Work in progress — A health information technology centralized web application

Healthcare is not about seeing patients anymore; the focus has shifted. Patients are concerned with the cost associated with the care and the amount of time they will spend at the doctor´s office and away from work. Doctors are concerned with administration, management, business development, cost, review boards, lawyers, insurance companies, government, specialists, continuing education, and patient education. The focus is seldom on the doctor-patient relationship anymore. Improving the effectiveness of the patient data management system can help alleviate some of these issues so that more time can be spent focusing on that relationship. This study centers on faculty-led undergraduate students developing, implementing, and researching the use of a web-based, touch-screen, self-service computer kiosk or tablet to (a) provide adequate history to the provider, (b) provide feedback and information to the patient, and (c) enable the sharing of patient record (in a future expansion to the project). Doctors and patients will be surveyed to assess the system´s impact on doctor-patient interactions. Staff surveys will investigate the impact of the system on human error, paperwork reduction, and administrative costs. Data from the surveys will be statistically analyzed to determine the effect of the system on the listed outcomes.