| 44 |
Information/Education Rep
|
The wound alert system: an informatics intervention in wound healing First Author: Joshua Gordon Authors: Joshua Gordon, Anna Flattau, MD, Arber Kodra and Harold Brem, MD Alert systems are necessary for patient safety. We have developed an informatics intervention system known as the Wound Alert System, which provides clinical decision support specific to Wound Healing. By persistently monitoring up to 42 distinct parameters from an electronic medical record, Wound Alert provides information which insures a clinician will be notified of a dangerous condition, such as a non-healing wound or an electrolyte abnormality, at the time data is collected. Additionally, it enhances the continuity of patient care by reducing the frequency of wound emergencies occurring consequent of overlooked information. Reasoning in Wound Alert is performed by an expert system which employs rule based logical inference to discover complex conditions. Rules capture rates of change in blood chemistry, the presence of wound specific features such as cellulitis or drainage, changes in wound size and the presence or absence of a specific medication or antibiotic. To date the program has delivered over 100 alerts in a clinical setting. Wound Alert transforms the electronic medical record into a useful clinical adjuvant in clinical care, and provides a safeguard which reduces the occurrence of preventable medical errors and enhances the effectiveness of the clinician. |
|