Designing a Comprehensive Medical Electronic Database for Cairo University Hospitals: Phase I

Abstract

This study presents our experience of implementing electronic medical record system supporting a Cairo university Hospitals, one of Unique Egyptian tertiary hospital. We emphasize the following points being our objectives:1-generating and ensuring compliance for individual patient Medical record number (unique identifier) 2- Designing a standardized medical records admission forms for Cairo University hospitals 3-Developing accurate data base to Cairo University hospital patients 4- Introduction of electronic archiving system. Methodology: this health system operational research study passed through three phases which are: I-Development of policies and procedures for MR&SD. ii- Redesigning of medical records and statistics department (central and peripheral) iii-Redesign of the data entry screens at MR&SD with special emphasis upon unique patient identifier. Implementation of the planned intervention was held throughout duration of 2 years. Results: The main outcomes of this study were: a written approved policies and procedures regulating the medical record and statistics department working system, promoting the available resources through building up of the infrastructure of both the central and peripheral units belonging to MR&SD, supplementing them with both hardware and software, mutation of the traditional archiving unit to a totally electronic archiving unit belonging to the MR&SD; both security and confidentiality of the working system were ensured. These systems were strengthened by forty qualified statistical technicians recruited to the department. Finally two screens facilitating both data entry and case summary extraction were launched. Conclusion: the use of electronic medical records was functioned aiming to ensure the applicability and convenience of the medical record and optimizing health care service introduced to our patients.