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by Dan Konigsberg
Accurate and up-to-date medical information is critical to the successful
operation of a well-managed camp, and today's computer technology is prepared
to handle the job with flying colors. Although medical modules have only
recently become a standard part of camp management systems, they can be
a thorough, convenient, and time-saving tool for the camp health center.
Medical modules must provide reliable information about medication disbursement
and record treatment processes and make data available for compensating
the camp through filing insurance claims or billing parents. Furthermore,
medical modules must be intuitive for the health professional, easy to
use, and closely integrated with other camper information in order to
minimize data entry by the health center. Above all, a medical system
must be designed to provide high levels of security — not only to
safeguard the integrity of the data but also to provide utmost confidentiality
for the patient.
Proper medical record keeping is not only a hallmark of sound management,
it is also a first line of protection in the event of legal complications
resulting from a health-related incident at camp. As with most medical
record keeping, a good medical module will not permit users to alter historical
information. Each record will be stamped with the user name and date and
time of entry and will provide an accurate and thorough audit of health
center activity throughout the camp season.
An accurate medical information database provides reporting opportunities
that increase the cooperation between the health center and nonmedical
staff. For example, division leaders can be kept informed of the special
medical needs of their campers — such as missed medications, activity
restrictions, or special health center appointments. A printed report
reduces the confusion often caused by relaying such information verbally
or through the camper. In addition, the printed report is positive evidence
that the information was transferred accurately and on time.
A well-designed medical module will help users provide enough information
for a sound audit. While somewhat arbitrary, there are certain essential
data elements that are easily identified and can be provided for by the
medical module. Most systems will provide sufficient flexibility to expand
on these elements according to the requirements of the user. We can examine
some of the features of the medical module more closely to see how they
are organized.
General Camper Information
Emergency contact information should be immediately available on a camper's
record. It will include the name of the person to contact and one or more
telephone numbers and, if the camper has insurance, the insurer name and
policy. For camps that issue medical or insurance forms as part of enrollment,
there should be some indication that these forms have been received so
that missing forms can be obtained prior to the camp season.
Some medical modules provide space for indicating special conditions
that can be very important — if not life saving — in the event
of an emergency. Typical entries might show an allergic reaction to penicillin
or sulfa, or conditions such as diabetes or asthma.
Medications
Unfortunately, children are arriving at camp with more and more medications.
A medical module will provide a record for each medication, showing the
time of day for dispensing and the correct dosage. This record will also
show the start and end dates for the medication and, perhaps, the name
and phone number of the prescribing physician. With this information at
hand, the system can print a medication list for a particular time of
day, labels for medication envelopes, and other reports to organize dispensing
and to provide a record of this activity. Some systems will keep an inventory
of medications, flag the user if supplies are running low, and keep a
record of camp-supplied medications that need to be billed to the family.
Treatment
The medical module will record treatments with the following:
- date and time of treatment
- attending staff member
- presenting condition and circumstances surrounding it (such as where
it happened and whether or not the camper was supervised at the time)
- treatment offered
- where treatment was performed (at the health center or somewhere
off-camp)
- disposition of the patient (was she retained, returned to normal,
or restricted from activities?)
- whether or not her guardians were notified
In addition, some provision may be made for reporting the treatment
to an insurer or for billing the guardian for special health center services.
Once a treatment has been completed, the medical module may include
provision for scheduling follow-up visits by the camper following treatment.
This schedule will show the camper's name, the reason for the follow-up
visit, and the time and staff person to see. Follow-up schedules help
medical staff plan their day and, through reporting, provide information
that will help division supervisors make the necessary changes in the
camper's daily schedule.
The Health Center Log
The medical module can provide a health center log for manual entries,
such as a missed medication, as well as automatic entries — provided
by the system — for each treatment, follow-up visit, or change in
medication. For archival purposes, the log can be printed daily or weekly
as a permanent record.
Data Ownership and Data Security
In the interest of patient confidentiality, it is important that only
authorized persons have access to medical information. There can be a
question about who enters medical data — should it be the office
staff or the medical staff? A well-designed medical module will provide
some flexibility of data "ownership," assigning some fields
for office access and others for exclusive access by medical staff. In
general, it is advisable for medical staff to make all the medical entries.
This allows them to become familiar with the history and needs of each
camper and to make entries in a format familiar to medically trained personnel.
A well-designed medical module provides login permissions to control access
to medical records — sometimes separating fields into "viewable
by the office" or "for medical staff access only."
Medical data entry is a daunting task if it must be performed in the
few days before the season begins. It is more efficient to permit entry
of medical information before this critical time, either through special
software that can be installed at home by medical staff and whose content
can be transferred into the main system at a later time — or by
accessing camper records through a secure Internet-based system. With
an Internet-based system, medical forms can be forwarded, as they arrive,
to the health center staff who can enter information from home or wherever
they may be. In an integrated camp management system, basic camper information
will already be on file, and the health center staff will have more time
to read, digest, and synthesize the information, or get clarification
from the parents if necessary, before making data entries. Using this
approach, there will be more time in the days before camp to make reports
and ensure the accuracy and completeness of the information.
There is no question that state-of-the-art computer technology has much
to offer the health center by way of time and work saving, convenience,
and thoroughness in its record keeping. The end result for management
is a happier staff, less complaints from parents, a better grasp of health
center costs, and a reliable history of health center activity.
Originally published in the 2004 May/June issue
of Camping Magazine. |
