Hyatt Regency
Chicago, IL
April 14, 1996
The meeting was called to order at 4:00 pm, and executive committee members and guests introduced themselves. Dr. Aronson opened the meeting by reminding members that the purpose of the Section on Computers and Other Technologies (SCOT) is two-fold: to develop educational programming, and to serve as an advisory body to the leadership of the Academy. He noted, however, that the SCOT should consult on practice management, communication, and member service issues and avoid commenting on internal Academy business decisions.
Dr. Aronson reviewed the agenda, noting that the executive committee will address administrative issues during the first hour of the meeting and address more substantive issues for the meeting's remainder.
The minutes of the October 15, 1995 meeting were reviewed and approved without correction. Action items from that meeting were reviewed, and the following updates were provided:
| ACTION: | Dr. Ackerman and staff will contact Dr. Yamamoto to request that her disk set of radiology cases in pediatric emergency medicine be included in the packet of materials sent to SCOT members upon acceptance into the section. |
| ACTION: | Dr. Aronson and Dr. Paperny will correspond with the chairperson of the Committee on Communications to offer Dr. Paperny as a consultant from the SCOT when necessary. |
Dr. Aronson reported on the recent meeting of the Council on Sections (COS), which was held April 11-12, 1996 in Chicago, IL. The COS meeting assembles the chairpersons of all AAP sections as well as members of the Council on Sections Management Committee (COSMAN); issues are discussed and debated through small breakout sessions and reported on in meetings of the larger group. Dr. Aronson reported that many officers on the COSMAN will change after this meeting: Dr. Patience White (Bethesda, MD) will become chairperson and Dr. Gerald Gilchrist (Rochester, MN) will become chairperson-elect.
The COS discussed the new Task Force on Pediatric Education, which will build upon a 1978 study on the future of pediatrics. The Task Force will be funded by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation's Center for the Future of Children, the American Board of Pediatrics, the Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairmen (AMSPDC), and the AAP. The goals of the Task Force are three-fold:
The project will begin by working with AAP sections to survey all pediatric medical subspecialists and surgical specialists. A standard questionnaire will include questions on training, employment status, productivity, patient characteristics, payment systems, and other issues. Specialty-specific surveys will include more medically and clinically relevant questions. The entire survey project should be completed within two years.
It was noted that as a multidiscplinary section, the SCOT will not be surveyed. The executive committee felt that this project was high priority, however, and hoped to have representation on the Task Force or the survey workgroup.
| ACTION: | Staff will provide SCOT executive committee members with the complete proposals for the Task Force on Pediatric Education and the related survey project. |
| ACTION: | Dr. Lund and staff will communicate Dr. Lund's desire to be involved in the development and administration of the survey to the AAP Department of Research. |
The COS also discussed the need to utilize rapidly-developing electronic communication options to accomplish section business and to serve the membership. The COS also recommended that the Academy's policy statements be made available electronically through the Academy's web page to increase their visibility and accessibility.
Finally, it was reported that the Surgical Action Group has received permission from the Academy to meet three times annually under the proposed name "Committee on Surgical Affairs" to discuss issues specific to the pediatric surgical specialties. The Surgical Action Group had requested a mechanism to have stronger voice within the Academy for multiple reasons. It is often difficult for pediatric surgical specialists to raise issues related to children at their adult society forums. In addition, the Academy currently has no committee to address surgical issues and surgeons themselves cannot be elected to the Board of Directors Level; the establishment of this new body would allow surgeon members of the AAP greater access to Board members.
Dr. Sahler joined the executive committee to discuss electronic publication initiatives of the AAP Department of Education. These included the new Otitis Media with Effusion CD-ROM project and publication of Pediatrics on the Internet.
Dr. Sahler reported that ten Pediatrics articles will be published electronically in full-text each month. Titles and abstracts of those ten articles will be published in the print version of Pediatrics; conversely, titles and abstracts of those articles in the print version will also appear on the Internet. Dr. Sahler noted that this will allow Pediatrics to increase its acceptance rate from the current 18% without sacrificing quality and will reduce the time between acceptance and publication for certain articles. It will also be cost-efficient as producing of Pediatrics in print is very expensive.
Upon acceptance, authors will be offered the option of publishing in print or electronically, although some authors may be encouraged to publish electronically if their articles relate to a particular theme developed for that month's Pediatrics on the Internet. All articles published electronically will be cited and retrievable, and the 120 articles published electronically each year may be published in a year-end supplement. A document delivery system will allow users to print articles and abstracts in a format similar to a page from the current Pediatrics.
The executive committee raised numerous questions about the electronic publication of journal articles. Specific concerns included the following:
The executive committee was supportive of this new concept and considered it a significant advance in the use of technology at the Academy. It was hoped that publication of journal articles electronically would be well-accepted by the membership and would allow new technology, such as full motion video, to become part of the articles.
Dr. Sahler reported that a process for the Academy to review and approve enduring materials should become official in the near future. It was noted that this process will allow the Academy to approve but not endorse such products.
The distinctions between approval and endorsement were discussed. Completed programs or products sent to the Academy and put under content and technical review can be "approved." A financial arrangement is agreed upon with the producer, and the Academy promotes the availability of such materials to its members through the AAP Publications Catalog and other venues. Endorsement, however represents a process in which an idea or concept is brought to the Academy and the Academy collaborates with an outside organization to develop the product. An endorsed product could offer CME credit because the accrediting body, the Academy, was involved from the project's inception.
The SCOT may be interested in the new approval process as many enduring materials are technology-based. Technical reviewers have been built into the approval process; SCOT members may be appropriate to serve in this capacity. Dr. Sahler requested a list of technical experts from the SCOT membership to assist in this process once it receives final approval. It was noted that multiple projects will be ready for review immediately when the approval process is in place.
| ACTION: | Dr. Paperny will coordinate development of a list of SCOT members to serve as technical reviewers for enduring materials and provide this list to Dr. Sahler. |
The December 1995 meeting of the Task Force on Medical Informatics was poorly attended due to inclement weather. The minutes of that meeting were reviewed, and it was noted that the Academy has officially joined the Computer-Based Patient Record Institute (CPRI) and that Dr. Stern will continue in his capacity as liaison. It was also noted that the section's joint statement with the Committee on Practice and Ambulatory Medicine, "Confidentiality, the Medical Record, and the Electronic Transfer of Information," has been sent to the Board of Directors for final approval.
Dr. Ken Hayashida was introduced as the section's new liaison to the Resident Section; Dr. Hayashida shared information on his background and interests. He hopes to encourage more physicians, particularly residents, to become involved in electronic communication and other computer-related issues.
Communication is a major issue for residents and needs improvement in three main areas: communication between individual residents, communication between residency programs, and communication between the officers of the AAP Resident Section. Implementation of electronic mail or discussion groups to address these problems needs to be explored. It was noted that Dr. Hayashida has been invited to the September 1996 meeting of the Resident Section leadership to discuss these issues.
Obstacles to improving resident communication are many. The existing information infrastructures and capabilities of various residency programs with regard to electronic communication and Internet access are unknown. In addition, it is difficult to organize residents and implement new initiatives quickly and efficiently. Finally, some residents and their programs may need technical assistance. Evaluating the current situation and existing needs of residents is very important to the success of these efforts.
| ACTION: | Dr. Hayashida will work with the Resident Section to develop and administer a survey on communication needs and capabilities and tabulate results by the fall of 1996. |
| ACTION: | SCOT executive committee members will provide input to and consultation on the development of a survey of Resident Section members regarding communication needs and capabilities as necessary. |
| ACTION: | Staff will work with Dr. Hayashida and staff of the Resident Section to estimate costs related to a Resident Section survey and present information to the SCOT executive committee to determine if the SCOT will provide financial support of the survey project. |
It was noted that related issues were raised at the COS meeting and that the Academy, through Dr. Errol Alden, will make recommendations to the AMSPDC that they take steps to improve the ability of residents to communicate. The survey data will be useful in dealing with AMSPDC.
It was also suggested that the Resident Section establish a web page to facilitate communication with regard to policy and educational issues and to allow postings of job openings and other practical information. It was suggested that space made available on the SCOT web page for such information. Further options include establishing a Resident Section forum on POL or creating an electronic mailing list to which residents could subscribe. It was noted, however, that none of these options can be pursued until survey results are available; knowledge of residents' capabilities may dictate which option is chosen.
| ACTION: | Ms. Fisher will determine if residents are able to subscribe to Physicians' Online and if not, make arrangements for the service to be made available to members of the AAP Resident Section. |
Finally, it was suggested that these discussions and other activities of the SCOT be highlighted through an article in the Resident Report. It was noted that the Provisional Section on Administration and Practice Management has regularly submitted articles to the Report; the SCOT could submit articles similar to the "Point 'n' Click" columns in The SCOT Report. The opportunity to submit abstracts to the SCOT's Annual Meeting programs could also be highlighted. The Resident Report is produced two times annually.
| ACTION: | Dr. Hayashida will submit a report on SCOT activities and related issues to the Resident Report for publication in a future issue. |
| ACTION: | Dr. Hayashida and staff will provide deadlines for submissions to the Resident Report to executive committee members. |
The executive committee discussed the section's 1995 Annual Meeting programs. Staff reported that evaluations from programs at that meeting were not yet available to the executive committee for feedback and for use in planning future sessions.
The executive committee reviewed the section's schedule of events at the 1996 Spring Session. It was noted that the six-hour workshop, if successful, will be proposed for each future Annual Meeting and Spring Session with Dr. Lighter's support.
It was suggested that the section make an effort to count visitors to the Computer Lab and monitor attendance at the small group sessions that are presented. Attendance at these sessions may provide an indication of what topics would be popular for "selected short subject" presentations or other larger sessions.
| ACTION: | Dr. Weinberg will work with Computer Lab faculty to determine a mechanism for recording attendance at the Computer Lab and at its small group sessions for future meetings. |
The section's activities at the 1996 Annual Meeting, to be held October 26-30, 1996 in Boston, MA, were reviewed. The section will sponsor a joint session with the Committee on Quality Improvement on Tuesday, October 29; while identified as a "section program" the session will actually take the format of a committee roundtable. Later that afternoon, the section will present its scientific abstract session. Dr. Feldman reported that abstract submissions for the 1996 Annual Meeting are low. On Wednesday, October 30 the section will repeat the six-hour computer workshop. Additional programs on computer-related issues to be held at the 1996 Annual Meeting were reviewed.
Dr. Weinberg confirmed faculty for the 1996 Annual Meeting Computer Lab. Drs. Ackerman, Feldman, Shiffman, Stetson, Spooner, Weinberg, and Zurhellen will present at the Computer Lab at the 1996 Annual Meeting.
| ACTION: | Staff and Dr. Weinberg will communicate faculty appointments for the 1996 Annual Meeting Computer Lab to staff of the Committee on Scientific Meetings. |
At the 1995 Annual Meeting, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) exhibit was in close proximity to the Computer Lab; NLM representatives were presenting information on the Internet and indicated a willingness to present at the Computer Lab. It was believed that pediatricians would benefit from such education.
| ACTION: | Dr. Weinberg will contact the National Library of Medicine to confirm that they will send staff to the 1996 Annual Meeting to present information at Computer Lab. |
| ACTION: | Dr. Weinberg and staff will contact the Division of Meeting and Travel Services to request that the NLM booth be placed next to the Computer Lab on the 1996 Annual Meeting exhibit floor. |
Dr. Weinberg requested that the section spend some of its noncore funds to purchase some equipment for the Computer Lab, including a zip drive, an adapter for parallel ports, and disks. Total cost would not exceed $500. It was noted that some of these materials can be provided by the Academy's contracted supplier but that purchasing them for repeated use would be more cost-efficient.
| ACTION: | Staff will work with the Division of Meeting and Travel Services to determine the expense related to renting equipment from Projection Video, Inc. for the Computer Lab and report back to Drs. Aronson and Weinberg. |
| ACTION: | Drs. Aronson and Weinberg will review information regarding rental costs for Computer Lab equipment and will proceed with purchasing equipment using section noncore funds if appropriate. |
Finally, it was reported that traffic in the Lab was good, and that over 120 attendees were "scanned" using the exhibit floor card reader. Information on these visitors will be downloaded to a disk and provided to Academy staff to conduct a membership recruitment mailing. The location of the Computer Lab was discussed; while it was helpful to be near the concession area as it increased attendance, the related noise did interfere with the small group sessions.
| ACTION: | Staff will remind exhibit staff in the Division of Meeting and Travel Services to be conscious of noise and traffic issues when assigning space to the Computer Lab. |
The executive committee discussed proposals for the 1997 Spring Session, to be held May 10-14, 1997 in San Diego, CA. It was noted that a proposal to repeat the six-hour workshop will be submitted by Dr. Zurhellen. Further topics for consideration included short sessions in the Internet and web pages, medical sites on the world wide web, and how to make a web page. It was also suggested that the section present three-hour sessions on using the Internet and on using computers for practice analysis. It was noted that some sessions may duplicate information provided at the Computer Lab; such duplication might be an appropriate method of reaching many attendees and addressing multiple skill levels.
The executive committee agreed that many of these topics should be tabled and submitted for consideration at an AAP Annual Meeting as attendance at Spring Sessions is relatively low. Executive committee members should also monitor sessions offered at meetings of the American Pediatric Society/Society for Pediatric Research and the American Medical Informatics Association for ideas.
| ACTION: | Drs. Feldman, Zurhellen, and others as appropriate will submit educational program proposals for the 1997 Spring Session to staff for consideration by the deadline of Friday, May 3, 1996. |
It was noted that the recent AAP bylaw change had been approved and that all section executive committee terms would be extended to three years from two. The executive committee was pleased that terms were being extended; it was felt that continuity on the executive committee was important to successfully conducting section business. In order to implement this change with as little stress to section operations as possible, the executive committee decided not to hold elections in 1996 and to extend all current terms by one year.
| ACTION: | Dr. Lund will communicate the executive committee's decision to extend terms to be in accordance with the recent bylaw change to those committee members not present at the meeting. |
| ACTION: | Staff and Dr. Lund will update the executive committee roster to indicate the new terms and hold any executive committee elections as necessary. |
The executive committee discussed potential recipients for the 1996 Byron B. Oberst Award. Inviting Bill Gates to the section's program at a future Annual Meeting was suggested and discussed. Mr. Gates could speak on his concepts of the future of computers and medicine and could be chosen as the recipient of a future Oberst Award. Questions concerning whether or not the Oberst Award can be presented to a non-AAP member or a layperson were raised, and it was noted that the AAP Board of Directors may have concerns about presenting an official AAP award to a public figure not directly involved in pediatric care.
It was reported that Mr. Gates might be involved in launching a computer network specifically designed for physicians and other health care workers in 1998; as such, it may be more appropriate to invite Mr. Gates to the 1998 Annual Meeting. Therefore, it was determined that the section would contact Octo Barnett, MD regarding the 1996 Oberst Award. If Dr. Barnett was not available or would not accept the award, Mr. Gates would be reconsidered. Staff reported that the name and curriculum vitae must be submitted to the Academy by May 1, 1996 in order for a recipient to be approved by the 1996 Annual Meeting.
| ACTION: | Staff will provide Dr. Feldman with any available criteria or descriptions of the Oberst Award. |
| ACTION: | Dr. Feldman will contact Dr. Barnett with regard to the 1996 Oberst Award and report back to Drs. Aronson and Zurhellen and staff. |
| ACTION: | Drs. Feldman, Aronson, or Zurhellen will submit the name and curriculum vitae of the proposed 1996 Byron B. Oberst Award to staff by May 1, 1996 if the award is to be presented at the 1996 Annual Meeting. |
The executive committee reviewed demographic information on the section membership provided by the Academy, noting that significant portions of the SCOT membership also belong to the Section on Perinatal Pediatrics and the Section on Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. It was suggested that the section use this information to determine future program cosponsors. In addition, the average age of SCOT members is slightly older than expected, and the percentage of female SCOT members is well below that of female members of the Academy.
Applications from 25 Academy Fellows were reviewed and approved, bringing total membership to 331. The qualifications and interests of individual applicants were reviewed, and those who should be targeted for volunteer involvement were identified. Dr. Ackerman provided demographic information specific to the 25 new members for executive committee review.
The executive committee discussed methods of facilitating and expediting membership applications by interested Academy members. It was suggested that the membership application form be posted on the Internet and that the SCOT consider waiving the application fee. It was also noted that residents cannot join any Academy section except the Resident Section until they have completed their residencies.
The executive committee reviewed the section's recent newsletter and noted that its editor, Yan Chow, MD, has recently resigned. Producing the newsletter electronically was discussed. The importance of continuing to produce a print version for members who cannot access it electronically and for recruitment purposes was reiterated. Results of a recent member survey concerning this issue were reviewed, and a list of volunteers willing to assist the section with newsletter production was noted.
The executive committee discussed different electronic venues for publication of The SCOT Report including POL, the section's web page, and via e-mail. Problems in notifying members that a new issue has been posted on POL or the web page were discussed. In addition, the concern that the newsletter is a member benefit and therefore should only be provided to SCOT members was raised. Providing SCOT members with an e-mail containing a password to alert them that the new issue had been posted was suggested as a potential solution to some of these dilemmas.
It was determined that the section would continue to produce print versions of The SCOT Report but that the newsletter would also be published on the section's web page and in the SCOT forum on POL. A list of those who wish to receive the print version would be maintained; it was believed that this list would grow smaller as members became accustomed to using the web page or POL.
It was reiterated that the newsletter should be published three times annually. The next issue should be produced in the summer of 1996 to ensure that the section's activities at the 1996 Annual Meeting can be promoted properly.
| ACTION: | Dr. Spooner will serve as electronic editor of the next issue of The SCOT Report, collecting articles, formatting, and posting the newsletter as necessary. |
| ACTION: | Dr. Aronson will correspond with section members who expressed interest in working on The SCOT Report to solicit content editors, layout designers, technical support, and other volunteers. |
| ACTION: | Executive committee members will provide articles via e-mail to Dr. Spooner by June 15, 1996 for publication in the summer 1996 issue of The SCOT Report. |
| ACTION: | Staff will continue to oversee production and distribution of the print version of the section's newsletter and investigate methods of maintaining lists of section members who receive the newsletter electronically versus those who prefer the print version. |
Deb Fischer, Director of the Division of Computer Services, joined the executive committee to discuss computer initiatives at the Academy. It was noted that development and installation of the new core business system was on schedule.
Roger Suchyta, MD is currently serving as the Academy's "chief information officer" and overseeing efforts to establish the Academy's web page and activities on POL. It was noted that the web page has been designated primarily for public information and that POL will be used as the Academy's vehicle for member communication.
A recent decision to outsource webmaster functions for the AAP web page was applauded; it was suggested that similar functions for POL be outsourced as well. While content for POL would continue to be provided by AAP staff and members, increased technical support would allow materials to be posted properly and in a timely fashion. Without such technical support, it will be difficult to involve additional sections, committees, and other groups on POL. If technical support responsibilities remain with the Academy's internal staff, it may interfere with their ability to implement the new core business systems.
It was noted that the internal workgroup has provided content and user suggestions to POL but that POL has not been as responsive as had been hoped. The executive committee discussed the Academy's decision to use POL and noted that the relationship is not permanent. It is possible that the Academy will discontinue its interactions with POL if the service does not meet expectations or that POL itself will be unable to compete as a service provider and will cease to exist.
Finally, the executive committee made the following recommendations. It was noted that by doing so the section is acting in an advisory capacity to the Academy; actual implementation of such recommendations would be left to Academy staff and leadership with input from SCOT members if invited.
| RECOMMENDATION: | That the Academy develop an electronic communications strategic plan and a corresponding business plan to guide development of the Academy's web page, online communication efforts, and other activities. As an interim measure in anticipation of these plans, the section recommends that the Academy outsource technical support of the web page and Physicians' Online (POL) activity. (fiscal note: to be determined) |
| RECOMMENDATION: | That the Academy publish the Policy Reference Guide on its web page and on Physicians' Online (POL) to increase its visibility and accessibility as soon as possible. (fiscal note: to be determined) |
Dr. Spooner reported on development of "netiquette" to be followed by Academy sections, chapters, and other bodies when establishing web pages and other electronic communication initiatives. Issues to be addressed include:
The executive committee discussed links to and from Academy web pages. It was suggested that the Academy's home page only link to other Academy pages, such as those of chapters or sections. Limiting linkages as such would excuse the Academy from potential complaints or conflicts of interest that might arise based on the web pages with which it connects. AAP chapters and sections, then, could establish additional linkages to other groups. While the possibility of a member encountering objectionable material through a series of links would still exist, he or she would most likely encounter them through chapters or sections, which already operate with a certain autonomy, and not through the official Academy web page.
| ACTION: | Drs. Spooner and Aronson will continue to develop and review "netiquette" guidelines and share them with the executive committee and AAP staff as appropriate. |
Finally, the importance of the membership providing feedback and input on the Academy's computer initiatives was stressed. The possibility of SCOT members participating in staff-level discussions concerning POL and the web page via conference calls was discussed. In addition, executive committee members were encouraged to share comments and suggestions based on their use of these services to staff at any time.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:00 pm. The section will hold its next executive committee meeting from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Sunday, October 27, 1996 at the 1996 Annual Meeting in Boston, MA.
Respectfully Submitted,
Scott G. Allen,
Sections Manager