CarePalm A Computerised Patient Charting System

1
CarePalm A Computerised Patient Charting System

• Tracy ONeill, B.Sc. (Hons.)
• M.Sc. Research Project Presentation (COM-865-M4)
• Faculty of Computing Engineering
• University of Ulster, Magee

2
Introduction

• Current System
• Adoption of a Portable
• Computer Based Charting System
• Benefits Offered by Computerisation of Patient
  Records

www.patientsafetyalliance.scot.nhs.uk
3
Aims and Objectives

• Develop application for handheld device
• Provide ease of access to patient charts
• Enable modifications through the handheld device
• Incorporate XML to store patient data
• Security

4
Background

• Pervasive Healthcare
• XML and Interoperability
• Security
• The Modified Early Warning System (Mews)

Joos and Whiteman (2006)
Kreps and Richardson (2007)
Al-Salqan (1998)
Thorpe et al. (2006)
5
Requirements Analysis

• Questionnaires
• 57 said current system was either good or very
  good
• 71 had issues with deciphering various
  handwriting on patients charts
• Over 50 of respondents said they would feel
  confident in using PDAs to assess patient charts
• Informal Interviews
• To gain knowledge on existing method
• To gain understanding of particulars held on
  patients chart

6
CarePalm Architecture
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CarePalm Implementation

• Designed within Visual Studio
• Code developed in C
• Data represented in XML files
• Modified Early Warning System (MEWS)

8
Evaluation and Testing

• Functionality Testing
• Conducted during all stages of development
• Test cases completed on each form to ensure
  CarePalms functionality
• Usability Testing
• Nurses enlisted to test CarePalm
• 100 said they could update patient records
  easily
• 75 stated that CarePalms usability is very good
  with the remaining 25 saying it was good

9
Relation to Other Work

• Clinical Care Classification (CCC) Bedside
  Computer proposed by Saba and Feeg (2005)
• Pyxis Patient Station is implemented at Holy Name
  Hospital in New Jersey, USA
• Nurse.com (2005)

www.utmb.edu
10
Conclusion and Future Work

• Successful prototype
• Factors hindering implementation within the UK
  National Health Service
• Incorporate data mining software
• Implement on tablet PC

Kreps and Richardson (2007)