Studies in health technology and informatics
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2004
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialA new model for home care for COPD.
A new model for home care of COPD patients is investigated, as a part of a coordinated provision model across levels of care. In the Spanish pilot of the e-Vital project, relevant vital signs for COPD are closely monitored and used for early detection of deterioration in the state of the patient and all prompt treatment. This can also reduce the need for in-person check-ups and re-admission to hospital. ⋯ Results so far are encouraging. In the previous phase, a similar set-up without monitoring facilities at the patient's home showed improvements in several clinical indicators (ER visits, SGRQ, Quality of life, LOS and costs) for a home hospitalisation program and in a prevention of exacerbation program. The current set-up aims at increasing such benefits and further extending the target population.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2004
Transforming written guidelines into electronic formats--international perspectives.
The Guidelines International Network (G-1-N www.g-i-n.net) is a major new international initiative involving guideline-developing organisations from around the world. G-I-N seeks to improve the quality of health care by promoting systematic development of clinical practice guidelines and their application into practice. The Network now has over 45 international members, most of whom prepare evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, or actively promote the use of evidence in practice. ⋯ To be effective, there must be formal internationally agreed standards that allow electronic guidelines to be shared and automatically updated. The Guidelines International Network will be taking a leading international role in working with designers and vendors of electronic decision support systems and tools to guarantee the integrity of guidelines when translated into electronic formats. This presentation by Catherine Marshall, Kitty Rosenbrand and Guenter Ollenschlaeger will: --explore current experiences from New Zealand, Germany and the Netherlands --identify issues from the perspective of guideline developers --make recommendations for establishing opportunities for software designers, vendors and informatics experts to collaborate with guideline developers to ensure that up to date evidence can be easily implemented and shared throughout the world.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2004
A tale of two hospitals: a sociotechnical appraisal of the introduction of computerized physician order entry in two Dutch hospitals.
We compared the implementation of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) in two Dutch hospitals, one being an academic medical center and the other a large regional non-academic hospital. Both implemented the TDS7000 system that was running on the same computer, located in the computing department of the academic medical center. ⋯ An appraisal of the different outcomes is possible when we consider the implementation of information as a thorough social process in which the technical and the social are closely interrelated. Our findings suggest that organizational change associated with CPOE implementation should not focus on individual physician behavior but on medical work as a collaborative professional effort
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2004
Reviewe-Health and quality of life: the role of the Wearable Motherboard.
It is hard to place a price tag either on human life or on the quality of life. Technology is the key to enhancing the quality of life for everyone in the continuum of life from newborns to senior citizens--whether it is the safe delivery and care of undernourished premature babies, or extending the life of a senior citizen through exploratory treatments and procedures. Technology has the potential to rapidly transform healthcare and the practice of medicine by improving the quality and safety of patient care and increasing the efficiency of healthcare providers. ⋯ Then, the development of the Wearable Motherboard as a "platform" for sensors and monitoring devices that can unobtrusively monitor the health and well-being of individuals (directly and/or remotely) is described. This is followed by a discussion of the applications and impact of this technology in the continuum of life--from preventing SIDS to facilitating independent living for senior citizens. Finally, the future advancements in the area of wearable, yet comfortable, systems that can continue the transformation of healthcare and e-Health to i-Health (for interactive health)--all aimed at enhancing the quality of life for humans--are presented.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2004
ReviewNew concepts and technologies in home care and ambulatory monitoring.
The world is becoming more and more health conscious. Society, health policy and patients' needs are all changing dramatically. The challenges society is currently facing are related to the increase in the aging population, changes in lifestyle, the need for healthcare cost containment and the need for improvement and monitoring of healthcare quality. ⋯ This new healthcare approach has to take into account lifestyle for improving prevention. For the patient to be more and more involved in his/her own therapy, new responsibilities and ethics have to be defined. A "societal health education" has to be provided to physicians and to patients to get all the benefits of this new context.