Technicon Data Systems

In June 1971, The National Center for Health Services Research selected El Camino Hospital, located in Mountain View, CA, to demonstrate and evaluate the Technicon Medical Information Management System. TDS was a hospital information system designed for use by nurses, physicians, and other health care workers with a goal of expediting the health care process. It was developed and tested on a single nursing station during the five years prior to 1971. At the time, El Camino was a 464-bed, general community hospital serving patients under the care of their private physicians.

TDS was implemented in phases. By October 1974, 78% of the physicians used the system for either entering orders or reviewing results, and 45% of all orders were entered directly by physicians. Following their implementation of CPOE, errors of omission in medication orders concerning site and route of administration (7.9% initially) and dosage scheduling (1.3% initially) dropped to less than 0.5% (p < 0.01). Inclusion of clinical indications for radiologic examinations and electrocardiographic monitoring increased significantly from less than 4% to over 35% of orders examined.

References

Barrett JP, Barnum RA, Gordon BB, Pesut RN. Final report on evaluation of the implementation of a medical information system in a general community hospital. Battelle Laboratories (NTIS PB 248 340), Dec. 19, 1975.