Using Information Technology To Transfer Knowledge: A Medical Institution Steps Up to the Plate
Authors: Robert Badgett, Cynthia Mulrow
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2005)

Editorials1 February 2005Using Information Technology To Transfer Knowledge: A Medical Institution Steps Up to the PlateRobert Badgett, MD and Cynthia Mulrow, MD, MSc, Deputy EditorRobert Badgett, MD and Cynthia Mulrow, MD, MSc, Deputy EditorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-142-3-200502010-00016 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail In this issue, Jain and colleagues (1) display the power of information technology (IT) to facilitate communication about important health care information. The information was Merck's withdrawal of rofecoxib at 9:00 a.m. on 30 September 2004—one of the largest drug recalls in modern history—and the power on display was the speed and specificity of electronic communications. Within 90 minutes of Merck's initial press release about the withdrawal, staff at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation began querying databases stored in their electronic medical record (EMR) to identify patients with active rofecoxib prescriptions and their providers. Within 7 hours, they deactivated prescriptions in ...References1. Jain A, Atreja A, Harris CM, Lehmann M, Burns J, Young J. Responding to the rofecoxib withdrawal crisis: a new model for notifying patients at risk and their health care providers. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:182-6. LinkGoogle Scholar2. National Institute for Clinical Excellence. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis-cox II inhibitors. 2004; No. 27. Accessed at www.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=18033 on 16 December 2004. Google Scholar3. Bombardier C, Laine L, Reicin A, Shapiro D, Burgos-Vargas R, Davis B, et al. Comparison of upper gastrointestinal toxicity of rofecoxib and naproxen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. VIGOR Study Group. N Engl J Med. 2000;343:1520-8, 2 p following 1528. [PMID: 11087881] Google Scholar4. Spiegel BM, Targownik L, Dulai GS, Gralnek IM. The cost-effectiveness of cyclooxygenase-2 selective inhibitors in the management of chronic arthritis. Ann Intern Med. 2003;138:795-806. [PMID: 12755551] LinkGoogle Scholar5. Hersh W. Health care information technology: progress and barriers [Editorial]. JAMA. 2004;292:2273-4. [PMID: 15536117] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. Davidoff F, Florance V. The informationist: a new health profession? [Editorial]. Ann Intern Med. 2000;132:996-8. [PMID: 10858185] LinkGoogle Scholar7. Pfeffer J, Sutton RI. The Knowing-Doing Gap. How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action. Boston: Harvard Business School Pr; 2000. Google Scholar8. Berwick DM. Disseminating innovations in health care. JAMA. 2003;289:1969-75. [PMID: 12697800] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Greenhalgh T, Robert G, Macfarlane F, Bate P, Kyriakidou O. Diffusion of innovations in service organizations: systematic review and recommendations. Milbank Q. 2004;82:581-629. [PMID: 15595944] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Ward JP, Gordon J, Field MJ, Lehmann HP. Communication and information technology in medical education. Lancet. 2001;357:792-6. [PMID: 11253986] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. Goldratt EM. Necessary But Not Sufficient. Great Barrington, MA: North River Pr; 2000. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Corresponding Author: Customer Service, American College of Physicians, 190 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoResponding to the Rofecoxib Withdrawal Crisis: A New Model for Notifying Patients at Risk and Their Health Care Providers Anil Jain , Ashish Atreja , C. Martin Harris , Meghan Lehmann , Jon Burns , and James Young Metrics Cited byA Proposed e-Care Center for Mental Health Interventions 1 February 2005Volume 142, Issue 3Page: 220-221KeywordsCommunication in health careDecision analysisHealth information technologyHeart diseasesHemorrhageInformation technologyLibrariesMemoryPopulation statisticsSpecificity ePublished: 1 February 2005 Issue Published: 1 February 2005 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2005 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...