June 1999
Volume 63 |
Number 6
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Distributing Anesthesia Information Via
the Web: Lessons Learned by the Closed Claims Project
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John Campos, M.A.
Last year, the Closed Claims Project published an article in
the ASA NEWSLETTER1 describing
the basic structure of our Web site <depts.washington.edu/asaccp>.
Apparently, the article received great attention. The monthly
number of visits to our Web site has more than doubled since June
1998. One consequence of this increase in visits has been an increase
in data requests.
How We Deal With Increased Requests
Because our Web site lists telephone numbers, postal addresses
and e-mail addresses, people who view the available abstracts
and full text NEWSLETTER articles have been able to contact
us easily. The Project Manager, Karen Posner, Ph.D., has noted
an upswing in data requests. While many individuals simply want
a copy of an article listed in the Project's bibliography, an
increasing number want data on topics not covered by Closed Claims
Project publications.
Because the ASA funds the Closed Claims Project under the oversight
of the Committee on Professional Liability, the Project is happy
to provide free, but limited, data analysis services to ASA members.
The committee has adopted guidelines for responding to data requests.
These guidelines include a questionnaire that provides focus for
data extraction and allows the Project staff to respond to requests
quickly and efficiently. This questionnaire is available on the
Web site in Adobe Acrobat format.
The Public Is Our Web Audience
Although we maintain our Web site as a service to ASA members,
the topics have been of interest to physicians in other specialties
as well as nonphysicians. Many people, including lawyers, medical
device manufacturers and patients have contacted our project offices,
looking for legal or medical advice. This has posed some concerns
to our staff: to what extent do we offer consultation?
Our position is that the Project is a tool of scientific research
for ASA, not for the general public. We advise nonphysicians that
the specific goal of the Closed Claims Project is to identify
major areas of liability in anesthesia practice and to discuss
promising strategies for prevention of patient injury. When nonphysicians
seek data or consultation from the Closed Claims Project, we suggest
that they examine our publications in the peer-reviewed literature
to see if their questions can be answered by our existing research.
The adoption of these policies has not led to tension with the
public. The public now has so much more access to medical education
materials via the World Wide Web that our lack of a consultative
service is not a problem.
Medical Education and the Web
The impact of the Web on medical education cannot be overemphasized.
It can provide medical staff and the public with up-to-the-minute
information and research data. It can also provide the public
with quick links to their physicians and care centers.
Many hospitals and Internet health information services are
now providing free medical consultation, access to MEDLINE and
health tips on anything from apnea to viral hepatitis. Some allow
the user to make clinic appointments via e-mail or Web entry-forms.
People seeking to establish a Web presence for themselves, their
businesses or their projects will find the task easier this year.
Many companies are setting up services that automatically create
a Web site for you, either for free or for a leasing fee. Others
provide free public chat rooms on medical topics. Free e-mail
abounds! For those looking for a "virtual office," with on-line
personal calendars, file sharing and office specific e-mail, there
are Web sites for that, too. The range of services is constantly
growing, as companies try to lure customers away from each other.
How to Reach the Closed Claims Project
Since 1995, the ASA Committee on Professional Liability's Closed
Claims Project has maintained a Web site at the University of
Washington. In February 1999, the Web site moved to a faster,
more secure Web server at <depts.washington.edu/asaccp>.
People going to the old Web site at <weber.u.washington.edu/~asaccp>
will be automatically redirected to the new site.
The Closed Claims Project Web site can also be accessed through
a link at the ASA Web site <www.asahq.org>.
Questions and comments about the Closed Claims Project are always
welcome. Please address these to Karen Posner, Ph.D., at <posner@u.washington.edu>.
Technical questions or comments about the Web site should be addressed
to the author at <asaccp@u.washington.edu>.
Reference:
- Campos J. Web site for Closed Claims Project
provides access and insight. ASA NEWSLETTER. 1998; 62(6):15.
John Campos, M.A., is Systems Analyst/Programmer
for Anesthesiology, University of Washington School of Medicine,
Seattle, Washington. He provides research and computer support
for the Closed Claims Project.
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