Seminar - September 2, 2010

Bio:

Dr. Poynton is a health informaticist and faculty member in the informatics programs of both the College of Nursing and School of Medicine. She holds a PhD in nursing science and information science from Indiana University. In 2007, she studied methods of complexity science including agent-based modeling and network analysis at the Santa Fe Institute. Prior to her career in informatics, she practiced as an emergency nurse and family nurse practitioner. She has made numerous scholarly contributions in informatics, and leads a program of research related to the induction of knowledge models for clinical decision support, and informatics applications in poison control. Dr. Poynton is an active member of the American Medical Informatics Association, and serves on the leadership team of two working groups within that organization. She is former president of the Utah Nursing Informatics Network, and a former governing director of the Alliance for Nursing Informatics.

Abstract:

Poison control centers are critical resources for management of poison exposures in the United States, supporting both population health and individual patient care.  Exchange of information between poison control centers and emergency departments is typically conducted via telephone. There exists a potential to reduce medical error, reduce time to treatment, and improve continuity of care for poisonings with electronic information exchange. In this seminar, Dr. Poynton will discuss issues and barriers related to exchange of information between poison control centers and emergency departments, currently under study.