title: What data integration means to the practicing dentist.
abstract: Practitioners all have been confronted with unscheduled, emergency care patients. Their immediate concern is usually pain relief, and they may not always provide accurate or complete information about their health history. They may be distracted by pain, lack the understanding of their health to answer appropriately, or by intention or oversight omit or provide faulty information. Faced with omissions and inconsistencies, practitioners make an extra effort to explore their health history and, if indicated, consult their physician. Although the information that is developed creates a more complete and more accurate picture of a patient's health, there is always a small risk of omission or misrepresentation of a significant item. Although chances are that this misrepresentation will have little impact on how the practitioner handles the case, there is that one case in a thousand that can ruin one's day and possibly one's practice.
authors.affiliation: Eclipsys Corporation, Product Development, 6809 Kingfisher Court, Frederick, MD 21703, USA. mark.diehl@eclipsys.com
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diehl
mesh_terms: D032921:Consensus; D016208:Databases, Factual; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical; D003729:Dental Care / Q000592:standards*; D003792:Dental Records; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems / Q000592:standards*; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized