CRMS Implementation for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Goal: To improve patient care through centralized health screening data collection.

When Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) was awarded a grant to study and improve emergency department screening methods for adolescents suffering from depression, they partnered with mdlogix to develop a solution. The purpose of the grant was threefold:

  1. To identify stakeholders’ perceived barriers toward, and preferences for computerized adolescent depression screening in the emergency department
  2. To develop and pilot test a contextually sensitive computer-based emergency department screening process for adolescent depression
  3. To assess the impact of the screening process on identification and referral rates in the emergency department

mdlogix proposed that CHOP switch from their in-house data collection system to a web-based system using the CRMS Case Report Forms module. This approach saved money by eliminating the need to aquire new computer hardware, and created a system that is accessible from any computer with internet access in the emergency department. When system updates are necessary, they can be completed by mdlogix and implemented on all computers simultaneously, rather than requiring CHOP’s IT staff to update each workstation individually. The web-based system is expandable across multiple locations as required in the future.

Results:

Patients in the emergency department are asked to complete the questionnaire, with the ability to save it and return later in case of interruption. mdlogix helped CHOP researchers devise a scoring feature for each question which ultimately generates a printed report calculating risk and flagging those who need additional medical attention. Nurses use these printed reports for quick and accurate assessments of patients who may not otherwise receive help. The data is collected in an efficient manner, and is easily accessible to nurses and physicians who use it to ensure patients receive the services they need.

The Client Said:

"mdlogix was very responsive to the unique needs of our project, and was willing to customize their services to meet our needs. Personnel at mdlogix were professional and flexible. mdlogix worked with CHOP to problem-solve issues with compatibility of mdlogix and CHOP systems."
Joel Fein, M.D.
Attending Physician
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia