Electronic endoscopic information systems: what is out there?

Electronic Medical Records: Use as Tools for Improving Quality in Pediatric Endoscopy

Quality indicators and standards for pediatric endoscopy have recently been developed by the inaugural working group of the international Pediatric Endoscopy Quality Improvement Network (PEnQuIN). Currently available electronic medical record (EMR) functionalities can enable real-time capture of quality indicators to support continuous quality measurement and improvement within pediatric endoscopy facilities. Ultimately, EMR interoperability and cross-institutional data sharing can serve to validate PEnQuIN standards of care and permit benchmarking across endoscopy services, in the pursuit of elevating the quality of endoscopic care for children everywhere.

Endoscopic electronic record: A new approach for improving management of colorectal cancer prevention

Digestive endoscopy is currently the main diagnostic procedure for investigation of the digestive tract when a digestive disease is suspected. The use of computers and electronic medical records for the management of endoscopic data are an important key to improving endoscopy unit efficiency and productivity. This technology supports optimal program operation, monitoring and evaluation colorectal cancer screening. This article is a comprehensive survey of endoscopic electronic medical records and information systems. Computerized clinical records have the capability of identifying patients due for screening and to calculate baseline rates of colorectal cancer screening by patient characteristics and by primary care physician and practice group. This paper describes data flow in the endoscopy unit, the minimum data set of colorectal cancer and key features of endoscopic electronic medical record. In addition, the researchers state standards in different aspects, especially terminology standards and interoperability standards for image and text.

A primer on endoscopic electronic medical records

Endoscopic electronic medical record systems (EEMRs) are now increasingly utilized in many endoscopy centers. Modern EEMRs not only support endoscopy report generation, but often include features such as practice management tools, image and video clip management, inventory management, e-faxes to referring physicians, and database support to measure quality and patient outcomes. There are many existing software vendors offering EEMRs, and choosing a software vendor can be time consuming and confusing. The goal of this article is inform the readers about current functionalities available in modern EEMR and provide them with a framework necessary to find an EEMR that is best fit for their practice.

Using technology to promote gastrointestinal outcomes research: a case for electronic health records

Electronic health records (EHRs) have been shown to reduce medication errors, improve patient outcomes, and create administrative efficiencies. Numerous public and private efforts are currently underway to achieve universal EHR adoption in the United States by the year 2014. EHRs hold a great potential to integrate clinical care and research by allowing input of clinical data in a structured format, facilitating electronic data capture for clinical trials and providing linkage with genomic information. The goal of this article is to inform the academic gastrointestinal community about the research opportunities created by the widespread adoption of EHRs and present a systematic approach in utilizing EHR-derived data for observational, experimental, or translational studies.

Endoscopic electronic medical record systems

EEMR systems have become an integral part of the daily operation of many endoscopy units. Systems have evolved from simple endoscopy report generators to sophisticated endoscopy unit managers. Newer features of these systems may improve patient care and enhance endoscopy unit efficiency and productivity, but further studies are needed. The needs of the endoscopy unit, the staff, and the endoscopist should drive the selection process when choosing an EEMR. Extensive testing of the EEMR system capabilities, especially the ability to interface with existing software programs, is essential before purchasing an EEMR system.

Promoting efficiency in gastrointestinal endoscopy

High-quality gastrointestinal endoscopy is now a primary screening modality for public health purposes, and essential service for outpatient and intensive hospital settings, a specialty endeavor for nurses and physicians, and a big business. Efficiency, therefore, is valued by many interested parties including patients, physicians, and payers. Optimal design of facilities and services and professional administration for efficiency, quality, and safety are important to its success on each of these levels. This article discusses efficiency in the management and performance of gastrointestinal endoscopy, namely enhancement of productivity, or work performed per unit of time or expense.