Data Access and Information Technology

For Fiscal Year 2010, the research program made it a priority to develop useful novel mechanisms to access the electronic medical record via the institution wide Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW). We see over 250 people a day in the ED and using electronic search, sort and outcome analysis from this rich data source is critical to research success.

To date, there has been measurable success in this area.

Research Director, D. Mark Courtney, MD has taken a SQL course, become credentialed as a super user with access to the EDW allowing him to run queries independently and serve as a resource for the Department.
We have developed a contact within the EDW who specializes in ED-based queries for both operations and clinical research objectives.
Four IRB-approved projects are currently being conducted or were conducted this past year using the EDW as primary source for data. These projects address a wide variety of research questions from clinical to quality and efficiency.

                              Emergency Department Sepsis Resuscitation
                              Supratherapeutic Anticoagulation Treatment and Outcomes Study
                              Enhancement of Emergency Department Discharge Instructions
                              ED Head CTs Following Media Coverage of Head Trauma

An EDW-based project conducted by 2^nd year Feinberg School of Medicine student, Terrance Lee won “Best Poster” at the Northwestern University Medical Student Summer Research Symposium: “Emergency Department Crowding: Understanding Factors Associated with Patients who leave without Being Seen.” This was mentored by faculty members Michael Schmidt, MD and D. Mark Courtney, MD.