Biomedical subjects

R A Belcher

Publications and source records attributed to R A Belcher.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1982

A microcomputer system for prescription, calculation, verification and recording of radiotherapy treatments.

The design of a microcomputer system for the reduction of mistakes in radiotherapy is described. The system covers prescription entry, prescription and treatment calculations, and verification and recording of the treatment set-up. A telecobalt unit was interfaced to the system and in the first 12 months 400 patients have been prescribed and 5000 treatment fields verified. The prescription is entered by the medical officer using an interactive program and this prescription provides the reference for verifying the treatment set-up. The program allows amendments to the prescription to be made easily during the treatment course. The treatment parameters verified are field size, wedge and treatment time. The system uses bar-codes for patient and field identification. A reduction in the number of mistakes has been achieved and future developments are discussed.

Computers↗

PubMedDate not supplied

PRESC: an interactive program for radiation therapy prescriptions.

An interactive program for prescribing radiotherapy treatments has been developed with the aim of improving radiation dose accuracy by preventing mistakes in quantitative data handling and calculations. The program also aims to decrease the time required to prescribe treatments and check the calculations. The interactive dialogue closely follows present, manual methods of prescription. The program provides a comprehensive choice of treatment options which either individually or in combination cover all the treatments carried out on the Cobalt units for which the program was designed. Each of the treatment options has been highly optimized to reduce the amount of data entered and for ease of use. The program allows changes to the prescription at time of entry and during the treatment course. The treatment sheet and patient record resulting from the interactive dialogue are discussed and compared with the existing system. The modular program structure is described and some of the results from use of the program are discussed. Possible future improvements are outlined.

Computers↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cell wall-deficient bacteria as a cause of infections: a review of the clinical significance.

Cell wall-deficient bacteria (CWDB) are pleomorphic bacterial forms. These atypical organisms may occur naturally or they can be induced in the laboratory. Their presence has been known about for over a century, but a definite link to clinical disease outcomes has not been demonstrated. A number of case reports and laboratory studies suggest some disease associations, however. Considerable controversy surrounds the true relevance of CWDB to disease; there is a widespread belief that they may represent a response by the walled organism to adverse extracellular conditions like antibiotic pressure. This review looks at studies published between 1934 and 2003, which were identified by Dialog DataStar using the key words 'cell wall deficient bacteria and clinical significance and infections' and by further scanning the reference list at the end of the papers retrieved. We conclude that the evidence for the clinical significance of CWDB in disease is not compelling.

Bacterial Infections↗