Surfing the Internet is not just for entertainment
April 1, 2002
Surfing the Internet is not just for entertainment
E-commerce, on-line education are good waves
In the mid-1970s, scientists and academicians were exploring a concept that involved the connection of different computer networks as a way to share research among large groups of people in different locations. Twenty-five years later, the use of what has become known as the Internet is an everyday occurrence for almost everyone.
"One of the biggest changes made possible by computerization and the Internet is the automation of the medical record," says Patrick Virnich, vice president of E-business development at Tyco Healthcare in Norwalk, CT. (Virnich is scheduled to speak on this topic at the 2002 meeting of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses, April 21-25, Anaheim, CA. For more information, contact AORN, 2170 S. Parker Road, Suite 300, Denver, CO 80231-5711. Telephone: (800) 755-2676, ext. 1, or (303) 755-6304, ext. 1. Fax: (303) 750-3212. Web: www.aorn.org/congress.)
Some institutions are using wireless devices to capture patient information and transmit directly into the computerized medical record, ensuring accurate, timely updates without requiring a computer at every bedside, he says. Easy access to these records enables the same-day surgery center to bill accurately and file claims quickly, but the biggest advantage is the ability to analyze data in a variety of ways, Virnich says.
Manually captured data travel in a linear direction. The information is written on paper, it goes to a file, and the file goes to storage, he says. Digital data go into a database that can be manipulated by any area of the organization for use in decision making, he explains. "You do have to be respectful of patient confidentiality and protect this information in the same way you would protect a paper record, but the data are invaluable for evaluating quality, determining outcomes, and setting patient care standards," he adds.
For example, patient outcomes following a specific procedure can be analyzed to see if a patient’s NPO status affects his or her risk level for postoperative nausea. "Data easily can be captured and analyzed to see if patient care standards should be changed," he explains.
When Denise Goldsmith, RN, MPH, director of product development at Framingham, MA-based Clinician Support Technology, worked at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, she helped design a web site for the same-day surgery program that offered patients specific information about pain control following surgery (www.bidmc.harvard.edu/ambsurg). In follow-up studies, Goldsmith found that patients with access to web-based pain-control information did report a higher level of understanding of pain control and did report less postoperative pain.
"Patients want access to members of their health care team, and they are not satisfied when they can’t get the information they need," says Goldsmith. "At the same time, patients are frustrated with the glut of information on the Internet because it is confusing," she adds.
Nurses and physicians have an obligation to help patients find pertinent, accurate information, and the Internet makes that obligation easy to meet, she suggests. She suggests setting up web sites for the same-day surgery program that give patients specific information about their procedures and what to expect during recovery.
Web sites offer new options
Because same-day surgery centers don’t have access to patients after they’ve been discharged, web site-based information that reviews discharge instructions or pain control techniques can answer patient questions, says Goldsmith. Secure web-based messaging also can help if policies governing the program meet all the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), she adds.
If you use a web-based messaging system to communicate with your patients, be sure you have dedicated staff member for the program, suggests Vickie Axsom-Brown, administrator of Medicus Surgery Center in Anderson, SC. Same-day surgery programs that accept patient surveys, physician surveys, or e-mails from patients and physicians have to be ready to respond in a timely manner, and that means checking the correspondence every day, she points out.
In addition to receiving communications, the Internet provides easy access to information that is helpful for same-day surgery managers, Axsom-Brown says. "I regularly check web sites sponsored by a local legislative network, our state medical association, and different professional organizations for alerts and updates on regulations or activities that affect my program," she explains. When she finds interesting web sites, she posts the web address near computers that staff members regularly use so everyone can see them, she adds. "I really like the South Carolina Medical Association web site because it regularly includes updates on pending state legislation or regulatory updates that might affect my facility," Axsom-Brown explains.
Web sites also can cut the cost of staff and travel time for meetings and conferences, says Axsom-Brown. Continuing education requirements and staff educational requirements that are mandated by accreditation agencies also can be found on line through professional organizations, vendors, and even Medicare, she says. (Editor’s note: Thomson American Health Consultants, the publisher of Same-Day Surgery, offers www.ce-web.com and www.cmeweb.com.)
"On-line courses enable employees to meet educational requirements at times that are convenient to them and to the surgery program," she says. An added benefit is the documentation that on-line courses offer with printout confirmation of test scores and certification forms, she points out.
While many same-day surgery programs are familiar with e-commerce as a way to purchase supplies and equipment, Virnich sees one other area in which vendors can help same-day surgery staffs. (See "Hang up the telephone, throw away POs, and join buyers on-line," Same-Day Surgery, June 2001, p. 61. Previously published articles are available on the web site www.same-daysurgery.com. Your user name is your subscriber number. Your password is sds in lowercase letters, then your subscriber number again.)
"There is an opportunity for product suppliers to provide more timely information to the nurse who needs the information immediately," Virnich says. "He or she doesn’t always have time to call the company or wait several days for a representative to return the call," he adds. "A standardized product information library across multiple suppliers would provide more timely information and be more helpful to the nurse," he explains. "As standards for web-based information evolve, I foresee one point of contact for customers," Virnich says. This central site will address questions on all types of equipment from all types of vendors, and will provide consistent, complete information that truly helps the same-day surgery staff, he adds.
Even with his prediction, Virnich admits that Internet-related technology is changing so quickly that no one really knows what the future holds. "The development of the Internet was a revolution; now it is an evolution," he says. "It will take time to gain a consensus of opinion on how to handle different activities, and it will be years before we realize the full range of opportunities that exist."
Sources
For more information about the Internet’s affect on same-day surgery, contact:
• Patrick Virnich, Vice President of E-business Development, Tyco Healthcare, 150 Glover Ave., Norwalk, CT 06850. Telephone: (203) 845-1956. E-mail: [email protected].
• Denise Goldsmith, RN, MPH, Director of Product Development, Clinician Support Technology, Three Speen St., Suite 340, Framingham, MA 01701. Telephone: (800) 952-2541 or (508) 620-7050. Fax: (508) 875-6116. E-mail: [email protected].
• Vickie Axsom-Brown, Administrator, Medicus Surgery Center, 1655 E. Greenville St., Anderson, SC 29621. Telephone: (864) 224-6375. Fax: (864) 716-7732. E-mail: [email protected].
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