Evaluation of a proximity card authentication system for health care settings.

BACKGROUND: Multiple users access computer workstations in busy clinical settings, requiring many logins throughout the day as users switch from one computer to another. This can lead to workflow inefficiencies as well as security concerns resulting from users sharing login sessions to save time. Proximity cards and readers have the potential to improve efficiency and security by allowing users to access clinical workstations simply by bringing the card near the reader, without the need for manual entry of a username and password. OBJECTIVES: To assess the perceived impact of proximity cards and readers for rapid user authentication to clinical workstations in the setting of an existing electronic health record with single sign-on software already installed. METHODS: Questionnaires were administered to clinical faculty and staff five months before and three months after the installation of proximity card readers in an inpatient birthing center and an outpatient obstetrics clinic. Open-ended feedback was also collected and qualitatively analyzed. RESULTS: There were 71 and 33 responses to the pre- and post-implementation surveys, respectively. There was a significant increase in the perceived speed of login with the proximity cards, and a significant decrease in the self-reported occurrence of shared login sessions between users. Feedback regarding the system was mostly positive, although several caveats were noted, including minimal benefit when used with an obstetric application that did not support single sign-on. CONCLUSIONS: Proximity cards and readers, along with single sign-on software, have the potential to enhance workflow efficiency by allowing for faster login times and diminish security concerns by reducing shared logins on clinical workstations. The positive feedback was used by our health system leadership to support the expanded implementation of the proximity card readers throughout the clinical setting.

[Three female physicians of the Montpellier faculty at the turn of the 19th century]. / Portraits de trois femmes médecins de la'faculté de Montpellier au tournant du XIXème siècle.

As a part of a study on the census of female students listed in medicine at the faculty of Montpellier since it opened to women in 1868 until the end of the Third Republic, we selected three women who passed their thesis respectively in 1899, 1905 and 1911. Thanks to the documents found in the archives, and the testimony of their descendants, we were able to trace their biography. In obstetrics, surgery and orthopaedics, they were exceptional pioneers and set an example for new vocations.