Reporting race and ethnicity data--National Electronic Telecommunications System for Surveillance, 1994-1997.
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Reporting accurate and complete race and ethnicity data in public health surveillance systems provides critical information to target and evaluate public health interventions, particularly for minority populations. A national health objective for 2000 is to improve data collection on race and ethnicity in public health surveillance and data systems. To determine progress toward meeting this goal in CDC's National Electronic Telecommunications System for Surveillance (NETSS), the percentage of case reports of selected nationally notifiable diseases reported through NETSS with information regarding a patient's race and ethnicity was calculated for 1994-1997. The findings of this study indicate these data were received for approximately half of the cases, and the completeness of reporting of race and ethnicity data to NETSS had not improved. (+info)
Great earthquakes and medical information systems, with special reference to telecommunications.
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The Hanshin-Awaji earthquake in January 1995 caused the greatest number of deaths and injuries in Japan since World War II. Various weaknesses of modern information systems were exposed during and after the earthquake. The authors carried out a questionnaire survey to investigate the current state of hospital information and to examine the kinds of information needed immediately after an earthquake. The survey results show that information about the ability to admit new patients and the availability of medical supplies is necessary immediately after such a disaster. These results will be useful for planning countermeasures against this kind of disaster. (+info)
Clinical services assessment and reengineering: lessons learned.
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Healthcare enterprises often "acquire and install" picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) without examining many of the care delivery processes and information flows that will be affected. Many times these unexamined factors can delay or be the cause of failure of the PACS project. This article presents issues that were worked through as part of a PACS clinical services assessment and reengineering analysis for several US military medical treatment facilities. (+info)
Using multi media to enhance a flexible learning program: lessons learned.
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Central Queensland University is a well-established distance education provider with an internationally recognized reputation in flexible learning. It has a well-developed infrastructure for the preparation of quality print and multimedia learning materials. A symposium and working conference linking twelve sites, including Auckland NZ via video conferencing, and supported by print based materials and web based conferencing was held during November 1998 with the assistance of Telstra's Conferlink. This paper provides the background, organisation, and evaluation results. Our conclusions are that appropriate use of a combination of print based materials, videoconferencing and a web based classroom works well for the provision of continuing education to health professionals. In addition this symposium was able to reach clinicians and demonstrate the value of informatics to support evidence based practice. (+info)
Ethnographic interviews to elicit patients' reactions to an intelligent interactive telephone health behavior advisor system.
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Information technology is being used to collect data directly from patients and to provide educational information to them. Concern over patient reactions to this use of information technology is especially important in light of the debate over whether computers dehumanize patients. This study reports reactions that patient users expressed in ethnographic interviews about using a computer-based telecommunications system. The interviews were conducted as part of a larger evaluation of Telephone-Linked Care (TLC)-HealthCall, an intelligent interactive telephone advisor, that advised individuals about how to improve their health through changes in diet or exercise. Interview findings suggest that people formed personal relationships with the TLC system. These relationships ranged from feeling guilty about their diet or exercise behavior to feeling love for the voice. The findings raise system design and user interface issues as well as research and ethical questions. (+info)
Telemedicine in neurosurgery using international digital telephone services between Japan and Malaysia--technical note.
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A new image transmission and teleconference system using international digital telephone services was established between Japan and Malaysia. This new system consists of an ordinary personal computer, image scanner, and terminal adapter for digital telephone lines. The quality of images transferred using this system was high enough for diagnosis and discussion except for images such as radiographs requiring huge data transfer. Transmission of one image took approximately 20 seconds. The cost performance was almost equal to the conventional mailing system. The most remarkable advantage of this new system is the high quality of transferred images, the cost and time performance, and security of the medical information. New communication systems using international digital networks including the internet may allow re-distribution of medical resources between advanced countries and developing countries in neurosurgery. (+info)
Assessment of telemedicine in surgical education and patient care.
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OBJECTIVE: To analyze the value of teleconferencing for patient care and surgical education by assessing the activity of an international academic network. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: The uses of telemedicine include teleeducation, training, and consulting, and surgical teams are now involved, sharing diagnostic information and opinions without the need for travel. However, the value of telematics in surgery remains to be assessed. METHODS: During a 2-year period, weekly surgical teleconferences were held among six university hospitals in four European countries. To assess the accuracy of telediagnosis for surgical cases, 60 randomly selected cases were analyzed by a panel of surgeons. Participants' opinions were analyzed by questionnaire. RESULTS: Seventy teleconferences (50 lectures and 271 case presentations) were held. Ninety-five of the 114 participants (83.3%) completed the final questionnaire. Eighty-six percent rated the surgical activity as good or excellent, 75.7% rated the scientific level as good or excellent, 55.8% rated the daily clinical activity as good or excellent, and 28.4% rated the manual surgical technique as good or excellent. The target organ was identified in all the cases; the organ structure and pathology were considered well defined in 93.3%, and the fine structure was considered well defined in 58.3%. Diagnosis was accurate in 17 cases (28.3%), probable in 25 (41.7%), possible but uncertain in 16 (26.7%), and not possible in 2 cases (3.3%). Discussion among the remote sites increased the rate of valuable therapeutic advice from 55% of cases before the discussion to 95% after the discussion. Eighty-six percent of the surgeons expressed satisfaction with telematics for medical education and patient care. CONCLUSIONS: Participant satisfaction was high, transmission of clinical documents was accurate, and the opportunity to discuss case documentation and management significantly improved diagnostic potential, resulting in an accuracy rate of up to 95%. Teleeducation and teleconsultation in surgery appear to be beneficial. (+info)
Work related upper limb disorders in telecommunication workers in Malaysia.
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A total of 323 workers from 5 different occupational groups in the telecommunication industry were studied in this cross sectional study, which sought to determine the prevalence of Work Related Upper Limb Disorders (WRULD) in 5 occupational groups; operators using the Video Display Terminals, switchboard operators, clerks, data entry processors and the supervisors. WRULD was also studied with regard to factors such as sex, race, height, age, stress and the discomfort perceived due to the work station design. The possibility of WRULD was determined from a self-administered questionnaire and confirmed by history and physical examination. Psychological stress and the discomfort due to the workstation were measured from the questionnaire. The overall prevalence was found to be 31.2% and the prevalence among the various occupations differed with it being the highest in the switchboard operators and data processors and the lowest in the supervisors. The older workers and the female workers were found to have higher prevalences of WRULD. It was also found that a higher stress score and a higher score of discomfort perceived at the work station were associated with higher prevalences of WRULD. (+info)