Assessing the impact of health information exchange on hospital data breach risk.

OBJECTIVE: Widespread electronic health information exchange (HIE) across hospitals remains an important policy goal for reducing costs and improving the quality of care. Meanwhile, cybersecurity incidents are a growing threat to hospitals. The relationship between the electronic sharing of health information and cybersecurity incidents is not well understood. The objective of this study was to empirically examine the impact of hospitals' HIE engagement on their data breach risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A balanced panel dataset included 4,936 US community hospitals spanning the period 2010-2017, which was assembled by linking the American Hospital Association annual survey database and the Information Technology (IT) supplement, and the Department of Health and Human Services reports of health data breaches. The relationship between HIE engagement and hospital data breaches was modeled using a difference-in-differences specification controlling for time-varying hospital characteristics. RESULTS: The percentage of hospitals electronically exchanging information has more than tripled (from 18% to 68%) from 2010 to 2017. Hospital data breaches increased concurrently, largely due to the rise in hacking and unauthorized access. HIE engagement was associated with a 0.672 percentage point increase in the probability of an IT breach three years after the engagement. Hospitals actively engaging in a health information organization and exchanging data with outside providers were associated with a higher risk of IT related breaches in the long run; however, hospitals actively engaging in HIE and exchanging data with inside providers were not associated with any significant risk of IT related breaches. DISCUSSION: Over time, the increasing amount and complexity of patient information being exchanged can create challenges for cybersecurity if data protection is not up to date. Additionally, data security depends on the weakest link of HIE, and providers with fewer resources for data governance and infrastructure are more vulnerable to data breaches. CONCLUSION: Moving toward widespread health information exchange has important cybersecurity implications that can significantly impact both patients and healthcare organizations.

Enhancing Evidence-Based Pharmacy by Comparing the Quality of Web-Based Information Sources to the EVInews Database: Randomized Controlled Trial With German Community Pharmacists.

BACKGROUND: Self-medication counseling in community pharmacies plays a crucial role in health care. Counseling advice should therefore be evidence-based. Web-based information and databases are commonly used as electronic information sources. EVInews is a self-medication-related information tool consisting of a database and monthly published newsletters for pharmacists. Little is known about the quality of pharmacists' electronic information sources for evidence-based self-medication counseling. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to investigate the quality of community pharmacists' web-based search results for self-medication-related content in comparison with the EVInews database, based on an adjusted quality score for pharmacists. METHODS: After receiving ethics approval, we performed a quantitative web-based survey with a search task as a prospective randomized, controlled, and unblinded trial. For the search task, participants were instructed to search for evidence-based information to verify 6 health-related statements from 2 typical self-medication indications. Pharmacists across Germany were invited via email to participate. After providing written informed consent, they were automatically, randomly assigned to use either web-based information sources of their choice without the EVInews database (web group) or exclusively the EVInews database (EVInews group). The quality of the information sources that were used for the search task was then assessed by 2 evaluators using a quality score ranging from 100% (180 points, all predefined criteria fulfilled) to 0% (0 points, none of the predefined criteria fulfilled). In case of assessment discrepancies, an expert panel consisting of 4 pharmacists was consulted. RESULTS: In total, 141 pharmacists were enrolled. In the Web group (n=71 pharmacists), the median quality score was 32.8% (59.0 out of 180.0 points; IQR 23.0-80.5). In the EVInews group (n=70 pharmacists), the median quality score was significantly higher (85.3%; 153.5 out of 180.0 points; P<.001) and the IQR was smaller (IQR 125.1-157.0). Fewer pharmacists completed the entire search task in the Web group (n=22) than in the EVInews group (n=46). The median time to complete the search task was not significantly different between the Web group (25.4 minutes) and the EVInews group (19.7 minutes; P=.12). The most frequently used web-based sources (74/254, 29.1%) comprised tertiary literature. CONCLUSIONS: The median quality score of the web group was poor, and there was a significant difference in quality scores in favor of the EVInews group. Pharmacists' web-based and self-medication-related information sources often did not meet standard quality requirements and showed considerable variation in quality. TRIAL REGISTRATION: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00026104; https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00026104.

Diagnostic accuracy of eHealth literacy measurement tools in older adults: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: In Canada, virtual health care rapidly expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is substantial variability between older adults in terms of digital literacy skills, which precludes equitable participation of some older adults in virtual care. Little is known about how to measure older adults' electronic health (eHealth) literacy, which could help healthcare providers to support older adults in accessing virtual care. Our study objective was to examine the diagnostic accuracy of eHealth literacy tools in older adults. METHODS: We completed a systematic review examining the validity of eHealth literacy tools compared to a reference standard or another tool. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL/CDSR, PsycINFO and grey literature for articles published from inception until January 13, 2021. We included studies where the mean population age was at least 60 years old. Two reviewers independently completed article screening, data abstraction, and risk of bias assessment using the Quality Assessment for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. We implemented the PROGRESS-Plus framework to describe the reporting of social determinants of health. RESULTS: We identified 14,940 citations and included two studies. Included studies described three methods for assessing eHealth literacy: computer simulation, eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS), and Transactional Model of eHealth Literacy (TMeHL). eHEALS correlated moderately with participants' computer simulation performance (r = 0.34) and TMeHL correlated moderately to highly with eHEALS (r = 0.47-0.66). Using the PROGRESS-Plus framework, we identified shortcomings in the reporting of study participants' social determinants of health, including social capital and time-dependent relationships. CONCLUSIONS: We found two tools to support clinicians in identifying older adults' eHealth literacy. However, given the shortcomings highlighted in the validation of eHealth literacy tools in older adults, future primary research describing the diagnostic accuracy of tools for measuring eHealth literacy in this population and how social determinants of health impact the assessment of eHealth literacy is needed to strengthen tool implementation in clinical practice. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: We registered our systematic review of the literature a priori with PROSPERO (CRD42021238365).

Development and national scale implementation of an open-source electronic laboratory information system (OpenELIS) in Côte d'Ivoire: Sustainability lessons from the first 13 years.

PURPOSE: Côte d'Ivoire has a tiered public health laboratory system of 9 reference laboratories, 77 laboratories at regional and general hospitals, and 100 laboratories among 1,486 district health centers. Prior to 2009, nearly all of these laboratories used paper registers and reports to collect and report laboratory data to clinicians and national disease monitoring programs. PROJECT: Since 2009 the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Côte d'Ivoire has sought to implement a comprehensive set of activities aimed at strengthening the laboratory system. One of these activities is the sustainable development, expansion, and technical support of an open-source electronic laboratory information system (OpenELIS), with the long-term goal of Ivorian technical support and managerial sustainment of the system. This project has addressed the need for a comprehensive, customizable, low- to no-cost, open-source LIS to serve the public health systems with initial attention to HIV clients and later expansion to cover the general population. This descriptive case study presents the first published summary of original work which has been ongoing since 2009 in Côte d'Ivoire to transform the laboratory information management systems and processes nationally. IMPACT: OpenELIS is now in use at 106 laboratories across Côte d'Ivoire. This article describes the iterative planning, design, and implementation process of OpenELIS in Côte d'Ivoire, and the evolving leadership, ownership, and capacity of the Ivorian MOH in sustaining the system. This original work synthesizes lessons learned from this 13-year experience towards strengthening laboratory information systems in other low resource settings.

Optimization of Medication Point-Of-Prescribing Alerts at a Multi-Site, Ambulatory Care Organization to Aid Clinical Care and Reduce HealthCare Cost.

BackgroundLiterature has shown the integration of electronic alerts into patient care has the potential to improve clinicians' workflow by saving time, increasing efficiency, and improving patient safety. However, despite these possible benefits of alerts, studies have shown that alerts are often overridden by clinicians. Objective: The purpose of this study was to optimize the acceptance rates of medication point-of-prescribing alerts within the electronic medical record (EMR) of an ambulatory care organization. Methods: The study design evaluated the actions taken by clinicians when they were presented with medication point-of-prescribing alerts. These alerts were created by the clinical pharmacy informatics team to help promote cost-effective and safe prescribing. Alerts determined to be high value alerts were optimized to increase clinicians' likelihood of accepting each alert's recommended alternative. The primary objective was to increase acceptance rates of high value alerts. The exploratory objective was to identify the estimated annualized cost-savings when high value alerts were accepted, and a lower cost alternative prescription resulted. Results: The acceptance rate of the optimized point-of-prescribing alerts increased to 8.7%, compared to a 3.2% acceptance in the pre-modification period (P <.001). The lower cost alternative prescriptions that resulted from the accepted alerts translated into an estimated annualized cost-savings of over 2 million dollars. Conclusion: The use of point-of-prescribing alerts with optimized information and specific cost comparisons in an ambulatory setting led to an increase in the acceptance rates of the alerts and more cost-conscious prescribing.

Reflection on the construction of psychological crisis intervention system for college students under the background of "E (epidemic)" era / 中华医学教育探索杂志

This study deeply explores the cause of high incidence of PHE-associated psychological crisis in college students, and advocates the teaching management staffs to take full advantage of the present information technology on college students' psychological assessment, daily psychological education, and related information collection, with the current college information construction platforms. The aim is to build an early warning and intervention mechanism that is susceptible to college students' psychological crisis, and to better protect the mental health of college students.

BITNIS - Bridging the Information Gap Before the Web.

Before the modern internet and World Wide Web drastically simplified our access to scientific information, accessing the authoritative information of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) from outside the U.S. was for many very difficult. Compared to the totality of people with access to computers globally at the time, only a privileged group of biomedical researchers and practitioners could afford this access. The NLM was making great contributions developing products and collaborations to reduce the information gap for many underserved communities. This article describes a remarkable initiative started from the other end, underserved information users creating a solution to help the international community reach the NLM resources. Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D., the NLM Director and health informatics pioneer, believed in letting users guide the NLM down its path of service. The BITNIS project is a successful example of his leadership philosophy at a turning point in health informatics history.

A comprehensive analysis on source-distribution-bioaccumulation-exposure risk of metal(loid)s in various vegetables in peri-urban areas of Shenzhen, China.

The health risk induced by metal(loid)s in crops are becoming increasingly serious. In this study, eight major vegetables and rhizosphere soils were collected in a peri-urban area with intense electronic information manufacturing activities. The source, distribution and bioaccumulation of six typical metal(loid)s in different vegetable species were analyzed, and exposure risk through vegetable ingestion was estimated. Results showed that vegetables and agricultural soils in the study area suffered from serious metal(loid)s pollution, especially for Cd and Pb. The bioaccumulation capacity differed greatly among individual metal(loid)s and vegetable categories. In general, the highest transfer factors (TF) for Cd, Pb, and As were found in leafy vegetables, while leguminous vegetables had the highest TF of Cu and Zn and root vegetables had the highest TF for Cr. Significant correlations were found between concentrations in vegetables and rhizosphere soils for most metal(loid)s, the exceptions being Pb and Zn. The enrichment of Pb, Cd, Cr and As was mainly attributed to electronic information manufacturing activities, while the enrichment of Zn, Cu and Cd was associated with the application of commercial fertilizers and pesticides. The health risk associated with vegetable intake decreased in the order of leafy > fruit > leguminous > root vegetables. Leafy vegetables were identified as the category with the highest risk, with the mean risk value of 1.26. Cd was the major risk element for leafy vegetables. The non-carcinogenic risks estimated for leguminous and root vegetables were under the acceptable level. In conclusion, special attention should be paid to the health risks of toxic metal(loid)s in leafy vegetables in peri-urban areas with intense electronic information manufacturing activities. In order to minimize health risk, it is necessary to identify low-risk crops based on a comprehensive consideration of the metal(loid)s' pollution characteristics, transfer factors and local people's consumption behaviors.

Implementation and exploration of administration of anesthesia and psychotropic drugs by electronic account books / 药学实践杂志

Objective To explore the effect and significance of electronic account books on the management of anesthesia and psychotropic drugs. Methods The data of electronic account books from January 2020 to June 2020 in the inpatient pharmacy of the hospital (observation group), and manual account books from July 2019 to December 2019 (control group) were collected respectively. The data of daily accounting time, monthly settlement accounting time and accounting accuracy between the two groups were compared and analyzed. Results The daily average time for pharmacists to manually accounting was (162.8±22.5) min, and the daily average time for pharmacists to make accounts electronically was (33.2±7.0) min. It took (245.5±7.2) min for manual accounting of monthly settlement and (46.8±2.5) min for electronic accounting of monthly settlement. The accuracy rate of daily counting records, special account books, special register and empty ampoule waste paste recovery records included in electronic accounting is up to 100%. Conclusion The implementation of electronic account books not only significantly improved the work efficiency of pharmacists, but also strengthened drug supervision, formed a comprehensive traceability system, which could ensure the safety of clinical medication, and make the management of narcotic psychotropic drugs more efficient and standardized.

The Evolution of Drug Information Services to Asynchronous Delivery of Pharmacist eConsults.

Drug information (DI) services provided an avenue to expand the role of pharmacists as the medication experts. The focus of DI has shifted from general questions submitted to DI centers to patient-specific questions that optimize care. One method to increase access to pharmacist expertise is through pharmacy eConsults. Pharmacy eConsults provide specialist care for medically complex patients using a patient-centered, asynchronous approach. The purpose of this article is to describe the evolution of consults from formal drug information services and describe one academic medical center's implementation of a pharmacy eConsult service to provide patient-specific DI.

Electronic Health-Information Resource Utilization and Its Associated Factors among Health Professionals in Amhara Regional State Teaching Hospitals, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: With the rapid advancement and growth of computer and networking technologies, there is also significant growth in the availability and use of various types of electronic information resources. The availability of health information provides confidence for health professionals in clinical decision-making and improves practical skills and attitudes to care. Due to limited studies, the extent of health professionals' electronic health-information resource (EHIR) utilization at specialized teaching hospitals in Amhara regional state is not known. This study aimed to assess the level of EHIRutilization and identify associated factors among health professionals at teaching hospitals in Amhara, Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among health professionals working at specialized teaching hospitals in Amhara from February 23 to May 10, 2020. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive analysis was used to describe the utilization of EHIRs. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were applied to identify which factors were associated with EHIR use. RESULTS: A total of 383 (93.6% response rate) participants responded by completing the questionnaire, and 70.8% (271 of 383) of study participants used EHIRs. eHealth literacy (AOR 1.90, 95% CI 1.03-3.54), Internet access (AOR 1.97, 95% CI 1.06-3.67), computer literacy (AOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.68-5.76), information-searching skills (AOR 1.89, 95% CI 1.05-3.39), and computer access in the working area (AOR 2.50, 95% CI 1.55-5.54) were factors significantly associated with utilization of EHIRs. CONCLUSION: Nearly three-quarters of the health professionals utilized EHIRs. However, most reported that they encountered problems while they were using those resources. For better utilization levels, giving training in the area of electronic information-resource use, increasing awareness of health professionals about available resources, and improving Internet and computer access in each hospital are recommended.

BITNIS - Bridging the information gap before the web.

Before the modern internet and World Wide Web drastically simplified our access to scientific information, accessing the authoritative information of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) from outside the U.S. was for many very difficult. Compared to the totality of people with access to computers globally at the time, only a privileged group of biomedical researchers and practitioners could afford this access. The NLM was making great contributions developing products and collaborations to reduce the information gap for many underserved communities. This article describes a remarkable initiative started from the other end, underserved information users creating a solution to help the international community reach the NLM resources. Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D., the NLM Director and health informatics pioneer, believed in letting users guide the NLM down its path of service. The BITNIS project is a successful example of his leadership philosophy at a turning point in health informatics history.

The Impact of Multiple Renal Estimates on Pharmacist Dosing Recommendations: A Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: Numerous equations are used for estimation of renal function, and many electronic medical records report multiple clearance estimates to assist with drug dosing. It is unknown whether the presence of multiple clearance estimates affects clinical decision-making. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the presence of multiple renal clearance estimates affects pharmacist drug dosing decisions. METHODS: A randomized trial in the form of an electronic survey including 4 clinical vignettes was delivered to hospital pharmacists. Vignettes consisted of a patient presenting with an acute pulmonary embolism requiring enoxaparin therapy. Pharmacists were randomized to receive a single estimate of renal function or multiple estimates for all vignettes. The primary outcome was deviation from approved recommendations on at least 1 vignette. The χ2 test was used to detect differences in deviation rates between groups. Logistic regression was performed to adjust for the effects of potentially confounding variables. RESULTS: A total of 154 studies were completed (73 in the multiple-estimate group and 81 in the single-estimate group). Pharmacists presented with multiple renal estimates were significantly more likely to deviate from recommended dosing regimens than pharmacists presented with a single estimate (54.7% vs 38.2%; P = 0.04). The results were driven primarily by the 2 vignettes that included discordance among Cockcroft-Gault equation creatinine clearance estimates. Logistic regression identified multiple estimates as the only independent predictor of deviation (P = 0.04). CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Pharmacists provided with a single renal clearance estimate were more likely to adhere to approved dosing recommendations than pharmacists provided with multiple estimates.

Clearance Confusion: An Exploratory Analysis of Inpatient Dosing Discordances Between Renal Estimating Equations.

BACKGROUND: Numerous equations exist for estimating renal clearance for drug dosing, and discordance rates may be as high as 40% in certain populations. However, the populations and types of equations used in these studies may not be generalizable to broader pharmacy practice. OBJECTIVES: To determine the dosing discordance rate between Cockcroft-Gault (C-G), Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology (CKD-EPI), and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equations in a community hospital population. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional analysis of inpatients who had documented renal function assessment over a 6-month period. Renal estimation was calculated using 5 equations (MDRD, CKD-EPI, and 3 C-G variants). Differences between equations were assessed using mean bias, dosing discordance, and agreement (κ statistic). Patients with acute kidney injury and those requiring renal replacement therapy were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 466 patients were eligible for inclusion. Dosing discordance was evident between C-G variants and both MDRD and CKD-EPI equations in greater than 20% of patients. Agreement was highest between MDRD and CKD-EPI (κ = 0.93) and lowest between MDRD and C-G calculated using ideal body weight (κ = 0.33). The majority of discordant instances led to higher dosing recommendations when using MDRD and CKD-EPI equations compared with C-G variants. Dosing discordance exceeded 18% between the different C-G variants, with the highest discordance (36%) observed between total body weight and ideal body weight variants. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Dosing discordance between renal estimating equations is widespread. Practitioners and institutions should be aware of these differences when dosing medications and implementing renal dosing policies.

The Irony of MedWatch and the FAERS Database: An Assessment of Data Input Errors and Potential Consequences.

Health care delivery revolves around accurate documentation, with data management free from error. A seemingly insignificant typographical error can cause short- and long-term problems that may lead to inaccurate records and misinformation. This report presents an overview of input errors in the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). The focus is on errors and inconsistencies in reporting of drug names in the FAERS database, initiated through input of the MedWatch reporting system. The consequences from erroneous data input-in this case, drug names-can have an impact on data integrity, research, and patient safety.

Jurisdictional Guidance on DOAC Use-Will It Affect Practice? A Comparison of European, American, and Canadian Product Monographs.

Objective: To identify clinically relevant areas of concordance and discordance between product monographs for 4 direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) approved by regulatory authorities in Europe, the United States, and Canada. Data Sources: For each DOAC (apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, rivaroxaban), manufacturer product monographs were retrieved from the European Medicines Database, US Food and Drug Administration, and Health Canada Drug Product Database. Data Extraction: Monographs for each DOAC were independently reviewed by 2 investigators to identify areas of concordance and discordance. Discordance existed if it was deemed that a potentially clinically relevant difference existed. A heat map summarizing the data was created to identify areas of complete concordance, partial concordance (concordance between 2 of 3 monographs), and complete discordance. Data Synthesis: The areas of concordance were indications for use, use in extremes of weight, and switching to/from the DOAC. Areas of discordance included the following: differing recommendations for use/dosing with renal dysfunction; contraindication or use with caution with drug interactions, pregnancy, and hepatic/renal dysfunction; and timing of DOAC with spinal/epidural anesthesia after a procedure or traumatic puncture. Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice: Concordance was most evident for uncomplicated patients with atrial fibrillation or venous thromboembolism, whereas discordance emerged for those having characteristics/factors wherein clinicians may seek clarification within product monographs (eg, impaired renal/hepatic function, drug interactions). As such, clinicians must be familiar with product information within their country of practice. Conclusion: Variability between jurisdictions was evident, and variability of DOAC use is likely to increase with expanding worldwide uptake.

Testing a Photo Story Intervention in Paper Versus Electronic Tablet Format Compared to a Traditional Brochure Among Older Adults in Germany: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: To increase effective communication in primary care consultations among older adults in Germany, the photo story is considered to be a useful tool based on Bandura's social cognitive theory. With information technology helping to increase effective communication, the use of tablets is gaining attention in health care settings, especially with older adults. However, the effectiveness of tablet technology and photo stories has rarely been tested. OBJECTIVE: The aim is to compare the effectiveness of a photo story intervention to a traditional brochure. Both were delivered either in paper or tablet format. METHODS: A trial was conducted with 126 older adults, aged 50 years and older, who were approached and recruited by researchers and administrative staff from senior day care, doctors in rehabilitation centers, and trainers in sports clubs in Germany. Open and face-to-face assessment methodologies were used. Participants were randomly assigned to one of four intervention conditions: traditional brochure in paper format (condition 1) and tablet format (condition 2), and photo story in paper format (condition 3) and tablet format (condition 4). Each participant received a questionnaire and either the traditional brochure or photo story in a paper or tablet version. To evaluate the effectiveness of each intervention, participants completed evaluation questionnaires before and after each intervention. The second part of the questionnaire measured different indicators of health literacy, communication skills, health measurements, and possible underlying mechanisms. RESULTS: Compared to the traditional brochure, participants considered the photo story easier to understand (t124=2.62, P=.01) and more informative (t124=-2.17, P=.03). Participants preferred the paper format because they found it less monotonous (t124=-3.05, P=.003), less boring (t124=-2.65, P=.009), and not too long (t124=-2.26, P=.03) compared to the tablet format. Among all conditions, the traditional brochure with a tablet (condition 2) was also perceived as more monotonous (mean 3.07, SD 1.08), boring (mean 2.77, SD 1.19), and too long to read (mean 2.50, SD 1.33) in comparison to the traditional brochure in paper format (condition 1). Moreover, the participants scored significantly higher on self-referencing on the traditional brochure in paper format (condition 1) than tablet format for both types of the brochure (conditions 2 and 4). CONCLUSIONS: Traditional brochures on a tablet seem to be the least effective communication option in primary care consultations among all conditions for older adults. The findings might be specific for the current generation of older adults in Germany and need to be replicated in other countries with larger sample sizes. Although information technology brings advantages, such as effective interventions in different fields and settings, it may also come with several disadvantages, such as technical requirements of the users and devices. These should be considered when integrating information technology into wider situations and populations. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02502292; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02502292 (Archived by Webcite at http://www.webcitation.org/747jdJ8pU).

Information needs and information resources availability for nursing students in mission-Owned schools of nursing in Imo state

This study investigated the information needs and information resources availability for nursing students in mission-owned schools of nursing in Imo State. The study adopted the descriptive survey research design and five research questions guided the study. All the 416 second and third year nursing students were used for the study. Questionnaire on Information Needs of Nursing Students and a Checklist on Information Resources Availability were the instruments used to collect data. A total of 397 copies of the questionnaire were completed and returned for analysis representing 95.4% of the total population. All the head- librarian of the schools of nursing complied with the checklist. The findings showed that the students need varieties of information. It also showed that the students consulted different sources, mainly textbooks and internet to meet their information needs. Print information resources were available in the libraries and only few electronic information resources were available. The study recommended that the nursing school authorities should be updating their print resources since students were observed to rely more on textbooks. Also the libraries should upgrade to higher bandwidth so as to have easier and faster access to more e-books and e-journals.Keywords: Information, Information needs, Print and Electronic Information Resources Availability, Nursing Education

Utilization Status of Electronic Information Sources (EIS) for HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment in Specialized Teaching Hospitals of Ethiopia, 2016.

BACKGROUND: According to the World Health Organization, the use of Electronic Information Sources (EIS) in healthcare is not merely about application of technology, but it is also a foundation to provide higher quality clinical care. This study was aimed to assess Utilization Status of EIS for HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment in specialized teaching hospitals of Ethiopia, 2016. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A facility based cross-sectional study design was used. The study populations were 352 healthcare professionals selected by using simple random sampling technique from three randomly selected specialized teaching hospitals of Ethiopia. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed by fitting multivariate logistic regression model and thematically by bringing similar themes together respectively. RESULTS: This study revealed that only 33.2% of the health professionals used EIS as supporting tool in their clinical practice including HIV/AIDS care and treatment. The main reasons for not using EIS were having no training 285(89.9%), followed by preferring print resources 20(6.3 %). Furthermore, there was statistically significant association between use of EIS and perceived electronic information retrieval skills AOR = 3.271, CI (1.942, 4.051), perceived quality of electronic information content retrieved AOR= 2.069, CI (1.051, 3.925) and limited access to computer and internet connection AOR = 5.072, CI (1.834, 5.931). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, only one-third of health professionals used EIS as supporting tool in their clinical practice. Hence, hospital boards should devise strategies to improve utilization of EIS.

Building and effect of vendor cloud platform for stomatological materials / 医疗卫生装备

Objective To complete an information chain to support stomatological materials purchase and providing manage-ment.MethodsThe main problems of the materials management information chain were analyzed.The system construction,technical architecture and function design were designed based on B/S and C/S structure.Results The vendor cloud platform completed the information chain for purchase and distribution of stomatological materials,and provided technical support to hospital consumables management.Conclusion The system normalizes stomatological materials management,guarantees the safety,timeliness and accuracy of materials supply,and thus is worthy applying practically.