According to a recently released report from The Center for Studying Health System Change, the proportion of doctors with access to information technology is up somewhat.
The center surveyed physicians about the use of IT in their practice for five specific clinical activities, each of which has been shown to improve patient care:
· Obtaining information about treatment alternatives or recommended guidelines
· Exchanging clinical data and images with other physicians
· Accessing patient notes, medication lists or problem lists
· Generating preventive treatment reminders for the physician's use
· Writing prescriptions
Almost 21 percent of doctors interviewed in 2004-2005 said they had access to technology for the above-mentioned tasks, up from 11.4 percent in 2000-2001. However, nearly 17 percent didn't have any access to clinical information technology for any of the five activities, 20 percent only had it for one activity.
It has been shown that when physicians computerize tasks and adopt electronic medical records, they also cut down on errors and save money and time. But the same obstacles loom large: technology is expensive, no national standard has been established and altering office procedures takes time-and more money.
1. This may be costly to upgrade written data to IT but the time-consuming now helps fast-finding for life-saving information later.
I was admitted to Meridia South Pointe Hospital, now part of the Cleveland Clinic, on Friday June 9th, for a ruptured ovarian cyst and the quality care I received probably had much to do with integration of a well-utilized IT system.
I had been taking a natural herbal combination treatment for 4 months and by letting the nurses, doctors and EMT's know exactly what I was taking, made the ease of my septicemia a less difficult task. The correct measurement dosage of either Morphine or Keflex was screened and compared to the natural ingredients I had been ingesting for the hopeful removal or at least shrinkage of the mass.
I was quite surprised that the combination of wild yam, black cohosh, lemon balm, dong quai, licorice root, stinging nettle and calcium would strengthen the ovary (because of properly balancing the hormones) and weakening the mass for a rupture.
The staff on hand was phenomenal through my ordeal. I am ppretty sure records from a previous hospital visit five months ago got electronically received by Meridia so that the proper care was administered. They all performed above and beyond the traditional and conventional ways some hospitals are still run.
I had the pleasure of both an osteopath perspective and one held by the traditional clinicians who took the hippocratic oath at least thirty years ago. The difference and collaboration in techniques allowed me the 'wholistic' experience in healthcare.
This part of Cleveland's current history is not spoken enough about in the positive sense to encourage technological and medicinal apllications to be integrated; therefore my experience and the future blogs about my continued sojourn will only improve Clevelands finest attributes.
*Disclaimer: The information presented in this message I posted should NOT replace the advice of a qualified health care professional. It is NOT presented as qualified advice or council. Please use this information as a guide or reference point when consulting with your private physician (s).
sharing the light
Posted at 10:57PM on Jun 12th 2006 by Erica Hidvegi