The UW Academic Medical Center is committed to collecting clinical data to solidify and expand its research, education and patient care activities. To this end, it is adapting a software system called Otobase, which was initially developed by Dr. Marc Coltrera, professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery, to support national multi-institutional clinical trials related to head and neck cancer. Early uses will be targeted at cancer treatment and will be developed in close coordination with the Clinical Cancer Data Management Subcommittee of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Fortuitously, the system is not limited to a single disease and can be adapted to other areas of clinical investigation.

The system will be available in offices, clinics, operating rooms, and other settings. Because it relies on simplified data entry and automated data checks, it should fill the need for an effective data collection mechanism. Because it was developed and intended for use by practicing physicians, it is an excellent educational tool to familiarize physicians-in-training with medical informatics to support outcomes-based patient care.