Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A computerized medical database system for the standardized recording and tracking of out-patient care by the simulation through existing software of multiple facets of a typical primary care clinical environment. Central to the system's data processing are office visit records as the primary vehicle for encoded data input and a chronic diagnosis classification table for ranking out-patients into separate, prioritized diagnostic categories. Integrated with both in a relational database are other files storing distinct but related clinical attributes of both the transactional and inventory type. The former, as event-based, include emergency room, medicine activity, specialist, lab tests and an office visit-derived or intermediary file while the latter type, as a fixed pool of clinically descriptive data elements, include long and short-term diagnosis, physical signs and symptoms and a generic medication list. The data processing is of three kinds; data entry of office visit, one master medical for each out-patient and lab test result records, data query for obtaining summary-type, narrowly focused information for a single or group of related out-patients and, thirdly, the compilation of data from office visits for reporting various clinical results. Some of the latter type processing, using sets of clinical criteria including diagnostic category for specific record selection, include detecting and justifying excessive office visits, determining lab test overusage, monitoring physician activity during episodes of protracted illnesses of differing severity and the printing of physical, medication and lab test results from the same office visit.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim