EPC/IMPC Information Technology Subcommittee

July 9, 2002, Meeting Notes

 

 

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Present:  David S.  Resch, MD, Chair; Terri Cameron, MA, Staff; George Dunaway, PhD; Rhona Kelley, MSLS; Janek Koirala, MD; Claudia McIntyre MS; Michael Shanahan, PhD

 

Absent:  Rafath Baig, Class of 2003; Michael Bass, Class of 2004; Rodney Curtis, MD; Ryan Diedrich, Class of 2005; Gary Dunnington, MD; Regina Kovach, MD; Scott MacGilvray, MD; Dean Naritoku, MD; Akshay Sood, MD; Jeffrey Suzewits, MD

 

Guest:  Peter Borgia, PhD

·         Assessment Software:  Dr. Resch reported that the Dean had approved purchase of LxRTest 6.0 Professional Version, with mark reader, online testing, and server options; 10 secondary user licenses; 10 user guides, and 12 months of software revisions and premium support for 12 months for a total purchase price of $5,050.  A concern was noted that the initial recommendation from the IT Subcommittee Special Meeting was for 25 secondary user licenses, and Dr. Resch explained that, since LxR would not meet the needs of Year 3 and GME, licenses had been purchased only for Year 2 Course Directors.  The software has been installed on the OEC server and on Dr. Borgia’s (Year 2 Director and Year 2 Infection and Host Defenses Course Director) computer, and the first 2,000 questions have been formatted for importing into LxR.  Because of the LxR limitation of 999 questions per course, only the first 999 questions are currently imported, but a workaround has been established, and the remainder will be imported in the near future.  Dr. Borgia is currently working with the first set of questions.  There was brief discussion as to whether Year 2 will administer all course exams on paper, but that discussion will continue at Year 2 Curriculum Committee meetings.

·         Educational Technology Sessions:  Dr. Suzewits reported that he had encountered a problem in preparing for the July 31 Educational Technology Session on Electronic Medical Records because the software he had planned to demonstrate is no longer available.  It was decided that Dr. Suzewits would provide an update of the efforts of the EMR Task Force to date and provide overviews of Medical Informatics, Amazing Charts, E-MD, followed by a demonstration of Practice Partners by Dr. Debra Phillips based on the experience of the Quincy Family Practice Center, and a 5-minute presentation of the SIU Physicians and Surgeons Online Data Storage System. 

·         Informatics in the Curriculum:  Dr. Resch re-distributed a handout of EPC discussions of this topic beginning in the early 80’s for review by the group, as well as the report of the EPC Medical Informatics Task Force.  He also reiterated points made at the last meeting:

o        Medical Informatics is already a component of small group assessment in that tutors should be evaluating students’ use of resources in their self-directed learning.

o        An overall framework should be developed that includes exam questions that require students to differentiate between databases, references on PDAs, etc.

o        Existing activities that introduce and reiterate medical informatics in the curriculum should be documented as such and be considered part of the curriculum, rather than “tours” or “information sessions.”

Since the group had not had an opportunity to review the handouts, Dr. Resch asked all members to do so before the next meeting and be prepared to discuss the applicability of the recommendations and to discuss additional recommendations to the EPC regarding a four-year plan for Medical Informatics in the Curriculum, perhaps tied to the ACGME Competencies for which SIU graduates should be prepared.  The ACGME Competencies are available at http://www.acgme.org/outcome/comp/compMin.asp

·         PDA Project:  Dr. Resch asked that a summary of student use of PDAs across years 1 through 4, student perceptions of the project, and reports of data entered by students be prepared for review and discussion by the subcommittee.

·         The next meeting of the subcommittee is scheduled for Tuesday, August 6, from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Harbinger Conference Room in Springfield and Lindegren 310 in Carbondale.