EPC/IMPC Information
Technology Subcommittee
February
3, 2003, Meeting Notes
Present: David S. Resch, MD, Chair; Terri Cameron, MA, Staff; Rafath Baig, Class of 2003; Rhona Kelley, MSLS; Janek Koirala, MD; Regina Kovach, MD; Claudia McIntyre MS; Michael Shanahan, PhD; Jeffrey Suzewits, MD
Absent: Michael Bass, Class of 2004; Rodney Curtis, MD; Ryan Diedrich, Class of 2005; George Dunaway, PhD; Gary Dunnington, MD; Bradley Dyrstad, Class of 2006; Scott MacGilvray, MD; Dean Naritoku, MD; Akshay Sood, MD
· Educational Technology Sessions: There was brief discussion regarding the January 29 Educational Technology session on hospital-based electronic medical records, which drew approximately 35 attendees. Ms. Cameron reported that the January speakers had agreed to present at the February 26 session on decision support software, as well, and distributed posters for that session.
· Informatics in the Curriculum: The Medical Informatics in the Curriculum survey was distributed to curriculum directors electronically, and responses will be reviewed at a future meeting.
· Assessment Software Process: Dr. Resch reminded the group that this topic will be the focus of the March meeting. A list of potential assessment software with pros and cons for each and a detailed comparison between LxRTest and Perception is being prepared for the meeting. Dr. Borgia has presented a demonstration of LxR to Y1 faculty, and there is some thought that the software might be used in Y1, as well as Y2. Issues related to how OPSCAN forms would be processed and how data and reports would be transmitted will need to be resolved before Y1 changes their current process, however. Perception is being used in Y3 and Y4, but is rapidly going out of date. It will be necessary to either purchase the web-based modules of LxR or purchase the upgrade for Perception. Another consideration is the possibility that WebCT, which is available at no charge through the University, could be used for assessments, self-assessment, program evaluation, and surveys of students. All three products will be demonstrated at the March meeting. The focus of the discussion will be on what software will best meet the needs of the school for an item pool that will allow faculty to review student retention of key concepts over time.
· PDA Project: Dr. Resch reported that the February 13 faculty meeting to discuss the appropriate use of PDAs in the clinical setting had been scheduled and reminded the group that this session had been scheduled in response to faculty concerns regarding both student and faculty behavior. The purpose of the meeting will be to provide background and education regarding the potential benefits of the use of such equipment in the clinical setting, as well as to work with faculty to develop a policy regarding such use. A summary of policies at other medical schools was also briefly reviewed. There was discussion as to whether faculty should have individual rights regarding the use of PDAs, and the consensus was that a policy developed should be institution-wide. The challenge will be in developing a policy that all faculty can support, although there appear to be only a small number of faculty with concerns.
While there was not an update on drop-down menus for logbooks, it was suggested that autocomplete features for fields be investigated and that efforts toward integrated ICD-9 codes into descriptions be continued.
Dr. Resch also reported that Handspring Neos for the Class of 2006 had been received and that he was working with Dr. Shea and Dr. Hamilton to set up a series of two-hour training sessions for an upcoming Saturday. The plan will be for Dr. Resch, Dr. Suzewits, and Ms. Cameron to deliver the PDAs to Carbondale and distribute them to students who attend one of the training sessions. The sessions will cover how PDAs work, simple functions, software overview, software loading, concepts/benefits to students, how to access logbook data via online reporting, graffiti, and troubleshooting.
There was discussion as to whether use of the PDA would be voluntary or mandatory, and the consensus was that use of the PDA will not be mandatory and that web forms will continue to be used that write to the same database, however, students will be encouraged to participate as a means of preparing them for residency. Dr. Suzewits reported that PDAs are being used heavily in GME and that SIUSOM should be preparing students for their use. The training sessions will not be mandatory, but only students who attend the sessions will be loaned a PDA.
In preparation for a possible requirement for PDA purchase for the Class of 2007, OEC staff continue to review all software used in the PDA project to determine which programs are platform-independent.
· Educational Portfolios: This topic was not discussed due to time constraints.
· Other: The decreased speed of access to the Internet was briefly discussed, with faculty noting that there had been significant delays in just pulling up articles from research databases and printing those articles. Dr. Suzewits reported that this had been a major topic of discussion for IMPC and said that he would take these concerns to the next IMPC meeting.
Dr. Suzewits suggested that the subcommittee might be interested in meeting with Steve Reed from New Innovations re: PDA Use. He will discuss this with IMPC, as well.
· The next meeting of the subcommittee is scheduled for Monday, March 3, from noon to 1 pm in the Harbinger Conference Room in Springfield and Lindegren 310 in Carbondale.