An epidemiological research information management system

The Division of Medical Informatics has designed and implemented an automated research information management system capable of supporting a wide range of epidemiological research projects of the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine. Addressed herein are the computer architecture and software design issues required to meet performance specifications that emphasize: data integrity, support for forms definition, data tracking, error monitoring, and integrated menu-driven tools for data analysis and reporting. The system has been able to support the ischemic Optic Neuropathy Trial (IONDT) (see S.E. Kelman, The Ischemic Optic Neuropathy Decompression Trial (editorial), Arch. Ophthalmol., vol. 111, p. 1616-18, 1993), a collaborative multi-center clinical trial of the Eye Institute and experience gained from that study has suggested important revisions to generalize and improve the capabilities of the system.