Information System Use in Patient Care - Future Directions: A Practical Method of Monitoring the Results of Health Care

摘要

To meet our goal of improving health care through more productive use of the data we are collecting about the delivery of health care we need to define our concepts of health and quality. The WHO definition of health allows the design of useful functional outcome criteria which give us measurable standards for the outcome of the health care. By recording, retrieving, and reviewing pertinent information from the structure and the process of health care for a valid comparison with its outcome, the most effective and efficient health care is identified. A practical system is presented which identifies the better methods of management and produces the motivation for change that results in improved care. The successful use of this system in a private practice supports its universal adaptability for health care providers. The initial encouraging results suggest that future trials in other types of practices will be even more encouraging.