Implementation of a statewide perinatal automated medical network (PAM/NET) for Michigan

Area of Science:

• Neonatal intensive care
• Health informatics
• Medical networking

Background:

• Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) require efficient data management and communication.
• Sharing clinical data among institutions can improve care but raises confidentiality issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the design and early implementation of the PAM/NET system.
• To evaluate the system's ability to manage and share neonatal patient data.
• To address the balance between data sharing and confidentiality in a multi-institutional network.

Main Methods:

• Development of a computerized database and conferencing system (PAM/NET).
• Utilizing a mainframe computer with an inverted file relational database management system.
• Generating admission, discharge, and developmental assessment summaries.

Main Results:

• PAM/NET was successfully disseminated to nine participating NICUs.
• The system supports rapid retrieval of individual and summary patient data.
• The design incorporates mechanisms to manage data sharing and confidentiality.

Conclusions:

• PAM/NET provides a functional framework for multi-institutional neonatal data management.
• The system facilitates communication and data summarization for medical records and physician correspondence.
• Balancing data sharing and confidentiality is a key consideration in designing such healthcare networks.