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Developing and implementing a user-driven departmental database system--implications for the Royal College of
N James1, C Carrington-Johnson, C McKenzie
1Department of Clinical Oncology, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.
Abstract:
With the increasing availability of computers, more departments are using word processors in place of typewriters. In the course of typing patient discharge summaries and letters, a large amount of information of potential use for audit or research purposes is entered into the computer but in a form inaccessible for analysis. We have developed a data-base system, based on information entered by departmental staff in the course of their work, rather than by designated data managers. The aim of the system is to replace word-processed clinical summaries. We describe the design, implementation and possible advantages and disadvantages of such a system and implications for the COIN proposal of the Royal College of Radiologists.