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Computerization of Obstetric Antenatal Histories
Author(s) -
Kohlenberg Christopher F.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.734
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1479-828X
pISSN - 0004-8666
DOI - 10.1111/j.1479-828x.1994.tb01099.x
Subject(s) - legibility , audit , quality assurance , coding (social sciences) , quality (philosophy) , work (physics) , computer science , medical emergency , medicine , operations management , business , engineering , mechanical engineering , philosophy , statistics , external quality assessment , mathematics , epistemology , accounting , advertising
EDITORIAL COMMENT: We accepted this paper for publication because it explains the basic facts of life concerning computerization of obstetric antenatal histories. The editorial committee is convinced that such a system should now be introduced into all obstetric hospitals at least for the purposes of prompt production of a discharge summary and letter to the referring practitioner. This system is easily adapted to the coding requirements for clinical audit and Diagnostic Related Group (DRG) coding now required for funding of Public Hospitals in Victoria. We encourage all readers to seek more information about these systems and to request that the administrators in the hospitals where they work at least introduce them for generation of discharge summaries and letters. The rest will follow. Summary: Computers have existed for over 40 years. Their evolution has transformed them from being merely big calculators into versatile user‐friendly machines with the possibility to interact with the operator. Within their clinical capacity one of their main benefits is within the area of quality assurance. When applied in an appropriate way in obstetrics, they can actually lead to improved antenatal care. This can be achieved through obtaining a more standardized and comprehensive patient history and the use of management suggestions, made by the computer, in response to specific items in the patient history. These suggestions are titled ‘action prompts’ . Other quality assurance advantages exist within the areas of legibility and availability of individual patient files, while within a general setting they lend themselves easily to research and education. All these advantages will make computer generated antenatal histories and summaries more likely to be widely implemented in the future.