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Revista Colombiana de Psiquiatría
Print version ISSN 0034-7450
Abstract
STRAIN, Jay J; STRAIN, James J; RUIZ-FLORES, Luis G and AELA, Murali K. Adaptation of a Psychosomatic Medicine Computer Record System for Multi-Language Support: Making Psychiatric Computer Software Regionally Functional in Spanish- Speaking Countries*. rev.colomb.psiquiatr. [online]. 2006, vol.35, suppl.1, pp.21-37. ISSN 0034-7450.
Electronic medical record (EMR) systems are becoming a standard for patient care, but are difficult to customize for local, regional, or international use. Particularly in the case of psychosomatic medicine, where diverse sociological, economical, cultural, and political influences may contribute to a patients disease state, EMRs have difficulty in being economically implemented. Careful, flexible computer program design, special editing systems to customize graphic user interfaces, and identifying localregional physician experts to assist in translation are keys to making a working application. We discuss the Micro-Cares CISCL Clinical Information System and the programming and customization decisions which have gone into adapting it for multi-language support. Discussed are the EMR design, adaptation for multiple hardware platforms (desktop, laptop and tablet computers, and on hand-held PDA systems), multi-tiered data storage, and customizable language manager, and questionnaire designer. Concepts of flexibly scaling CISCL to support the single user, or multiple user, or extensive department/ division personnel are discussed. Experience with regional testing and use are described, including modifications to the CISCL program that have been extensively user-guided. Finally, we examine standards of approach to multi-language support that have arisen from adapting CISCL to non-Romance-based languages, e.g., Mandarin. Our current experiences are summarized with description of on-going research efforts.
Keywords : Software; microcare; computerized medical records systems; psychosomatic medicine; Latin American.
