Design and application of an information system for the emergency observation room in a Chinese hospital.

The emergency observation room (EOR) in a Chinese hospital provides medium-term observation and treatment, as well holding patients who will be admitted to the wards. The operational pattern of the EOR lies between those of the outpatient and inpatient services. We developed a novel information system for the EOR to meet the specific requirements for issuing medication, which includes both order sheets and prescriptions, and tested it in a Grade 3 and Class A hospital. The system reduced the frequency of cashier interactions and the time taken for patients to access their medications, and also reduced the workloads of doctors and other staff members.