Introduction
1.1 Background Of Study
General Hospital calabar. The hospital provide qualitative Health care services but maintains that they do not just heal mere physical illness which attacks the human body, but a much deeper and holistic healing of the entire human person.
These service areas include all the wards (medical and surgical for male and female, pediatrics, chest unit and the maternity section as a whole. Other departments are out patient department (OPD), laboratory department, pharmacy department, central sterling and supply department (C.S.S.D), X-RAY department community medicine and the mobile clinic, and theatre department. The roles of these departments are complementary and depict what they call team-work in patient management, the patient always beings at the center.
The Hospital since its establishment has demonstrated a very keen interest in the staff recruitment and development of highly skilled and very dependable medical and paramedical personnel. Presently, their work force stands at 460.
1.2 Statement Of The Problems
Many problems are encountered with the manual method of handling files. It is quite unfortunate that ESUT Teaching Hospital. In spite of her large medical service and recognition still keep her records manually.
The problems associated with this manual system include time wastage, ineffective use of statistical data, and duplication of efforts in records keeping. Delay in decision making, it requires a lot of clerical efforts inability to cope up with daily work load. Slow in responding the queries / enquires, Rodents records, lot of human mistakes, lack of confidentiality of files and high cost of stationary.
This project is aimed at devising a system that will eradicate these above problems and improve medical services to the citizens. This computerization process is believed to be capable of not only solving these problems but many more to be encountered.
1.3 Aim/Objectives Of The Project
The main purpose of this project is to investigate and design a computer based medical services, capable of eradicating the above mentioned problems to be speeding up the processing, storing and retrieval of information which greatly assist medical personnel in the performance of their duties. Again, it will provide a means to ease medical laboratory statistics and improve decision making by reducing processing time, as well as reducing the communication gap between the Doctors and other staff still involved in the patient medical care. It will also reduce human errors to the barest minimum and improve confidentiality of files. In summary, the objective is to set an efficient medical database for the advancement of the medical research and analysis.
1.4 Justification For The Project
The researcher during the course of this investigation found out that all the medical keeping record are done manually and having seen the problem associated with the manual system, the researcher calls for a new system in patient related services. The new system is justified in many ways.
The design of the new system will eliminate the problems of the system mentioned earlier by providing quick file retrieval and searches. By providing accurate up to date information on demand.
It will minimize redundantly , loss of information will be prevented, the need for volume paper files and unnecessary spending of paper folders, file cabinet will be removed and adequate security will be provided to ensure database system.
Furthermore, the new system is justified when receptionist, medical record clerks in recording would not be our worked again by the implemented of the automatic system.
1.5 Objectives Of The Study
The main objective of this study is to develop a computerised management system. Others include;
- To provide total asset visibility.
- To allow high levels in giving full patient history.
- To reduce lead time, shelf space, and errors due to damage, fatigue of staff .
- To facilitate “just in time” deliveries.
- To provide full process control for the patient.
- To provide higher level security as the system would be passworded to prevent unauthorised access.
- To shorten cross docking time and speeds up sort/pick up rate.
- To help the management plan, monitor, optimize resources and ascertain their financial position at any time.
1.6 Scope Of The Study
The scope of the project covers the development of a computer based database application for use by these sections (patient state of health,bill payment and address) at the general hospital to replace their old paper notebook recording system.
The requirements include designing a user interface for the application and providing options for a user to log into the application by supplying the correct username and password combination; register new patient and view a list of already registered patient; to keep records of out patient and in-patient in the hospital; view patient registered on the database; admitted, discharge, bill patient etc. It also covers writing the background programming to ensure that the interface works with the database through the underlying codes to perform the required actions. It also involves the testing, improvement and optimization of the application.
1.7 Definition Of Terms
Medical Records:
It is the records that spell out the patient’s illness and treatment during a particular period for out patients and inpatients.
Out Patients:
Any person who goes to receive treatment in the Hospital but does not stay overnight.
Ward:
A section in the hospital where inpatient stays and receives treatment on regular bases.
Inpatients:
A patient staying and receiving treatment in the hospital.
1.8 Project Report Organization
This report is organized into five chapters. The first chapter takes care of introduction: background, aims and objectives, justification and scope of the project. Chapter two surveys the literature review of this work. In chapter three, the project methodology, data collection, analysis, limitations of the existing system, system design, system flow chart and top down design were done. The input, processing and output modules are critically analysed.
In chapter four, system implementation, testing and integration: choice of development tools, system requirements, and testing were carefully done. Finally chapter five closes up with summary, recommendations and conclusions: limitation, Bill of Engineering Measurement and Engineering (BEME), bibliography, appendices
