Anesthesia site could have been microPHR

Modern Healthcare's daily IT e-newsletter HITS reported by Jean DerGurahian / HITS staff writer, in its Monday, June 22, 2009 issue-

The American Society of Anesthesiologists launched a new Web site to serve as a resource for patients.The site, Lifeline to Modern Medicine, provides information about
♦ anesthesia care
♦ how patients can help prepare when they are undergoing medical procedures
♦ different types of anesthesia
♦ what to expect before and after surgeries and
♦ information about relevant medical specialties.

Lifeline to Modern Medicine is a well-designed site. The destination of each tab-link is one page of concise information. (FAQs fill three pages.) Lifeline can be followed on Twitter.

Navigation tabs at the top of the pages lead to
♦ Home
♦ Who is an Anesthesiologist?
♦ Types of Anesthesia
♦ What to Expect
♦ Patient Stories
♦ FAQS
♦ Medical Specialties.

A right-column sidebar has a a checklist (one-page PDF) patients can print and fill out with their medical history, medications and allergies to have ready in case of surgery.

[Electronic records and data-keeping are at the top of the HIT "heap," yet the checklist is for printing out! LIfeline could (Is "should" too strong?) have made an XHTML form using an limited data set standard for the site visitor to complete, save the data file, then print the styled PDF form. The visitor could have been eased into a tiny, easily-understood, manageable PHR. No fuss, no muss. We must think electronic concurrent and simultaneous with paper to overcome the pain of changing.]