Computers at Weill Cornell
Computer skills are essential in making informed medical decisions. The Clinical Information System at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center has undergone a major overhaul in the last few years, one of the most ambitious and advanced of its kind in the country. In July 2008, all internal medicine inpatient services (general medicine and medical subspecialties) at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell were converted to fully paperless, electronic medical records. The electronic system allows residents to review patient information, lab results, and medical texts, as well as record and order medications and write computer-based progress notes. In addition, a fully featured sign-out program allows House Staff to print sign-out sheets on each patient with up-to-date brief clinical histories, current medication list, and to-do items, enhancing communication between primary and “covering” physicians.
In the ambulatory setting (Weill Cornell Internal Medicine Associates, WCIMA), the EMR is seamlessly incorporated into the patient care. Each examining room is equipped with a computer terminal. Interns and residents quickly learn how to view appointment schedules; determine which patients have arrived in the office; write and print prescriptions; order blood tests, x-rays, and consults; write patient progress notes; write and print letters to patients and/or other physicians; view lab, radiology, pathology, and echocardiography results; and schedule patients for follow-up visits.
In addition to being available through Weill Cornell Internal Medicine Associates terminals, all of the above functions can be performed from any terminal in the hospital. House Staff have full access to the internet and email from almost anywhere in the hospital. A wide variety of educational materials is distributed and available electronically. The Weill Cornell Medical College Library provides immediate access to e-journals as well as the consolidated collections of Weill Cornell, Rockefeller University, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and the Hospital for Special Surgery. The texts, collections, and resources available are vast.
Residents' Homepage
Another central resource for the residency program is the resident MedStaff website. This online resource is maintained and updated by the Chief Residents’ Office and includes key information about conferences, morning reports, journal club, and any other educational materials that can help the House Staff. There are links to outside educational resources like Epocrates, PubMed, and Up-to-Date, as well as other important sites to enhance learning.
