The Informatics Review Vol. 5 No. 9 - May 1 2002 -- Current Reviews in Clinical Informatics

Framingham Genomics Medicine to Disband after Denial of Heart Data
Thanks to an alert reader for sending this link that updates the link from last issue describing the Biotechnology: Firm set to mine Framingham Heart Study

Software Zeroes In on Ovarian Cancer
Proteome Quest, pattern-recognition software, identified a pattern among five serum proteins that diagnoses ovarian cancer with unheard-of accuracy. It is a computing feat of outstanding significance and signals that the search for biomarkers for disease stands at the threshold of new possibilities, ready to step beyond single-protein biomarkers to those based on multiple proteins, what might be called proteomic fingerprints.

Kansas City Jumps to Forefront in Bioterrorism Detection
HealthSentry automatically collects critical biological information about disease outbreaks from health care organizations including hospitals, emergency departments, clinics and physician offices. For example, laboratory tests ordered by doctors and the results of those tests are analyzed and any unusual number of ordered tests or test results provides early warning of a potential outbreak. If a critical result is identified, the system automatically alerts public health officials by pager and e-mail. At any time, officials can log onto a secure Internet site to investigate cases using HealthSentry reports and a geographic information system that shows where the disease is clustered or spreading.

Survey of Doctors’ Experience of Patients Using the Internet
These doctors reported patient benefits from Internet use much more often than harms, but there were more problems than benefits for the doctors themselves. Reported estimates of patient Internet usage rates were low. Overall, this survey suggests that patients are deriving considerable benefits from using the Internet and that some of the claimed risks seem to have been exaggerated.

New study estimates 8 million American families experienced a serious medical or drug error
Many also fail to get recommended preventive care or treatment for chronic conditions
Click to read full report

Shock Therapy at Kaiser Permanente
CEO Lawrence saw the need to give Kaiser emergency tech care. Patient records were still being kept on paper and carted around in fleets of trucks from one doctor's office to another. IT, Lawrence believed, would not only digitize those records, but also streamline time-consuming administrative procedures, cut error rates and greatly enhance the quality of Kaiser's medical care. Keeping doctors more up-to-date on the latest medical information via the Web, he believed, also would give companies—and consumers—more of a reason to pick Kaiser over other HMOs. (Note: many factual errors concerning dates and places, etc., but the importance of leadership is clear.) An interview with Kaiser CEO David Lawrence

IOM Guidance for Development of Patient Safety Data Standards
The purpose of this 24-month IOM project is to produce a detailed plan to facilitate the development of data standards applicable to the collection, coding and classification of patient safety information. The plan will apply to both adverse event data and errors data.

Patient/Physician Online Communication
Many patients want it, would pay for it, and it would influence their choice of doctors and health plans. More than two-thirds of them would like to be able to do each of questions where no visit is necessary (77%), fix appointments (71%), refill (71%), and receive the results of medical tests (70%).

PubMed introduces LinkOut - Tell your local library they should participate
LinkOut is a feature of Entrez that is designed to provide users with links from PubMed and other Entrez databases to a wide variety of relevant web-accessible online resources, including full-text publications, biological databases, consumer health information, research tools, and more. The goal is to facilitate access to relevant online resources beyond the Entrez system in order to extend, clarify, or supplement information found in the Entrez databases.

Survey shows PDAs are just what the doctor ordered
Global Physician Survey Reports Mobile Devices Help Doctors Provide Better Patient Care; Improve Interactions with Pharmaceutical Representatives

Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Hearing on Medical Privacy
The blessing of high technology can also be a curse to personal privacy. With the click of a mouse, our most personal information can be launched into cyber-space for millions to see. If we don't take steps forward to protect privacy in the information age, our most personal information will be available to every employer, every health insurance company, and every high tech Peeping Tom in America.

If Doctors Prescribe Information, Will Patients Pay or Surf Web?
Information can be prescribed, just like a pill. The data sent to patients can be coded under the statistical classification system for diseases and injuries that doctors use for billing purposes.

How the Internet Is Transforming the Physician-Patient Relationship
By providing access to medical information, online medical advice, computer-based home-monitoring systems, and online support groups, the Internet is making it possible for patients to assume much more responsibility for their own health care.

El Camino wants paperless hospital
El Camino Hospital was the first hospital in the country to install an online physician prescription ordering system in 1971. They are now turning to a 30-year-old technology partner to help it achieve a goal of becoming a wireless and paperless hospital.

Plumbing the Depths: Using the Invisible Web
Just when we already feel overwhelmed by the number of results returned when using Web search engines, there is mounting evidence that there is a great deal that is not being searched--namely the "Invisible" or "Deep" Web. Not only is a majority of Web content submerged within these sites, but it is also some of the best information on the Internet.

Don't Miss AMIA Spring Meeting, May 20-22, Scottsdale, AZ
A unique and crucial symposium on Medication Informatics, entitled A Drug by Any Other Name: The Role Of Informatics From Drug Development Through The Point-Of-Care.

Information in a Multidisciplinary World
25th JUNE, 2002 At: Canterbury Christ Church University College, United Kingdom
The conference programme, venue details and online booking form can be accessed.

Download Caché, the post-relational database
Get your free single-user license of Caché for Windows or Linux complete with support and a comprehensive tutorial. Documentation files are included. There is a brief FAQ about the free single-user download available .
Other issues from Volume 5 -- 2001

1 -- Jan 1

5 -- Mar 1

9 --- May 1

13 -- Jul 1

17 -- Sep 1

21 -- Nov 1

2 -- Jan 15

6 -- Mar 15

10 -- May 15

14 -- Jul 15

18 -- Sep 15

22 -- Nov 15

3 -- Feb 1

7 -- Apr 1

11 -- Jun 1

15 -- Aug 1

19 -- Oct 1

23 -- Dec 1

4 -- Feb 15

8 -- Apr 15

12 -- Jun 15

16 -- Aug 15

20 -- Oct 15

24 -- Dec 15

5/1/02 dfs

1 -- Jan 1	5 -- Mar 1	9 --- May 1	13 -- Jul 1	17 -- Sep 1	21 -- Nov 1
2 -- Jan 15	6 -- Mar 15	10 -- May 15	14 -- Jul 15	18 -- Sep 15	22 -- Nov 15
3 -- Feb 1	7 -- Apr 1	11 -- Jun 1	15 -- Aug 1	19 -- Oct 1	23 -- Dec 1
4 -- Feb 15	8 -- Apr 15	12 -- Jun 15	16 -- Aug 15	20 -- Oct 15	24 -- Dec 15