AN INTEGRATED SYSTEM FOR MULTIDISCIPLINARY ASSESSMENTS IN STROKE REHABILITATION

Background and Purpose There is increasing emphasis on the use of inte grated systems for timely, accurate, and efficient data collection for a range of service, audit, quality, and research applications. The pr esent study evaluates the acceptability and the quality of data collec ted on a ward-based system over a 6-month period. Methods A multidisci plinary system specific for stroke rehabilitation was used. Members of each discipline were required to enter demographic, medical, nursing, therapy, and psychosocial data as appropriate to their speciality. A users' survey was undertaken at the beginning and at the end of the st udy. The quality and completeness of data entry were assessed by a ''s napshot'' of the database at the end of the study period. Primary user s (n=13) included physicians, nurses, and therapists. Results The user survey at the end of the evaluation showed a significant increase in confidence in using the system. Although the frequency of use had incr eased, the time spent in data entry had decreased significantly. The i ncrease in work load, estimated at 15 to 60 minutes per week, was cons idered to be balanced by the benefits in patient care, audit, and rese arch. There were 67 medical and 1046 other assessments on 67 patients entered into the system. Seven patients (11%) had incomplete medical r ecords. Nursing and therapy assessments had been entered for all patie nts at admission and on discharge, with more than 95% of all possible assessments monitoring recovery being recorded accurately compared wit h conventional records. Conclusions The study showed that it was possi ble to introduce a computerized multidisciplinary assessment system on rehabilitation wards as a part of day-to-day work without the need fo r significant extra resources.