Microsoft Office Reference Implementation for Clinical Forms
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Microsoft Corporation
April 2004
Applies To:
Microsoft® Office InfoPath™ 2003
Microsoft BizTalk® Server 2004
Microsoft Windows® SharePoint™ Services
Microsoft SQL Server™ 2000
Microsoft Windows Server™ 2003
On This Page
 | Summary |
| Introduction |
| Solution |
| Opportunity |
Summary
The Microsoft Office reference implementation for clinical forms illustrates the automation of collecting, retrieving, and sharing patient information in an emergency department, enabling clinicians to become more productive and efficient. Using the reference implementation leads to reduced patient wait time, fewer treatment errors, and instant access to patient information.
This reference implementation is intended to be used by developers and IT professionals to accelerate the development of custom solutions that have similar requirements. Download the InfoPath 2003-based form, the code samples, and the guide from the Microsoft Download Center.
Introduction
Reference implementations illustrate the use of Microsoft products and technologies in the automation of specific customer business problems and include code samples, templates, and guidance. The benefits of reference implementations are twofold:
| • | Provide a pattern for solving business problems, thus enabling developers to accelerate the development of custom solutions. |
| • | Demonstrate methods for realizing more business value out of investments in the Microsoft Office System and Microsoft server products. |
The reference implementation for clinical forms is based on a proof of concept in an actual clinical environment. The form, code samples, and guide included in this download provide the architecture to help you, the developer, accelerate the creation of your own form-based solution to automate the collection, retrieval, and sharing of patient information in an emergency department.
The guide focuses on three main areas: first, on the architecture of the software and the production environment; next, on planning for your deployment and for security; and finally, on installing, testing, and customizing the reference implementation in your development environment. It includes the following chapters:
| • | Introduction |
| • | Architecture |
| • | Pilot Deployment Case Study |
| • | Deployment and Security Considerations |
| • | Installation and Configuration |
| • | Testing and Troubleshooting |
| • | Customization and Extensibility |
| • | Resources |
The reference implementation for clinical forms was created to address the following issues that occur with paper-based, handwritten documentation in an emergency department:
| • | Paper-based patient documentation is not always accurate, complete, or legible. |
| • | Clinical information is not stored in a centralized repository; previously collected clinical information is not readily available for repeat assessments, and is not always accessible in a timely manner. |
| • | Manual processing is required to update other clinical systems, resulting in duplicate information in multiple, disparate systems. |
| • | Maintaining an audit trail of changes to the documentation is difficult. |
| • | Enforcement of authorized access to paper-based patient documentation is unreliable. |
| • | Caregivers and patients experience lengthy waits while information is located and retrieved. |
| • | Duplicated treatment, medication, or requests for information can occur. |
| • | There is no easy way to notify colleagues of test results or of a change in patient status. |
Solution
The reference implementation for clinical forms demonstrates how to integrate Microsoft technologies to automate this specific business process. Built on and designed for the Microsoft Office System, the reference implementation enables partners and customers to build solutions that address key business needs. Reference implementation benefits include:
| • | In a connected environment, members of a care team can easily capture patient information into familiar InfoPath forms using point and click on a Tablet PC. The information is uploaded to a centralized document repository and is instantaneously available to the rest of the care team, eliminating the need to find the patient’s chart and reducing patient wait times. |
| • | To help achieve higher accuracy and fewer treatment errors, validation of entered information is built into the form, and instant feedback guides correction. All required fields must be completed before submission, which reduces omissions. Tracking and quality control are improved because forms can be time-stamped and electronically signed. |
| • | Windows SharePoint Services provides an electronic whiteboard-like interface that gives everyone in the emergency room visibility into current status, such as information on patients who have been admitted, acuity of the patient's condition, the attending nurse or physician, and so on. |
| • | Role-based access to more detailed patient information enables more accurate treatment and faster response times. Patient information captured in the emergency room can be made available to clinical systems used in other departments, which improves the efficiency of transfers, order processing, and continued treatment. |
Opportunity
The reference implementation for clinical forms demonstrates how InfoPath 2003, working in conjunction with BizTalk Server 2004, Windows SharePoint Services, and SQL Server 2000, can be used to empower workers in the healthcare industry to more effectively and efficiently contribute to a common business process. Although the reference implementation focuses on an emergency department scenario, there are many more business processes that require the collection, retrieval, and sharing of information. This implementation is intended to be used by developers and IT professionals to accelerate the development of custom solutions that have similar requirements. The reference implementation should be installed in a non-production environment only.
The reference implementation provides opportunities for customization and extensibility, including the following:
| • | Creating new forms |
| • | Customizing forms |
| • | Customizing form validation |
| • | Customizing error handling |
| • | Customizing search |
| • | Archiving or deleting forms |
| • | Extending BizTalk Orchestration |