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At least 631 records · Page 35Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Effects of software programs stimulating regular breaks and exercises on work-related neck and upper-limb disorders.

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the effects on work-related neck and upper-limb disorders among computer workers stimulated (by a software program) to take regular breaks and perform physical exercises. Possible effects on sick leave and productivity were studied as well. A randomized controlled design was used with cluster randomization. Altogether 268 computer workers with complaints in the neck or an upper limb from 22 office locations were randomized into a control group, one intervention group stimulated to take extra breaks and one intervention group stimulated to perform exercises during the extra breaks during an 8-weekperiod. Questionnaires were administered before andafter the intervention, and questions were generated by the software during the intervention period. Computer usage was recorded online. RESULTS: The data on self-reported recovery suggested a favorable effect; more subjects in the intervention groups than in the control group reported recovery (55% versus 34%) from their complaints and fewer reported deterioration (4% versus 20%). However, a comparison between the reported pre- and postintervention scores on the severity and frequency of the complaints showed no significant differences in the change among the three groups. No effects on sick leave were observed. The subjects in the intervention groups showed higher productivity. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a software program stimulating workers to take regular breaks contributes to perceived recovery from neck or upper-limb complaints. There seems to be no additional effects from performing physical exercises during these breaks.

Analysis of Variance↗

PubMed2005

Pharmaceutical advertisements in prescribing software: an analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To assess pharmaceutical advertisements in prescribing software, their adherence to code standards, and the opinions of general practitioners regarding the advertisements. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Content analysis of advertisements displayed by Medical Director version 2.81 (Health Communication Network, Sydney, NSW) in early 2005; thematic analysis of a debate on this topic held on the General Practice Computer Group email forum (GPCG_talk) during December 2004. OUTCOME MEASURES: Placement, frequency and type of advertisements; their compliance with the Medicines Australia Code of Conduct, and the views of GPs. RESULTS: 24 clinical functions in Medical Director contained advertisements. These included 79 different advertisements for 41 prescription products marketed by 17 companies, including one generic manufacturer. 57 of 60 (95%) advertisements making a promotional claim appeared noncompliant with one or more requirements of the Code. 29 contributors, primarily GPs, posted 174 emails to GPCG_talk; there was little support for these advertisements, but some concern that the price of software would increase if they were removed. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that pharmaceutical promotion in prescribing software should be banned, and inclusion of independent therapeutic information be mandated.

Advertising↗

PubMed2003

[The improvement in the cerebral blood flow analysis software in case of CT-perfusion inspection and the examination of the scan protocol].

In our hospital, CT-perfusion was introduced in April, 2002. It is used to diagnose, to determine what treatment to use and to prognosticate cerebral blood flow after operation in super acute period brain infarct. At the beginning of the introduction, processing time and dosage for partial areas needed improvement. Therefore, we investigated the possibility of shorter processing time and lower dosage of radiation with the help of improvement in the analysis software as well as a different scan method. Two methods of reducing radiation dosage were examined. (1) The speed of X-ray rotation was slowed down; while photon per image was maintained, total mAs was lowered. (2) Continuation scan was replaced by intermission one. Analyzing time with older and newer version of analysis software was compared. The dosage was able to decrease by 25% as a result of the rotation speed slowed down; it became further less by 50% with the intermission scan. Processing such as the vein extraction was automated by using new analysis software and successfully shorten the analysing time without damaging the reliability of analyses. We forecast that more clinical research on further lowering dosage and stabilization of analyzing will enable us to provide better information.

Acute Disease↗

PubMed1992

Provider software buyer's guide.

To help long term care providers find new ways to improve quality of care and efficiency, Provider magazine presents its second annual listing of software firms marketing computer programs for all areas of nursing facility operations. On the following six pages, nearly 80 software firms display their wares, with programs such as minimum data set and care planning, dietary, accounting and financials, physician orders, and inventory software. The guide also charts support available to users, compatible hardware, integration ability, as well as telephone numbers and company contacts, and easy-to-use reader service numbers.

Catalogs, Commercial as Topic↗

PubMed1995

Mixed signals on translation software's future.

Health care providers have been slow to acquire and implement translation software to streamline electronic data interchange with payers, suppliers and other trading partners. Proponents argue that after the movement to standard electronic transactions picks up speed, the market for the software will explode. But skeptics argue that the benefits of the software are limited and predict that demand will remain modest.

Commerce↗

PubMed1996

Developing safety-critical software.

The role of safety-critical software in the development of medical devices is becoming increasingly important and ever more exacting demands are being made of software developers. This article considers safety issues and a software development life-cycle based on the safety life-cycle described in IEC 1508, "Safety-Related Systems: Functional Safety." It identifies relevant standards, both emerging and published, and provides guidance on methods that could be used to meet those standards.

Equipment Design↗

PubMed1997

Quality of healthcare related software applications--setting up an accreditation system in Hungary.

Meeting expectations of high quality health care, the safe and secure operation of medical information systems is a "must". However for healthcare software nationwide quality control systems are not widely used. A quality control project of health care applications in Hungary has been launched in 1996 by the Hungarian Society of Healthcare Informatics (MEIT) and Medico-Biological Section of Johann Neumann Society of Computing (NJSZT) by establishing a joint Healthcare Informatics Applications Accreditation Board (Board ESAB). The Board developed an evaluation methodology and a legal procedure to test health care software application modules. The evaluation method is based on international standards as ISO-9126 and on emerging European standards of CEN/TC 251. First rounds of accreditation already proved that there is a need among providers and users for the accreditation process. The authors hope that establishing an accreditation system will lead to a more balanced health care software market where users have an opportunity to inform themselves by the opinion of independent experts on the product they intend to purchase.

Accreditation↗

PubMed1988

No cost software for microcomputers: a shareware or public domain MS-DOS data manager for adverse drug reaction tracking.

IBM PC, XT, AT compatible computers have created a small revolution in the way we work, pharmacy procedures notwithstanding. In many instances the microcomputer software packages used are expensive and often difficult for inexperienced users to learn within reasonable periods of time. Public domain software, or shareware concept of software distribution, is an alternate means of obtaining good quality programs that are free to PC users, or cost very little upon final registration. This article describes a high efficiency, easy to use data management system that can serve a great variety of purposes within the pharmacy including tasks such as adverse drug reaction tracking, patient profiles, or inventory control. The flexibility and ease of operation makes this and other similar programs often wise choices as compared to expensive, fully relational commerical microcomputer data management systems.

Computers↗

PubMed1989

Legal issues critical in software license agreements.

The complex legal aspects of software license agreements are addressed in this final part of a three-part series. A healthcare organization that has selected a software vendor and has reviewed the central provisions of a licensing agreement must then take a close look at the other provisions of the agreement. These include numerous legal provisions, regulatory requirements, and ancillary agreements related to maintenance and access to the software.

Confidentiality↗

PubMed1989

Software standards improve flow of information.

Many healthcare organizations buy their microcomputers and software packages in a piece-meal fashion. As a result, single microcomputers cannot share information with other microcomputers, networks, or the central computer system. Designating compatible software packages and machines as standards for the institution ensures that hardware and software can communicate. These standards should be implemented across the institution and regularly updated so that users' needs are met.

Computer Communication Networks↗

PubMed1984

Health care market experiences grouper software explosion.

Prospective payment has created a need for PPS hospitals to assign patients to DRGs quickly and accurately. Vendors have responded with a flood of computer software that not only assigns DRGs, but also performs other sophisticated data collection functions. The array of software powers has confused many buyers over what their facilities should purchase. Important questions must be answered before investing hundreds or thousands of dollars on grouper software.

Computers↗

PubMed1985

Hospital cost accounting: finding the software solution.

If hospital managers can clearly define the functions, features, and techniques required of a software package, carefully evaluate the capabilities of the various packages available, and use an organized approach for selecting a software package, they can more effectively choose cost accounting software that best fits the hospital's individual needs.

Accounting↗

PubMed1999

New software applications for interchangeable instrumentation in spinal stereotaxis.

Computer image-guided surgery has been widely accepted because it allows the surgeon to track an instrument through unvisualized critical structures of a patient in real-time, thus minimizing the risk of injury. Current spinal and cranial image-guided surgery is, however, limited by the lack of surgical instruments and software applications that would allow rapid interchange of useful instruments to perform the procedures. Most image-guided systems utilize a single standard probe or a few pre-defined instruments that are not necessarily useful for performing the actual surgical procedure. Present image-guided technology for screw placement in spinal surgery utilizes the standard probe only to confirm the entry point location and view the planned trajectory of the screw. The surgeon then resumes the procedure using standard surgical instruments to drill, tap and place screws without the benefit of image guidance. Our clinical laboratory experience with spinal image-guided surgery indicates that there is potential for error between each of these procedural steps of screw placement. Despite accurately locating an entry point, any deviation in the trajectory during drilling of a pilot hole, tapping or screw placement may result in significant errors in screw placement and potential neurovascular injury. We have developed custom software applications and universal hardware adaptation devices for spinal image-guided surgery that allow the use of standard instruments for intraoperative guidance. Utilizing universal dynamic registration hardware and software, standard surgical instruments are adapted for real-time image guided surgery. An array of light emitting diodes can be attached to essentially any rigid instrument with a definable tip and then calibrated to the system for intraoperative use. Laboratory tests using a cadaveric model indicate a difference in accuracy of less than 1.0 mm between the standard probe and a dynamically registered custom instrument and an absolute mean error of less than 2.0 mm for the image-guided system which is clinically insignificant in most cases. This technology is a significant step forward as it allows the surgeon to use a full array of instruments with image guidance and will ultimately make spinal and intracranial surgery safer and more accurate.

Bone Screws↗

PubMed2000

Structure and content of 400 CT reports in four teaching hospitals using a new, Windows-based software tool.

PURPOSE: To test a new software tool developed for analysis of radiology reports and to compare CT reports from four different teaching hospitals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Four hundred CT reports were randomly collected from four Finnish university hospitals. A Windows 3.1-based software tool was developed to make a comparative analysis of the information content of CT reports. The structure of the reports was partly analyzed manually. RESULTS: The new software tool greatly facilitated semiquantitative analysis of the information content of residents' and radiologists' reports. There were some local differences in the length and structure of the reports, the choice of vocabulary and the number of differential diagnoses given, and large differences in the use of an "impression" section. Thorough description of focal lesions was included in less than 50% of the reports from each of the four institutions. CONCLUSION: The variation in well-structured CT reports indicates considerable geographic differences in radiology reporting, which may reflect the long-term influences of a few teachers. Rational application of the communication standards should improve the quality of written radiology reports. Such standards should be emphasized, particularly in teaching hospitals.

Hospitals, Teaching↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Computerized test development software. A comparative review updated.

This article provides a comparative review of nine commercially available software programs: A+ Test Manager and Test Taker, CATSoftware, Diploma 97, Examaker for Windows, FastTEST, Microtest Pro, Pedagogue, Question Mark, and Test Construction Set. Issues for using test development software are covered including security, pedagogical uses, and test design and administration. Nurse educators are encouraged to consider the unique needs of each setting when selecting a software package to support test development and administration.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗

PubMed2000

Efficiency and accuracy of two computerized topography software systems for fitting rigid gas permeable contact lenses.

PURPOSE: The world of computerized videokeratoscopy is continually evolving. Computerized videokeratoscope contact lens programs boast the capability to accurately design final rigid gas permeable (RGP) lens parameters and simulate contact lens fluorescein patterns. We evaluated the EyeSys System 2000 Pro-Fit software (v. 4.0) and Humphrey Atlas MasterVue Contact Lens Module (v. A6) for efficiency and accuracy in fitting RGP contact lenses on normal subjects. METHODS: Balanced manifest refractions, slit lamp examinations, and computerized topographical analysis with RGP module lens fitting were performed and compared for all eyes. Lens parameters were chosen after an optimal simulated fluorescein pattern was achieved by either accepting the initially recommended default lens or a modification. Final lens parameters were based on clinical performance. RESULTS: With the Humphrey Atlas software, which uses a default topographic tear clearance fitting protocol set by the manufacturer, 24/50 (48%) eyes required modifications to the default fitting parameters based on the simulated fluorescein patterns. Nine of 50 eyes (18%) required further modifications once the RGP lens was dispensed. The EyeSys Pro-Fit software, which allows a custom tear clearance fitting protocol set by the user as default, required modifications to 20/35 eyes (57.1%) from default fittings provided by the system. Six of 35 eyes (17.1%) required subsequent modifications once the RGP lens was dispensed. Comparison of the EyeSys to Humphrey modules revealed no significant difference in efficiency (P=0.51), defined as any changes required to the default parameters; however, the user made more modifications to the EyeSys module from the default setting. There was no significant difference in final success rates between EyeSys (82.9%) and Humphrey (82%) systems (P=1.00). CONCLUSION: Although both topography guided contact lens modules offered accuracy in RGP fitting, a user programmed default (EyeSys) protocol did not improve efficiency in RGP lens parameter selection compared to a manufacturer programmed default module (Humphrey). The need for a knowledgeable contact lens fitter remains to guide the systems in achieving the optimal fit.

Contact Lenses↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The health planning context and its effect on a user's perceptions of software usefulness.

This article reports a health planner's experience in using program planning software and the contextual factors that influenced her perceptions. The software examined (EMPOWER) is designed to support program planning for prevention of breast cancer through mammography screening. Use by a health professional in an urban hospital was examined through a case study approach. The user was interviewed at 3, 6, and 12 months following initial use. Transcripts were coded using Roger's characteristics of an innovation as a framework for categorizing the user's perceptions. Contextual factors identified as important in influencing her perceptions were open-coded and themes identified. The user referred to three contextual factors in describing characteristics of the innovation: implementation factors, user background, and work and community environment. The successful dissemination of software will depend not only on characteristics of the innovation, but also on situational circumstances that must be changed by, or accommodated in the technology.

Attitude to Computers↗

PubMed2000

Research software for radiotherapy gel dosimetry.

Gel dosimetry using magnetic resonance imaging is a technique which allows measurement of three-dimensional absorbed dose distributions in radiation therapy. This paper presents details of a software tool written specifically to provide facilities to perform image processing required in research and development of gel dosimetry. Collections of magnetic resonance images can be converted into either longitudinal or transverse nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation images. The conversions are accomplished by means of a pixel-by-pixel non-linear least squares fitting algorithm. Adjustments can be made to the number of parameters used in the fitting algorithm. Fundamental image manipulation tools such as window width/level display adjustment, zooming, profile and region of interest tools are provided. The software has been developed using MATLAB (The MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA) running on Windows 95. User interaction is via a windows graphical user interface (GUI). Data such as statistics from regions of interest can be exported to other windows applications for further processing. Flexibility is incorporated in the GUI design by taking advantage of the developmental aspects of the MATLAB environment. Although originally designed for gel dosimetry, the software can be used in any application of MRI which requires production and manipulation of relaxation time images.

Gels↗