Effect of Electronic Medical Record Utilization on Depression, Anxiety and Stress among Doctors and Nurses in Johor, Malaysia

Background： The usage of modem technology in healthcare record system is now a must throughout the world. However, many doctors and nurses has been reporting facing numerous challenges and obstacles in the implementation. The aim of the present study is to determine the prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among doctors and nurses who utilize EMR （electronic medical record） and its associated factor. Methods： A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted ~om January till April 2012 among doctors and nurses in two public tertiary hospitals in Johor in which one of them uses EMR and the other one still using the MMR （manual medical record） system. Data was collected using self-administered validated Malay version of DASS-21 （Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales-21） items questionnaire. It comprises of socio-demographic and occupational characteristics. Findings： There were 130 respondents with a response rate of 91% for EMR and 123 respondents with a response rate of 86% for MMR. The mean （SD） age of respondents in EMR and MMR groups were 34.7 （9.42） and 29.7 （6.15） respectively. The mean （SD） duration of respondents using EMR was 46.1 （35.83） months. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress among respondents using EMR were 6.9%, 25.4% and 12.3%. There were no significant difference between the study groups related to the depression, anxiety and stress scores. In multivariable analysis, the significant factors associated with depression among respondents using EMR was age （OR 1.10, 95% CI 1.02, 1.19）. The significant factors associated with stress among respondents using EMR was marital status （OR 3.33, 95% CI 1.10, 10.09） and borderline significant was computer skill course （OR 2.94, 95% CI 0.98, 8.78）. Conclusion： The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress of those who uses EMR were within acceptable range. Age, marital status and computer skill are the identified factor associated with the depression and stress level which need to be considered in its implementation.

A study on the effectiveness of intravenous tramadol in the management of severe traumatic pain in emergency department

Introduction:Patients with pain contribute to 60%-70% of emergency department(ED)attendance and the tramadol is among analgesic of choice in ED.However,the use of intravenous tramadol is limited to moderate pain intensity because of its weak opiod agonist properties.We conducted a study to examine the effectiveness of intravenous tramadol among patients who suffer from severe traumatic pain.Methodology:In this prospective study,eligible patients received a loading dose of intravenous tramadol(2mg/kg).If visual analogue score(VAS)more than 30 mm after the loading dose,intermittent bolus intravenous tramadol 20mg will be administered every 10 minutes.At 30 minutes of study,rescue medication(i.e.morphine or pethidine)will be provided to those patients with VAS more than 30 mm.VAS score,vital signs and side effects were recorded for every 10 minutesResults:Forty-seven patients who suffered from fracture and soft tissue injury were analysed.The median VAS score on presentation and at 30 minutes was 90 mm 20 mm respectively.The median total dose of IV tramadol received by the patients at 30 minutes was 150 mg(IQR=34.0).There was a significant change in medium pain score at 10,20 and 30 minutes treatment(P<0.001).Vital signs were within normal range throughout the study period.About 66.1% of them had side effects of tramadol.The common side effects were sleepiness(75.0%)and dizziness(56.3%).Conclusion:The intravenous tramadol is a safe and effective analgesia in severe traumatic patients if an initial and intermittent dose is given adequately.