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Healthcare professionals have traditionally kept records in paper charts. As a clinic expanded, so did its patient base, and record-keeping rapidly became a bottleneck hindering further development. Hospitals had entire rooms and stacks dedicated to archiving old records. Clearly, the healthcare system needs to take advantage of electronic mechanisms that have already been demonstrated to be useful in other fields. A number of companies provide electronic health record and practice management functionality to help doctors switch to computer systems, and the United States government even offers incentives for meaningful use of such mechanisms. A number of obstacles remain, however.

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As we speed into the 21st century, online social networking is becoming an increasingly popular mode of communication. Since the rise of Twitter three years ago, it has been easier than ever, especially for professionals, to take advantage of this Internet phenomenon. Celebrities and athletes are not the only ones who embrace such technology: healthcare professionals such as doctors and nurses are also beginning to open accounts on services such as Twitter and Facebook. Early this week, for example, a hysterectomy and uterine prolapse surgery was broadcast on Twitter at the Cedar Rapids St. Luke’s Hospital in a series of 126 short updates (from bottom to top):

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Now, this blog is full of technology-related stuff. I’m also interested in medicine, so today I’m going to share some of what I’ve been thinking about.

People are complex creatures, and so medicine is a complex subject encompassing multiple fields of discipline. Many technologies have been developed to advance medicine to its current form, but one particular aspect of medical technology remains elusive: how to supplement physician’s medical knowledge using computers. Now, I know what you’re very likely thinking: when I catch a cold I want to see a doctor, not a machine! I too would much prefer to see a doctor. However, it must be noted that machines are already playing a significant role in medicine and they could propel medicine so much farther if we just knew how to use them properly.

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The Healthcare Information Initiative is a little project of mine that lives within this very website. As I prepare for my medical career, I will be learning about the frameworks in which I will be working. Since much of the American public is unaware of the workings of their healthcare system, and since the Internet is all about sharing information, I intend to share little bits of what I find interesting.

While this series of postings will be about the U.S. healthcare system, it may occasionally include information about the technical side of medicine or even international systems. The primary focus will be on the support frameworks, however. So stay tuned, and join the discussion as we proceed through our investigation.

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