Remember The Milk is a well-done “web 2.0” application. So far, it’s free - and I do like the user interface. I like the way that it will send an e-mail reminder AND a reminder to my pager AND a message to my gtalk client.
Too bad there are no “web 2.0” applications for healthcare. Yeh - I’m not quite sure what web 2.0 means either .. but it seems that the focus is on usability, RIAs and AJAX.
The whole AJAX thing is funny - as it’s great to see people finally “get it” .. but the techniques for creating web applications that allow the user to interact with the server without reloading the page have been around a long time. I think the first well-written article on how to do this was the old “gif as a datapipe” trick - well before XMLHTTPrequest. We used this technique in the development of oncalls five years ago!
Yet none of the EMRs are using these techniques. So sad to see us lag behind the rest of the world (again). With the emergence of standards for EMR interoperability - I dream about the back-end agnostic web-based EMR front end. Hmm … It would be developed with a clean UI - and deliver the core functions of a modern EMR:
- Messaging (provider to staff, patient to provider, staff to patient, patient to staff).
- Order Entry (referrals, labs, procedures) - integrated with knowledge resources and CPT/ICD-9 lookup tools
- Chart Note Entry - with templates and macros and voice recognition support
- Prescription Writing - integrated with interaction checking, dosing guidelines, etc.
- Immunization & Health Maintenance data entry & alerts
- Disease management decisions support (HTN, DM, Hyperlipidemia, etc)
It’s really not too much to ask - is it?