I’ll put this in the ‘sign of things to come’ category but the story that broke this week on how the VA is going to use veteran’s medical records caught my attention (see link below). It highlighted many of the benefits that we have been learning about in the informatics program in relation to HIT/EHRs and the VA is only able to do it because they have been so diligent at keeping computerized medical records. The large datasets that will become available (which have all names scrubbed to maintain anonymity) will no doubt be gold mine for researchers who will have at their finger tips information on lab work, vitals signs, medications, results of annual assessments and so on across a huge population sample. The hope is that it will improve understanding of complex medical questions such as why some people are vulnerable to certain diseases or why some people respond differently to the same treatment regimes. Cool stuff!
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