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Case report forms (CRFs) are used for structured-data collection in clinical research studies. Existing CRF-related standards encompass structural features of forms and data items, content standards, and specifications for using terminologies. This paper reviews existing standards and discusses their current limitations. Because clinical research is highly protocol-specific, forms-development processes are more easily standardized than is CRF content. Tools that support retrieval and reuse of existing items will enable standards adoption [...]

We review the scholarly career of our colleague, Marco Ramoni, who died unexpectedly in the summer of 2010. His work mainly explored the development and application of Bayesian techniques to model clinical, public health, and bioinformatics questions. His contributions have led to improvements in our ability to model behavior that evolves in time, to explore systematic relationships among large sets of covariates, and to tease out the meaning of data [...]

Evidence suggests that the medication lists of patients are often incomplete and could negatively affect patient outcomes. In this article, the authors propose the application of collaborative filtering methods to the medication reconciliation task. Given a current medication list for a patient, the authors employ collaborative filtering approaches to predict drugs the patient could be taking but are missing from their observed list.

The field of Biomedical and Health Informatics (BMHI) continues to define itself, and there are many educational programs offering 'informatics' degrees with varied foci. The goal of this study was to develop a scheme for systematic comparison of programs across the entire BMHI spectrum and to identify commonalities among informatics curricula.

To design, build, implement, and evaluate a personal health record (PHR), tethered to the Military Health System, that leverages Microsoft® HealthVault and Google® Health infrastructure based on user preference.

There is controversy over the impact of electronic health record (EHR) systems on cost of care and safety. The authors studied the effects of an inpatient EHR system with computerized provider order entry on selected measures of cost of care and safety. Laboratory tests per week per hospitalization decreased from 13.9 to 11.4 (18%; p 0.001). Radiology examinations per hospitalization decreased from 2.06 to 1.93 (6.3%; p 0.009). Monthly transcription [...]

Actionable reminders (electronic reminders linked to computerized order entry) might improve care by facilitating direct ordering of recommended tests. The authors implemented four enhanced actionable reminders targeting performance of annual mammography, one-time bone-density screening, and diabetic testing. There was no difference in rates of appropriate testing between the four intervention and four matched, control primary care clinics for screening mammography (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.02), bone-density exams (OR [...]

Studies of the doctor-patient relationship have focused on the elaboration of power and/or authority using a range of techniques to study the encounter between doctor and patient. The widespread adoption of computers by doctors brings a third party into the consultation. While there has been some research into the way doctors view and manage this new relationship, the behavior of patients in response to the computer is rarely studied. In [...]