Posts by Ewan
Lessons from GP Computing
UK GP computing leads the way globally in the application of clinical computing at the point-of-care and for many years was the only example of the widespread implementation of clinical computing at the couch-face. It is interesting to examine why GP computing was, and still is, much more successful than clinical computing elsewhere in the…
Read MoreAnalytics – Whose data is it anyway?
There are a growing number of techniques which might be described by the term “health analytics” which are able to use patient data (generally pseudonymised) for a range of valuable purposes which can help identify opportunities to delver more appropriate, better quality and more cost-effective care. With the challenges healthcare faces using information more intelligently…
Read MoreWe Made It! Nick and Ewan’s Grand Union Canal Adventure for the Neuroblastoma Society
Just to let you all know that we both successfully completed our cycle ride down the Grand Union Canal on schedule on Wednesday raising over £6,750 (plus a gift aid supplement from the Tax Man of more than £1,200) for the Neuroblastoma Society. If you donated, thank you for your support. We plan to keep…
Read MoreNick and Ewan's Grand Union Cycle Adventure
Please help us help The Neuroblastoma Society Not health informatics this time, but the planned adventures of two health informaticians – myself and my old friend and colleague Nick Booth. (http://linkd.in/kpNnXQ) who plan to cycle the length of the Grand Union Canal from Birmingham to London. I was inspired to do this as a result…
Read MoreIn Summary
Record summaries can play an important role in the facilitation of clinical communication, but only with careful thought, which is often lacking, as illustrated by the sad tale of the English Summary Care Record (SCR) and the happier tale of the Scottish Emergency Care Summary. The first thing to understand about a “summary record” is…
Read MoreSecondary Uses of Data – A Poachers Tale
Early in my career in health informatics I had plans to make myself fabulously rich by selling pseudonymised patient data from GP for a range of secondary purposes. I managed to spend £15 million of my backers money giving away 1000 GP systems and established a database of 6 million patients records it all ended…
Read MoreMedication Repository Anyone?
I was writing this piece when I read Ian McNicoll’s stimulating blog piece “EastendEHRs? – Dr Leggs’ Diary” Ian talks about community medication records, very much the theme of this piece. It seems to me that a shared medication record is the single most useful thing that could be provided in any health community…
Read MoreBeyond the Hawking Horizon
The idea that a single shared electronic health record (SSEHR) operating over a wide geography serving many care settings and diverse professional groups is a good idea is one that has some currency in the NHS. However, evidence seems to be growing that this approach does not lead to more effective care and communication and…
Read MoreA Lost Opportunity?
Slightly of the informatics theme, but then there can’t be a successful health informatics programme, only a health transformation programme facilitated by informatics The current Government’s transformation programme is the most radical in the NHS’s history and we can not and should not try and consider health informatics issues in isolation. My political sympathies don’t…
Read MoreEverything you wanted to know about GP Consortia IT
I organised what I think was the first national GP computing exhibition in 1981 for the GP Computer Suppliers Association (now part of Intellect) it was a sell out and I have been trying to organise another sell out event without success ever since. However, with the BCS Primary Health Info Conference I am helping…
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