Communications of the ACM
M Researchers Develop Tool That Saves Time, Eliminates Mistakes in Diabetes Care
"Doctors can see, at a glance, everything that might affect their decision," says Missouri professor Richelle Koopman.
Credit: University of Missouri
Doctors will be able to make the right decisions for diabetes treatment by using the diabetes dashboard, a tool that allows them to view patient information on a single computer screen.
Developed by researchers at the University of Missouri, the dashboard provides information about patients' vital signs, health condition, current medications, and laboratory tests that need to be performed. "Doctors can see, at a glance, everything that might affect their decision," says Missouri professor Richelle Koopman.
Testing showed that the tool saves time, improves accuracy, and enhances patient care. With the dashboard, physicians correctly identified data they were searching for 100 percent of the time, compared with 94 percent using traditional electronic medical records, and the number of mouse clicks needed to find information declined from 60 to three.
In addition, Koopman says the dashboard could keep doctors from ordering unnecessary tests because it will show which tests patients have taken. "Doctors are still going to spend 15 minutes with each patient, but instead of using a large portion of that time to search through charts for information, they can have interactive conversations with patients about lifestyle and diet changes that are important for diabetes care," Koopman notes.
From MU News Bureau (MO)
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