Emerging technologies. From fascination to application.

Abstract

When Medtronic founder Earl Bakken saw the 1931 film Frankenstein, a fascination was born that grew into a conviction that technology could be harnessed to improve life. And so it has. But information technologies dominate some of the newest breakthroughs in healthcare--have you heard of network computers, extranets, thin clients, patient informatics, peopleware, Webtops, or zero administration? If not, you will. Meantime, what do they mean to you? For the most part they promise a return to a simpler, cheaper, easier to run, less scary model for systems development. And also, a returned focus on everyone's ultimate goal--improving patient care. The truth about emerging technologies? As our story suggests, it's as obvious as the scars on Frankenstein's face: Keep it simple.