What sets Fox's order and other orders entered into the more than 250 Medical Gopher PC in-patient work stations at Wishard apart, is that the orders were entered into an interactive medical records system designed by and for physicians. Using computer terminals at the point of care, physicians and other health-care providers directly enter orders, problems or other information vital to patient care into the computer, eliminating potential errors or miscommunication. The system provides time-saving aids using choice lists and "fill-in-the-blanks" templates to expedite the order writing process. Computer generated reminders and feedback also assist the ordering physician.

In addition to order entry, the Gopher has grown in less than 10 years to include many other features. One of the most popular is the pocket-rounds reports with patient data in a compact format for easy physician reference. Other features include nursing reports, nursing admission assessment questionnaires, a patient tracking system, patient education hand-outs, phone number lookups, E-mail services, drug interaction information, medical journal text searches, a "suggestion box," and even the latest weather forecasts and satellite photos. As more and more information and services are programmed into the Gopher, its use has escalated dramatically. One million orders were written in its first 7.5 years of operation; a second million orders have been entered in less than 3 years.

In development and daily use for over a quarter of a century, the RMRS is an innovative electronic medical record system that helps physicians manage the enormous amount of information needed to care for their patients. The RMRS was developed at the Regenstrief Institute for Health Care under the direction of its current director, Dr. Clement McDonald.
He is also Distinguished Professor of medicine and Regenstrief Professor at IUSM.

RMRS is one of the largest coded, continuously operated medical record systems in the country. The RMRS routinely captures laboratory results, narrative reports, orders, medications, radiology reports, registration information, nursing assessments, vital signs, EKGs and other clinical data. It also carries a rich trove of perinatal data, including detailed history and physical information from each stage of the pregnancy and delivery.

A commercial version of the RMRS is marketed internationally by Shared Medical Systems. A Web version of the RMRS software has recently been made available.

http://www.regenstrief.org