November 20, 1998

The MGH Primary Care Operations Improvement (PCOI) web site brings a wealth of information to physicians' fingertips, helping to save time in clinical practice and improve patient care.

Michael Barry, MD, chief of the General Medicine Unit and director of the Health Services Research Program, says, "The PCOI web site helps bring an evidence-based approach to caring for patients throughout our practices."

Developed by the General Medicine Unit's Primary Care Operations Improvement Program in collaboration with the MGH Laboratory of Computer Science, the web site provides clinical recommendations for MGH physicians in adult primary care. The resource offers a set of guidelines for treating such health problems as cardiovascular disease and supplies information on prevention, screening and long-term disease management. Educational materials also can be printed out for patients to take home.

Other features include immunization, drug and referral information and a medical calculator, which quickly figures measurements such as a patient's Body Mass Index or cholesterol/HDL ratio. The site is equipped with its own search button, links to MGH and Partners sites and to helpful online medical directories and resources.

According to Octo Barnett, MD, director of the Laboratory of Computer Science – which maintains the site daily – PCOI is visited by more than 500 clinicians a week from the MGH and its health centers.

The PCOI web site is accessible on Partners workstations at http://oi.mgh.harvard.edu.

Together browsing the PCOI web site, Michael Barry, MD, helps patient Giacomo Guarino stay health-smart.