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Biomedical subjects

Paul Fontelo

Publications and source records attributed to Paul Fontelo.

11 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Technical development of PubMed interact: an improved interface for MEDLINE/PubMed searches.

BACKGROUND: The project aims to create an alternative search interface for MEDLINE/PubMed that may provide assistance to the novice user and added convenience to the advanced user. An earlier version of the project was the 'Slider Interface for MEDLINE/PubMed searches' (SLIM) which provided JavaScript slider bars to control search parameters. In this new version, recent developments in Web-based technologies were implemented. These changes may prove to be even more valuable in enhancing user interactivity through client-side manipulation and management of results. RESULTS: PubMed Interact is a Web-based MEDLINE/PubMed search application built with HTML, JavaScript and PHP. It is implemented on a Windows Server 2003 with Apache 2.0.52, PHP 4.4.1 and MySQL 4.1.18. PHP scripts provide the backend engine that connects with E-Utilities and parses XML files. JavaScript manages client-side functionalities and converts Web pages into interactive platforms using dynamic HTML (DHTML), Document Object Model (DOM) tree manipulation and Ajax methods. With PubMed Interact, users can limit searches with JavaScript slider bars, preview result counts, delete citations from the list, display and add related articles and create relevance lists. Many interactive features occur at client-side, which allow instant feedback without reloading or refreshing the page resulting in a more efficient user experience. CONCLUSION: PubMed Interact is a highly interactive Web-based search application for MEDLINE/PubMed that explores recent trends in Web technologies like DOM tree manipulation and Ajax. It may become a valuable technical development for online medical search applications.

Consumer Behavior↗
PubMed2005

SLIM: an alternative Web interface for MEDLINE/PubMed searches - a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: With the rapid growth of medical information and the pervasiveness of the Internet, online search and retrieval systems have become indispensable tools in medicine. The progress of Web technologies can provide expert searching capabilities to non-expert information seekers. The objective of the project is to create an alternative search interface for MEDLINE/PubMed searches using JavaScript slider bars. SLIM, or Slider Interface for MEDLINE/PubMed searches, was developed with PHP and JavaScript. Interactive slider bars in the search form controlled search parameters such as limits, filters and MeSH terminologies. Connections to PubMed were done using the Entrez Programming Utilities (E-Utilities). Custom scripts were created to mimic the automatic term mapping process of Entrez. Page generation times for both local and remote connections were recorded. RESULTS: Alpha testing by developers showed SLIM to be functionally stable. Page generation times to simulate loading times were recorded the first week of alpha and beta testing. Average page generation times for the index page, previews and searches were 2.94 milliseconds, 0.63 seconds and 3.84 seconds, respectively. Eighteen physicians from the US, Australia and the Philippines participated in the beta testing and provided feedback through an online survey. Most users found the search interface user-friendly and easy to use. Information on MeSH terms and the ability to instantly hide and display abstracts were identified as distinctive features. CONCLUSION: SLIM can be an interactive time-saving tool for online medical literature research that improves user control and capability to instantly refine and refocus search strategies. With continued development and by integrating search limits, methodology filters, MeSH terms and levels of evidence, SLIM may be useful in the practice of evidence-based medicine.

Computer Simulation↗
PubMed2005

askMEDLINE: a free-text, natural language query tool for MEDLINE/PubMed.

BACKGROUND: Plain language search tools for MEDLINE/PubMed are few. We wanted to develop a search tool that would allow anyone using a free-text, natural language query and without knowing specialized vocabularies that an expert searcher might use, to find relevant citations in MEDLINE/PubMed. This tool would translate a question into an efficient search. RESULTS: The accuracy and relevance of retrieved citations were compared to references cited in BMJ POEMs and CATs (critically appraised topics) questions from the University of Michigan Department of Pediatrics. askMEDLINE correctly matched the cited references 75.8% in POEMs and 89.2 % in CATs questions on first pass. When articles that were deemed to be relevant to the clinical questions were included, the overall efficiency in retrieving journal articles was 96.8% (POEMs) and 96.3% (CATs.) CONCLUSION: askMEDLINE might be a useful search tool for clinicians, researchers, and other information seekers interested in finding current evidence in MEDLINE/PubMed. The text-only format could be convenient for users with wireless handheld devices and those with low-bandwidth connections in remote locations.

Academic Medical Centers↗
PubMed2005

MeSH Speller + askMEDLINE: auto-completes MeSH terms then searches MEDLINE/PubMed via free-text, natural language queries.

Medical terminology is challenging even for healthcare personnel. Spelling errors can make searching MEDLINE/PubMed ineffective. We developed a utility that provides MeSH term and Specialist Lexicon Vocabulary suggestions as it is typed on a search page. The correctly spelled term can be incorporated into a free-text, natural language search or used as a clinical queries search.

Information Storage and Retrieval↗
PubMed2005

Creating a vaccine adverse event ontology for public health.

Creation of an ontology for Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI) can help immunization stakeholders better understand adverse events. Moreover, it enables the sharing and reuse of machine-readable knowledge and enhances surveillance systems. Linkage of this knowledge base to controlled vocabularies establishes the foundation for integration of information from different applications. This work describes the framework for ontology creation, the collaborative work supporting it and the overall mission of informatics to bridge organizations and enable knowledge sharing.

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems↗
PubMed2005

Promoting the usability of online AMIA Symposium Proceedings.

A semi-automatic procedure that extracts metadata from MEDLINE was used to develop a search tool that facilitates online location and (free) access to full-text electronic documents from the Proceedings of the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) Annual Symposia (1997-2003). Log file analysis for six months showed steady use of the tool, with most queries originating from hosts in the US (60%), Canada (15.3%), Argentina (10.2%) and Australia (9.6%) for common informatics topics.

Congresses as Topic↗
PubMed2005

Virtual Evidence Cart - RP (VEC-RP).

VEC-RP (Virtual Evident Cart) is an open, Web-based, searchable collection of clinical questions and relevant references from MEDLINE/PubMed for healthcare professionals. The architecture consists of four parts: clinical questions, relevant articles from MEDLINE/PubMed, "bottom-line" answers, and peer reviews of entries. Only registered users can add reviews but unregistered users can read them. Feedback from physicians, mostly in the Philippines (RP) who tested the system, is positive.

Information Storage and Retrieval↗
PubMed2005

PubMed Informer: monitoring MEDLINE/PubMed through e-mail alerts, SMS, PDA downloads and RSS feeds.

PubMed Informer is a Web-based monitoring tool for topics of interest from MEDLINE/PubMed primarily designed for healthcare professionals. Five tracking methods are available: Web access, e-mail, Short Message Service (SMS), PDA downloads and RSS feeds. PubMed Informer delivers focused search updates and specific information to users with varying information-seeking practices.

Cell Phone↗
PubMed2003

The PDA as a portal to knowledge sources in a wireless setting.

Two recent parallel developments, the widespread deployment of wireless networks and increased use of handheld devices like the personal digital assistant (PDA), have contributed to the development of mobile access to the Internet. Recent surveys show that approximately 25% or more of physicians use PDAs. Although used mainly for personal information management and static medical applications, PDAs have capabilities to connect to the Internet. We studied the use of handheld devices to access MEDLINE and other knowledge sources in a wireless setting.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Webcasting videoconferences over IP: a synchronous communication experiment.

A multipoint videoconference was webcast live to an audience who could communicate with conference panelists and each other via chat. The videoconference, webcast, and chat were done entirely over the Internet. Seven panelists at four conference sites that had Internet2 connectivity and were located in different time zones within the continental United States discussed the topic of "Evaluating Health Professions Education and Information Resources on the Web." This discussion was broadcast to individuals and groups at various U.S. locations who had expressed an interest in the topic and had sufficient connectivity for receiving the video stream. Webcast recipients could log on a chat server and type questions and comments to the panelists and other viewers. The experiment's rationale, procedures, and outcomes are described, and issues associated with the use of the technologies are identified.

Congresses as Topic↗