Test and Evaluation of the Medical Common Operational Picture (MedCOP)

Abstract : This report summarizes the test and evaluation (T&E) of the Medical Common Operational Picture (MedCOP) software, commissioned as a tool to facilitate resource management by medical facilities and to track disease trends and patient movement. The present work was conducted at the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) by a T&E team independent of MedCOP's developers to provide formal feedback on MedCOP's advertised functional claims. Survey results indicated that users found MedCOP appropriate for use as a tool by medical planners and preventive medical personnel. Testers stated that it represented an improvement over the status quo. Limitations noted included dependence on the accuracy and availability of Joint Medical Work Station (JMeWS) data and the MDSS. Users also noted that the manual needed to be updated to include all current functions, and that on-line help should be available to aid in taking advantage of all features. MedCOP performed well in meeting advertised claims. Developers should address users concerns about updating the user's guide and providing help functions. They should also consider refining user profile capability to let users with different roles customize reports to view information more efficiently and to ensure that reports on individual patient information are limited to authorized users.