4258.1: Tuesday, November 14, 2000 - Board 2

Abstract #16294

Assessing Environmental Respiratory Disease: The Critical Role of the Hospital Decision Support Staff

Denise Jones, MPH1, Mildred R. Johnson, MS2, and Susan M. Smith, MSPH, EdD2. (1) Department of Decision Support Systems, St. Mary's Health System, 900 East Oak Hill Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917, 865-545-6783, djones@notes.mercy.com, (2) University of Tennessee, Department of Health & Safety Sciences, 1914 Andy Holt Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37996

Presentation #2 will provide a description of the newly evolving hospital office of decision support staff and its multiple roles in assessing clinical and community environmentally caused disease. Providing information on the necessary skills and equipment staff need to carry out decision support tasks. This presentation will demonstrate how associated costs and incidents of diseases can be tracked over time to gain a better perspective on the level of environmentally caused diseases within the community. This presentation using the analysis of hospital records of those community members experiencing respiratory distress will describe the unique benefits of hospitals and clinics establishing and maintaining offices of decision support to interface between clinicians and hospital administration and records associated with environmental health.

Learning Objectives: 1) identify the role of a hospital or clinic decision support staff. 2) list the typical equipment and software typically used by this office. 3) give an example of how the decision support system can be utilized to assess environmentally caused diseases in the community

Keywords: Air Pollutants, Community-Based Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: St. Mary's Health Care System
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA