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A new approach to patient indexing
J C Edwards1, K Thompson, D G Jameson
1Department of Rheumatology, Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London.
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
|October 1, 1987
Summary
A new computer system indexes rheumatology patients using clinical and lab data, enabling flexible data searching for research and patient care. This rheumatology patient index improves data accessibility for various applications.
Area of Science:
- Rheumatology
- Medical Informatics
- Health Data Management
Background:
- Traditional diagnostic labels can be limiting in rheumatology research.
- Efficient patient data management is crucial for clinical and scientific advancement.
- A flexible indexing system is needed to capture comprehensive patient information.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a novel computer-based patient index for rheumatology.
- To enable searching of patient data for diverse practical and scientific uses.
- To develop a user-friendly and efficient rheumatology patient indexing system.
Main Methods:
- Developed a computer-based index for rheumatology patients.
- Indexed patients using essential clinical and laboratory data.
- Avoided rigid diagnostic labels in the indexing process.
- Designed software for the Windows environment on Apricot Xen hardware.
Main Results:
- The system allows for indexing based on detailed clinical and laboratory findings.
- Stored data is searchable for a broad spectrum of clinical and research purposes.
- The software is optimized for speed and ease of use.
Conclusions:
- This rheumatology patient index provides a flexible and powerful tool for managing and utilizing patient data.
- The system supports both clinical practice and scientific investigation in rheumatology.
- The design prioritizes efficient data retrieval and comprehensive patient profiling.