Dear
Editor,
Bilkent University has a near perfect computer center and almost everything on campus is
computerized. However, in the Health Center, medical information is kept in folders. No
requests can be made without these folders, and once they are gone, for whatever reason,
they are gone! Once, I had to run from the appointment desk to nurses' room after nurses'
room, then to the doctor's office in order to find my folder so that I could get a
prescription! Wouldn’t it be useful to have a copy of our medical records in a
computerized system, so that we would not have to visit the nurses' room or waste time in
a line to deal with folders? Time is money!
I would also like to add that as part of the Bilkent community, I would like to have high
quality medical service with doctors who are able to carefully examine and correctly
diagnose, so that we won't waste money on unnecessary medications. It would be nice if the
Health Center moved into the 21st Century.
Thanks for your attention, Sincerely
Zehra Murad (ECON/IV)
Response:
Dear Zehra,
Thank you for your suggestion regarding the use of computerized student files at the
Health Centers. You put your finger on an issue that we also consider to be quite critical
- how to keep our patients' information safe and accessible.
The reality is that hard copies of files are the most effective means of keeping
information at the present time. If a patient receives letters from other doctors or
specialists, a hard copy file is where these are held. It is beneficial to have as many
ORIGINAL documents (letters, test results, reports, notes, etc.) available for doctors and
nurses to access as possible, to ensure that proper information is being used. Often,
there will be patients with large files that span over the course of their education. Hard
copies are essential in this situation. As with any system, it is not without its flaws,
however, it is used in hospitals and clinics worldwide, and has proven its value.
It should be stated however, that one of our doctors has created a computer database to
store patient information. While we do use hard copies of patient files during the day,
our evening staff update the computer database with a second copy of patient files. So,
information is stored in a backup location. If a file, for some reason is lost, this
second source can be turned to if need be.
We hope this addresses your concern over the files, and we thank you again for your
feedback. The Health Centers are always seeking new ways to meet the needs of our valued
patients.
With kind regards from the Bilkent Health Centers.
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