Information Management

Dear Clinician,

Information management (IM) is the new topic of the Clinical Window Web Journal (CWWJ). In modern heath care information overflow is a reality, and resource constraints need to be balanced with quality patient care. That puts great emphasis both on management information systems and on IM solutions to facilitate optimal care decisions at the bedside.

Dr. Keith L. Long M.D. is the Associate Chairman at the Department of Anesthesia in Winchester Hospital near Boston (USA). His topic, Increasing O.R. utilization, gives an insight into multidimensional managerial aspects of tuning up the productivity of a busy hospital operating department. Many of us face the same dilemmas, when the increasing volume of procedures needs to be matched with the available resources.

Dr. Walter Menzel M.D. is Professor of Hospital Management at Niederrhein University (Germany). In his current position, he can build on his seventeen-year clinical and administrational experience as an anesthesiologist. From a health administration point of view, Prof. Menzel assesses the current and future role of anesthesiologist in the changing field of health care.

Dr. Aarno Kari (Finland) has made his career as Director of Critical Care Services. He has also gathered notable experience in developing computerized critical care systems. Recently, he accepted a director's position in a company which develops IM solutions for quality management in critical care. In two articles, Dr. Kari educates us about critical care quality systems. He also discusses the potential role of the Internet in collecting and comparing patient outcome information.

Many thanks to our authors for their great contributions.

Ilkka S. Kalli MD, PhD, MBA
Anesthesiologist, Editor-in-Chief
Datex-Ohmeda’s Clinical Window Web Journal

Last updated: 1 January 2002Created
Legal notice	© GE Healthcare 2008 ISSN 1795-6269 (Web) ISSN 1795-6277 (CD)	Webmaster