Table 1
Design Features of the ASIPS Database and Administrative System
| Database features |
| • Contact information and medical error information are stored in separate databases |
| • Reports are assigned a random 10-digit identifier |
| • Contact information is automatically deleted at a predetermined time after report submission |
| • Coding process creates database objects that describe types of events to be tracked over time and place |
| • Database objects are tracked to practice name and general time once a critical mass of similar objects exists in the database, but no specific event can be traced to a time or location |
| • Data can be transferred to a third party for analysis; updated fields are used to track changes without any time/date stamping |
| Administrative system features |
| • All administration and data management tasks are handled through Web interface (leaving no paper trail) |
| • Administrative tasks related to processing reports are labeled and embedded into each event report to manage workflow |
