providing more complete, timely, and accurate disease reports.
At present, 45 percent of Massachusetts clinicians use an electronic medical record, a number expected to rise to 75 percent by 2010.
ESP substantially increased both the number of reported infections and the completeness of information sent to health officials. In a one year period, the electronic system reported approximately 40 percent more cases of Chlamydia and 50 percent more cases of gonorrhoea. In addition, the electronic system did a better job of reporting if the infected patient was pregnant and whether correct antibiotics had been prescribed. The electronic disease reports contain the same information that clinicians currently report in accordance with state law.
ESP is currently designed to report seven different infections: active tuberculosis, acute hepatitis A, acute hepatitis B, acute hepatitis C, Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and pelvic inflammatory disease. The research team is developing methods to detect and report additional kinds of infections.
"Despite increasing use of electronic medical records, disease reporting is still frequently done by paper. ESP offers the promise of more rapid detection of threats to the public health. This would allow faster action to prevent further transmission of infection," says Alfred DeMaria, Jr, MD, Director of the Bureau of Communicable Disease Control at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Harvard Medical School
Electronic Medical Record News and Current Electronic Medical Record Events RSSStudy finds patients overestimate cancer screening history
A new American Cancer Society study finds female African American patients tend to overestimate their level of cancer screening, indicating that current estimates of screening based on self-reported data may be lower than reported.
SUNY researcher issued patent for virtual telemicroscope
After nearly ten years of research and development, scientists at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn and Peking University in Beijing were awarded a United States patent for their virtual telemicroscope. This patented software permits off-site pathologists to diagnose cancer or other diseases in patients living in remote locations around the world.
Researchers study new drug and indications for heated chemotherapy treatment
Studies have shown that surgery combined with Intraperitoneal Hyperthermic Chemotherapy (IPHC) can improve survival rates for select patients with peritoneal carcinoma (cancer of the lining of the abdominal cavity) that has spread from colorectal or appendix cancer.
Impact of electronic personal health record on hypertension under study
Whether patients with an electronic handle on their health are more successful at beating one of the nation's leading chronic diseases is under study.
Treating oft ignored non-cancer health issues after cancer diagnosis prolongs survival
Receiving treatment for non-cancer health issues while being treated by specialists for cancer improves cancer survival rates according to a study published in the December 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Kaiser Permanente study shows electronic medical records and outreach improve osteoporosis care
Electronic medical records and outreach programs of e-mail messages, letters and phone calls to patients and their primary care providers after a bone fracture can dramatically improve the diagnosis and management of the patients' osteoporosis.
Hypertension appears to be frequently undiagnosed in children and adolescents
In a study of children and adolescents with hypertension, only about one in four had been previously diagnosed with the condition, according to a study in the August 22/29 issue of JAMA.
Computerized doctors' orders reduce medication errors
Doctors are famous for sloppy scribbling - and handwritten prescriptions lead to thousands of medication errors each year. Electronics to the rescue: U.S. hospitals that switched to computerized physician order entry systems saw a 66 percent drop in prescription errors, according to a new review of studies.
Electronic medical record boosts quality, efficiency
Ten years ago, Douglass A. Morrison, MD, PhD, FSCAI, was none too enthusiastic about the electronic medical record (EMR) being developed by the Department of Veterans Affairs for use throughout its health system.
New technology could improve clinical trial recruitment
Electronic medical records are touted as a great way to prevent medical errors, but researchers are reporting that this new technology may also be just what the doctor ordered for clinical trial recruitment.
More Electronic Medical Record News Articles
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |