Stephen Swanik1. 1. Division of Health Policy and Administration, Public Health Informatics Program, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago and Departments of Medical Education and Dentistry at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, IL.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The development of new information technology has significant effects on the health care system, and its implementation and the associated change management process can bring some positive changes and gains in understanding, but there are challenges with making the transition. These benefits and challenges are explored in the context of a hospital based dental department. Additionally, the concept of the integration of oral health to overall systemic health is explored in context with an Electronic Medical Records system implementation, and the American Dental Association's recent recognition of dental anesthesiology as a clinical subspecialty. METHOD: Qualitative survey of attending dental faculty members of the department, who represent a broad range of dental specialties and experience in private practice, hospital based practice, teaching, and public health practice. RESULTS: The faculty survey yielded some consistent themes, ranging from enhanced information to make better diagnoses, to challenges in transitioning to EMR, as well as concerns about data security and too much time and effort in front of a computer screen. DISCUSSION: A brief summary of the history of the stand-alone development of dentistry is given, which contributed to the separate development of dental EMRs from hospital EMRs. The various modalities of clinical care provided by the Department of Dentistry at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, IL are presented to give a scope of the areas of need a successful EMR solution must meet in a hospital based dental setting. Public health aspects are included in the discussion. CONCLUSION: Macro level health data sets (ie NHANES, state level datasets) have the potential to be expanded to include more thorough data, combining medical health data and oral health data in the same datasets. This is an Open Access article. Authors own copyright of their articles appearing in the Journal of Public Health Informatics. Readers may copy articles without permission of the copyright owner(s), as long as the author and OJPHI are acknowledged in the copy and the copy is used for educational, not-for-profit purposes.
OBJECTIVES: The development of new information technology has significant effects on the health care system, and its implementation and the associated change management process can bring some positive changes and gains in understanding, but there are challenges with making the transition. These benefits and challenges are explored in the context of a hospital based dental department. Additionally, the concept of the integration of oral health to overall systemic health is explored in context with an Electronic Medical Records system implementation, and the American Dental Association's recent recognition of dental anesthesiology as a clinical subspecialty. METHOD: Qualitative survey of attending dental faculty members of the department, who represent a broad range of dental specialties and experience in private practice, hospital based practice, teaching, and public health practice. RESULTS: The faculty survey yielded some consistent themes, ranging from enhanced information to make better diagnoses, to challenges in transitioning to EMR, as well as concerns about data security and too much time and effort in front of a computer screen. DISCUSSION: A brief summary of the history of the stand-alone development of dentistry is given, which contributed to the separate development of dental EMRs from hospital EMRs. The various modalities of clinical care provided by the Department of Dentistry at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, Chicago, IL are presented to give a scope of the areas of need a successful EMR solution must meet in a hospital based dental setting. Public health aspects are included in the discussion. CONCLUSION: Macro level health data sets (ie NHANES, state level datasets) have the potential to be expanded to include more thorough data, combining medical health data and oral health data in the same datasets. This is an Open Access article. Authors own copyright of their articles appearing in the Journal of Public Health Informatics. Readers may copy articles without permission of the copyright owner(s), as long as the author and OJPHI are acknowledged in the copy and the copy is used for educational, not-for-profit purposes.