1.1 Introduction
Computerized Patient’s Information Tracking is an information system that is used to record relevant information relating to the patients. Information tracking provides a relevant intelligence to decision making at the right time. One of the major activities in the medical data processing is the maintenance of patient’s record. When a patient visits a particular hospital for the first time, a folder is prepared and an identification number known as the card member is issued to the patient. This number is peculiar to only that patient and any information on the patient is stored or accessed by searching out the hospital folder bearing that number. These tracking of information on patients are collects and stored away in their hospital folder. As these records increase with time, the hospital would have a collection known as the medical history of the patient. This medical history be very, voluminous, this makes it almost impossible to retrieve past records of the patients that have been stored away for long.
Much of these information tracking system is been done by the record officers who collects information from different sections of the hospital and stores them away as expected. The record officers may be able to maintain these information but the process of retrieving and even storing is generally slow, time consuming and possibly tedious.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitation of the study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of the Study
Historically, however, hospitals were often founded and funded by religious orders or charitable individuals and leaders. A hospital is an institution for health care that provides patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Usually, hospitals are funded by the public sector, by health organizations (for profit or nonprofit), health insurance companies or charities, including funds by direct charitable donations. Modern-day hospitals are largely staffed by professional physicians, surgeons, and nurses. Hospitals are distinguished by their ownership, scope of services, and whether they are teaching hospitals with academic affiliations. Hospitals may be operated as proprietary (for-profit) businesses, owned either by corporations or individuals such as the physicians or they may be voluntary-owned by non-profit corporations, religious organizations, or operated by federal, state, or city governments.
The computer-based system has been designed to tackle some of the problems attached to information tracking while running a hospital. This is done basically by introducing certain data processing standards and information into the automated system to help govern and monitor the way the data and information is stored, accessed, used and retrieve. The processed information is stored in computer and they can be use of electric means. To prevent an epidemic outbreak within a region can only be provide a necessary statistics towards the number of death caused by a disease and the related solution, which can be used to tackle a disease. Information can be retrieved on a specific problem hence it is by electronic means.
Computerized Patient’s Information Tracking System of Annunciation Hospital shows various drugs that one can purchase. It records the available drugs, the sold drugs and the money collected from the sold drug. It involves database programming to keep track of the event of the system. The program is also implemented using web based programming languages. Depending on the drug and its desired effect, there are a variety of administration methods. Most drugs are administered orally that is, through the mouth. Only drugs that will not be destroyed by the digestive processes of the stomach or intestines can be given orally. Drugs can also be administered by injection into a vein (intravenously), which assures quick distribution through the bloodstream and a rapid effect; under the skin (subcutaneously) into the tissues, which results in localized action at a particular site as with local anesthetics; or into a muscle (intramuscularly), which enables rapid absorption through the many blood vessels found in muscles. An intramuscular injection may also be given as a depot preparation, in which the drug is combined with other substances so that it is slowly released into the blood.
Most community hospitals offer emergency services as well as a range of inpatient and outpatient medical and surgical services. Community hospitals, where most people receive care, are typically small, with fifty to five hundred beds. These hospitals normally provide quality care for routine medical and surgical problems. Some community hospitals are nonprofit corporations, supported by local funding. These include hospitals supported by religious, cooperative, or osteopathic organizations.
1.3 Statement of the Problem
Investigation revealed that the existing system of operation in processes is tedious and full of man-made errors. The need for this study was based on the quest for an automated system capable of monitoring the vast records associated with individual patient, computer necessary information like bills and ensure that each patient settles his/her bills and does not owe the hospital beyond an amount specified by the management. Hospital especially large one face many problems while trying to keep track of their patient’s records process and store information on each of them manually. Patients most often have to wait a long time before their files or hospital folder can be retrieved.
This situation can be moist frustrating in cases of emergency where a patient requires immediate attention but time is wasted in locating his/her file or folder so that some information on patient medical history can be located.
Information concerning a patient cannot be shaved simultaneously by different medical personnel because of file or folder can only be in one location at a time.
Every hospital is expected to keep record of the medical history of every patient for easy referencing. Since these files are usually carried about from one place to another, they are easily misplaced or accessed and manipulated by authorized persons.
All these problems of the existing Patient's Information Tracking System can lead to the deterioration and inefficiency in the services provided by the hospital.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of the Study
The aim of this project is to design a Computerized Patient’s Information Tracking System. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to develop an application software that will:
- Assist in improving the services provided for the patients satisfaction in order to boost the corporate image of the hospital;
- Aid hospital in creating files for patients into two categories namely private and company patients so that for consideration will be given according to ones category;
- Enable medical doctor perform their job correctly by tracking information on patient record thereby administering the right treatments;
- Swiftly retrieve accurate and reliable information of patients thereby enhancing the task of attending to patients promptly; and
- Increase the speed of operations within the hospital thus increasing the efficiency and reliability of the hospital record keeping system.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The implementation of the proposed system will provide a statistics for every patients in the hospital including bills of the patients together will all cash payments made so as to provide on demand, useful information of each patients personal record together with debts and credits.
The research will also be beneficial to both the management and staffs within the hospital establishment as it makes patients management easier. It will enable the management to know the total number of patients and the payment made by patient as the software will keep tracks of all the patients’ transactions with the hospital. It will ensure that patients are attended on time and a how a patient can get registered first, before the proper bill process.
Furthermore, the proposed system will provide any information needed by a patient at any given time, thereby making it possible for patients to have easy access to their medical record. It also sound an alarm for any patient that owes the hospital more than the amount specified by the management as the maximum debt the patient is allowed to owe. This will go a long way in providing the financial state of the hospital.
1.6 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Design and Implementation of a Computerized Patient’s Information Tracking System using Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Medical Centre Owerri as a case study.
1.7 Limitation of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Establishment Policies: Establishment policies posed a serious limitation as most staffs are not ready to release information needed for this project work. There were lots of information needed from the staffs of this institution to enhance the study which took them time to release or they did not release at all for security purposes, hence the scope was reduced.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.8 Definition of Terms
Medication:
A medication is a substance that is taken in to or placed on the body that does one of the following things: most medications are used to cure disease or condition.
Prescription:
A prescription is a health-care program implemented by a physician or other qualified health care practitioner in the form of instructions that govern the plan of care for an individual patient.
Symptom:
A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is apparent to a patient, reflecting the presence of an unusual state or of a disease.
Administration:
An administration is the act of giving a drug to somebody or a patient.
