Review of the Naval Health Research Center's development of medical information systems for far-forward echelons of care, 1983 to 1997

Abstract

Medical treatment information must be gathered quickly and accurately to ensure continuity of care at far-forward echelons. The manual documentation methods in use during the Vietnam War revealed the need for considerable improvements in medical information documentation, patient tracking, and effective transfer of data throughout each of the first three echelons of care. The U.S. military determined that automation would result in the greatest enhancement of documentation techniques. The Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) has been an integral part of the development of medical information systems for the Navy's far-forward echelons of care. The prototypes designed by NHRC for echelons I and II can successfully raise the standard of treatment while simultaneously reducing the number of individuals needed for administrative duties and increasing the number of medical staff available for patient care. An overview of NHRC's work in medical information systems from 1983 to 1997 is presented.