THE MEDICAL DATA INDEX (MDI) DEPENDENCY MODULE - A SHARED DATABASE TOASSIST DISCHARGE PLANNING AND AUDIT

As part of the development of integrated, patient-based hospital infor mation technology (IT) systems in the South-Western Region of England, a module has been developed which will hold core data pertaining to t he functional status and current resources of elderly or disabled pati ents. Its purpose is to assist early identification of unmet needs and facilitate prompt transfer to community care. The module provides a s hared database, which is completed or updated as necessary on admissio n and is then available to all appropriate users of the hospital syste m, avoiding duplication of data collection. In addition to details of home circumstances and support, it includes brief, standardized assess ment scales for activities of daily living and mental state, which wil l identify the need for specialist referral. A summary is provided for easy communication with other care agencies.