Logo for University of Iowa Health Care This logo represents the University of Iowa Health Care

GI Surgery honored with 2016 Computerworld Data+ Editors’ Choice Award

Monday, September 12th, 2016

John Cromwell, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery with the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Associate Chief Medical Officer, and Director of Surgical Quality and Safety, is one of the first surgeons in the country to bring predictive analytics—analyzing historical and real-time data to make predictions—into the operating room. Now, that success is being recognized as a 2016 Computerworld Data+ Editors’ Choice Award honoree. ComputerWorld Award Group Photo

The algorithm, developed by an interdisciplinary team at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, gathers and processes data—everything from a patient’s medical history and health literacy to operating room conditions—to identify risk of surgical site infections (SSI). This one-of-a-kind program has already reduced SSI of colon surgery patients by 74 percent in three years.

“We are extremely proud of the hard work, research, and effort that our team has put into this project and are honored for this recognition. We are excited to see how it has improved the comfort and care of our patients,” says Cromwell. “By using this technology we are able to personalize patient care much more efficiently and effectively.”

With the support of UI Hospitals and Clinics leadership, the team is developing a system applicable for surgical procedures hospital-wide. In addition to Cromwell, team members have included Akpene Gbegnon, MD, Jose Monestina, John Armstrong, MD, and Siva Kuragayala.

The Computerworld Data+ Editors’ Choice Awards program was launched in 2013 by IDG’s Computerworld editorial team to recognize organizations that are mining big data to analyze and predict business trends and monetize this information. Previous organizations to receive it include Google, UPS, and PayPal.

 

The Data+ Editors’ Choice Awards honorees and their achievements will be highlighted in a special September feature on computerworld.com.