Tutorial at AMIA mtg Oct 23, 2005 Washington, DC: Clinical Decision Support: A Practical Guide to Developing Your Program to Improve Outcomes
Use this coupon to get $20 off this tutorial which will provide attendees with a practical approach to developing and deploying clinical decision support (CDS) interventions that measurably improve outcomes of interest to a health care delivery organization. The following key steps, including overcoming barriers, will be examined in detail: selecting appropriate CDS goals and enhancing organizational structures needed for CDS success; surveying available organizational information systems pertinent to delivering CDS; selecting appropriate CDS interventions to accomplish the goals from a broad array of options; and developing and launching the interventions and measuring their effects.

NSA granted Net location-tracking patent
The National Security Agency has obtained a patent on a method of figuring out an Internet user's geographic location. This could be useful in identifying passwords to be disabled if not used from or near an appropriate location. Alternatively it could be used to track internet search queries that might be indicative of bioterrorism events (see: Wagner et al. The emerging science of very early detection of disease outbreaks. J Public Health Manag Pract. 2001 Nov;7(6):51-9.)

FDA turns to industry to help track drug safety
The FDA can use the information in those files, which protect the privacy of patients, to conduct drug safety analyses in a proactive manner and "respond expeditiously to urgent public safety concerns.

The Electronic Health Record "Toolbox"
The electronic health record is like a toolbox that clinicians can use to help manage their practice, take better care of their patients, and improve their documentation and efficiency. But to take full advantage of a toolbox, the carpenter must have familiarity and experience with all of its components, have a sense about which tool is optimal for a given job, and have the discipline to use that tool, even if at first it might seem difficult or cumbersome. (A very nice introductory piece for physicians new to EMRs. ed.)

"HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Here, Now and Tomorrow"
A link to all the presentations and many great references pertaining to the use of health information technology. Speakers included: David Brailer, Carolyn Clancy, Richard Hillestad, and George Halverson

DXplain Evaluation 2005 - Information Links
DXplain, a computer assisted decision support system, is being made available for a three-month no-cost trial subscription with unlimited use, to help developers better evaluate the system, and to allow you to evaluate it for your institution's use.

LISA: a web-based decision-support system for trial management of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia
A web-based decision-support system (Leukaemia Intervention Scheduling and Advice, 'LISA') was designed to facilitate access to FBC information across geographical locations and to assist with dosage adjustments. LISA significantly reduced the number of erroneous prescriptions (zero of 144 with LISA vs. 54 of 144 without; P < 0.0001) without affecting the number of times subjects deliberately overrode the protocol (seven of 144 times using LISA and six of 144 without).

Biometrics curing password headaches
A growing number of large end-user organisations are making the switch to biometrics-based solutions to overcome the perennial problems users continue to have with passwords. 88% of respondents are frustrated with password management. And this frustration is manifesting itself in practices that may jeopardise corporate security such as writing down passwords or saving them locally on a spreadsheet or document.(Note: Perhaps it is time for biometrics in healthcare organizations? Ed.

Robotic patients help train doctors
Mexico City's UNAM University has opened the world's largest "robotic hospital" -- where medical students practice on everything from delivering a baby from a robotic dummy to injecting the arm of a plastic toddler.