Shortfalls of the overseas service module of the electronic medical information workstation onboard the hospital ship "Ark Peace" and suggestions for improvement

Objective The overseas service module of the electronic medical information workstation (EMIW) onboard the hospital ship "Ark Peace" was summarily analyzed in this paper. Yet, shortfalls still existed in the system. For further improvement, suggestions were provided for upgrade. Methods Shortfalls in EMIW, were colleted in terms of hardware and software. Results There were shortfalls in terms of hardware and software. With respect to hardware, there were insufficient printers. Certain registration cards could not be recognized by the card reader, so card replacement should be implemented without delay. Due to insufficiency of network capability, CT images could not be transmitted via network. With regard to software, the doctor/nurse station could neither rectify wrong information stored in the registration card, nor recognize the corrected information in the card. The tool buttons and the size of the words on the interface were too small, without a 3-dimensional sensation, and as a result, it was difficult for the operators to recognize whether a command had been executed or not. As the doctor/nurse station had outpatient and ward functions, there were too many ineffective items. In addition, there were too many tedious procedures to operate. Conclusions In view of the shortfalls in the present EMIW, following recommendations were proposed: providing more printers, ensuring the quality of registration cards, easy replacement and correction of the information stored in the card at the doctor/nurse station, and provision of reliable network with stable, high speed and sufficient performance. Separate outpatient and inpatient doctor/nurse station system should replace the present system with more friendly interface and simple operation. Key words: Hospital ship "Ark Peace"; Electronic medical information workstation; Overseas medical service