Quality Products & Resources

This column provides healthcare quality professionals with announcements of new products, with company contact information, and of recently released media, with ordering and Internet access information. It also gives up-to-the-minute descriptions of resources of interest to healthcare quality professionals as they navigate the constant flood of information.

Products

Pneumonia severity index calculator

MDpda Design, Inc., developed the Pneumonia Severity Index Calculator.  This clinical decision-support software for personal digital assistants (PDAs) is designed to help clinicians determine whether a patient with community-acquired pneumonia should be treated at home or in the hospital. Research has determined that there are a large number of low-risk patients who could be more cost effectively and safely treated on an outpatient basis. This tool can help to accurately identify appropriate patients for outpatient treatment.

The software is based on a clinical algorithm produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) multidisciplinary research team called the Pneumonia Patient Outcomes Research Team. The algorithm was validated in a broad, randomized control trial.

The AHRQ Pneumonia Severity Index Calculator is available in Palm OS, Pocket PC, and HTML formats and is available for download at http://pda.ahrq.gov.
Additional AHRQ PDA clinical support applications are in development.

VSurvey 

VergesolutionsTM creates healthcare software for nonmedical applications. Vergesolution's newest software product is Vsurvey. This software was designed to help organizations with their Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations Periodic Performance Review (PPR) and triennial Joint Commission accreditation survey process. The tool allows multiple user logins, uses 128-bit encryption security, assists with document management, and generates standard compliance reports. The system has the capability to upload the required PPR reports to the Joint Commission extranet or print a compliance attestation for chief executive officer submission.

A live tour of the system is available by contacting support@verge-solutions.com.

Clinical calculator

Veritas Research, Inc., released CRAtoolboxTM, a PDA-based application geared to the pharmaceutical/biotech industries. CRAtoolbox has been designed to assist clinical monitors with calculations and conversions for on-site Case Report Form review. The 15 most frequently performed clinical calculations are now together in one place.

A customized calculator, converter, and data/process confirmation tool, CRAtoolbox has been built for monitors by monitors in the clinical research community. The functions of CRAtoolbox can be customized to match the various clinical research needs within the industry.

The calculator also incorporates Imperia or Metric units for height, weight, and temperature, U.S. or European date styles, and either 12- or 24-hour time format, so it is usable in the United States or abroad.

CRAtoolbox is downloadable and may be purchased online at www.veritas-cro.com.
It is available in Palm and Pocket PC versions.

Resources

Quality of Healthcare for Children and Adolescents: A chartbook

The Commonwealth Fund has released the second in a series of chartbooks on the quality of healthcare in the United States. The Quality of Healthcare for Children and Adolescents report illustrates the quality of care children receive in categories, such as preventive care and treatment of chronic conditions. The chartbook was produced by Sheila Leatherman, research professor at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health, and Douglas McCarthy, president of Issues Research, Inc. in consultation with national experts in child and adolescent healthcare quality. The report's charts are organized under the following topics: effectiveness, safety, access, centeredness, disparities, and capacity.

This resource can be found at www.cmwf.org/programs/leatherman_pedchtbk_700.asp 

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