Dynamics of Internet usage during the stages of in vitro fertilization.

Hospitals and clinics develop Internet strategies to emancipate and empower their patient population. At Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, we developed an Internet-based personal health record that provides patients with general and personal information about their treatment and that provides facilities for communication with fellow patients and with physicians. Because not much is known about information and communication needs of IVF and ICSI patients in relation to their treatment, we observed the intensity of use of this personal health record during the various stages of IVF treatment.

Empowering patients undergoing in vitro fertilization by providing Internet access to medical data.

Objective: To study the effect of an Internet-based personal health record on the empowerment of patients undergoing IVF.

Design: Randomized clinical trial.

Setting: Patients undergoing IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in an academic research environment.

Barriers integrating dedicated software for quality management in pain centres.

Objectives: Explore the feasibility of integrating a dedicated pain centre information system as part of a quality management network with a number of different Hospital Information Systems.

Material & Methods: A systematic approach integrating and implementing the system in 15 selected hospital organisations (a nationwide 15% non-random sample).

Results: Hospitals have widely varying policies on integration and implementation of additional clinically required 3rd party software.