The June/July issue of Connecticut Medicine, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the Connecticut State Medical Society (CSMS) focuses on the rapidly evolving role technology plays in the practice of medicine.
“Connecticut Medicine is proud to present a special issue which provides information and insight into many facets of health information technology, ” states Editor Michael M. Deren.
Strides have been made by hospitals, physicians, and clinics to store patient data in their individual electronic medical record systems (EMRs). Recently, however, the focus has shifted to developing the ability to share patient data securely between the various institutions. The advent of a health information exchange (HIE) in Connecticut, through CTHealthLink, has given the state’s physicians an opportunity to be at the forefront of an eventual nationwide and possibly global system.
Related concerns include preventing security breaches in EMRs and HIEs, and addressing the economic issues of keeping up with technology without negatively affecting the bottom line. Looking to the future, medical researchers are already beginning to tap the information accessible through EMRs and HIEs to explore trends in medical conditions, treatment, prevention, and population and public health concerns.
Connecticut Medicine was first published in 1936 and has provided decades of timely information to the medical community. Articles in the issue include: HIEs – The Right Information About the Right Patient at the Right Time; Illustrating the Role of Health Information Exchange in a Learning Health System: Improving the Identification and Management of Suicide Risk; Return on Investment for Health Information Exchange Participation; and The Assault on Health Care: Stop Cybercrime Dead in its Tracks, among others. The publication covers many facets of the role technology serves in health care settings.
“Change and evolving technology can be stressful, but it can also bring about remarkable possibilities and opportunities for physicians to improve patient outcomes, communication, and the practice of medicine with the true interoperability available with an effective HIE,” adds Deren.
Connecticut Medicine can be read online at: https://csms.org/publications/connecticut-medicine/
