SEARCH · PubMed Health
Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
A data bank of forensic medicine is reported, which recreation is possible without any separate treatment. Informations available by computer-aided writing of autopsy-protocols are recorded automatically by a special programme. Coding is made by the SNOMED and METAS systems.
A standardized protocol for low back pain was developed and computerized so that it could be used as a concurrent monitoring system for large patient populations. The software incorporated a relational database management system (RDBMS) and C language, a flexible, general-purpose programming language that is fast and portable. The protocol was then applied to a uniform group of industrial patients for 5 years. The results demonstrated that a quality-based protocol could be successfully computerized and applied to a large group of patients as a concurrent monitoring system. Quality care was insured by adherence to the computerized protocol. Associated economic results showed decreases in actual number of accidents each year (from 98/year prior to the study to 42/year in the last study year), in lost work days (from 3640/year before the study to 2118/year in the last year), and in costs (savings averaged $430,000/year). The goal of this study was to provide quality medicine; the economic benefits were a bonus. The monitoring system differed from those of the past in that it was driven by the basic medical information taken from the history, physical examination, and radiograph findings. The monitoring physicians were unbiased because they were not allowed to become involved in the patient's ongoing care. There was no rebound phenomenon (an initial drop in cases followed by a gradual return to the prestudy level); this was attributed to the constant monitoring of each case from beginning to end. These results led to the following conclusions: (a) Computerization of a standardized medical approach for low back pain is practical.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A microcomputer-based patient-data and retrieval system for a computed tomographic scanner using a commercially available database management system is described. The ease with which it may be set up, its usefulness in terms of data analysis, and its flexibility is highlighted. The total patient capacity of the system is discussed.
Physicians faced with diagnostic and therapeutic decisions must reason about clinical features that change over time. Database-management systems (DBMS) can increase access to patient data, but most systems are limited in their ability to store and retrieve complex temporal information. The Time-Oriented Databank (TOD) model, the most widely used data model for medical database systems, associates a single time stamp with each observation. The proper analysis of most clinical data requires accounting for multiple concurrent clinical events that may alter the interpretation of the raw data. Most medical DBMSs cannot retrieve patient data indexed by multiple clinical events. We describe two logical extensions to TOD-based databases that solve a set of temporal reasoning problems we encountered in constructing medical expert systems. A key feature of both extensions is that stored data are partitioned into groupings, such as sequential clinical visits, clinical exacerbations, or other abstract events that have clinical decision-making relevance. The temporal network (TNET) is an object-oriented database that extends the temporal reasoning capabilities of ONCOCIN, a medical expert system that provides chemotherapy advice. TNET uses persistent objects to associate observations with intervals of time during which "an event of clinical interest" occurred. A second object-oriented system called the extended temporal network (ETNET), is both an extension and a simplification of TNET. Like TNET, ETNET uses persistent objects to represent relevant intervals; unlike the first system, however, ETNET contains reasoning methods (rules) that can be executed when an event "begins", and that are withdrawn when that event "concludes". TNET and ETNET capture temporal relationships among recorded information that are not represented in TOD-based databases. Although they do not solve all temporal reasoning problems found in medical decision making, these new structures enable patient database systems to encode complex temporal relationships, to store and retrieve patient data based on multiple clinical contexts and, in ETNET, to modify the reasoning methods available to an expert system based on the onset or conclusion of specific clinical events.
This communication describes the design criteria used in the early systems analysis activity of the cardiac laboratory. This analysis activity required an understanding of the cardiology laboratory environment, the establishment of needs to be answered by the program, and the goals of the entire system. The rationale for inclusion of various cardiologic, demographic, quality assurance, and personnel safety parameters is discussed. The input forms used, the database structure created, and the information provided by an applications system are described. Since the system is built around a general-purpose computer (the IBM PC or compatible) and widely available powerful general purpose software, the entire system may be used for many other cardiology laboratory data management tasks.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
VIDEOFAR is a computerized drug prescription monitoring system oriented to gain an epidemiological insight into the phenomenon of "drug prescription". The set of activities carried out within the VIDEOFAR project were focused to: define methods of analysis of prescription data, which could be transferred to the peripherical operating settings of the National Health Service (Local Health Units, Epidemiologic Observatories, Regional Pharmaceutical Services, etc.); implement a Drug Data Base to allow a flexible utilization of information; implement software systems in different computer environments.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The need for rapid and accurate retrieval of the data generated by an oral biopsy service and the adjacent medical center was met with the purchase and programming of a microcomputer and hard disk drive. The planning phase involved an assessment of the needs of the department, creation of an ideal form to be displayed on the video screen that can be easily used to enter the information, selection of coding systems, and selection of compatible hardware and software. Customized in-house programming using a commercially available database management system has created an entry form and menu-driven information retrieval system tailored to the needs of the department.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Previously the management and analysis of large databases for longitudinal clinical dental research has been severely restricted by the costs of custom-made software and access to suitable computing equipment. However, the recent availability of powerful personal computers and the use of the Scientific Information Retrieval Database Management System (SIR/DBMS) in association with BMDP Statistical Software has now created an enormously powerful tool for extensive and fast data manipulation requiring relatively few commands and the capability to easily perform detailed statistical analyses.
A complete system for housekeeping and retrieval of bibliographic references managing individual reprint collections is described. By the use of special hardware and individual data base software even large reprint collections in the range up to 65,000 papers are handled economically. A fast 8-bit microprocessor (HD 64180) in combination with a Winchester hard disk drive serves as the basis for rapid access to the desired information. An efficient string search algorithm written in assembly language guarantees a fast operation with a search speed of more than 6,000 entries/minute. The system cannot only prepare reference lists and reference files, but also incorporates an editor and maintains the control whether reprints are already on file or requested. The implementation of back-up schemes assure against data losses. Using a state of the art design single board computer and the most recent mass storage device technology, the system is as well small and cost effective, and thus suitable for personal use. In addition, some general questions and pitfalls concerning the management of scientific literature collections are touched upon.
In Nagoya University Hospital, a Radiology Intelligent Information System (RIIS) is under construction which will be linked with the Hospital Intelligent Information System (HIIS). RIIS is composed of the radiation oncology information system and the diagnostic radiology information system which is named Imaging Diagnosis Intelligent Information System (IDIIS). IDIIS consists of three parts: (a) the Imaging Diagnosis Management System (IDMS); (b) the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS); (c) the Report Generation Support System for Imaging Diagnosis (RGSS-ID). Artificial intelligence methodology is applied to RGSS-ID and IDMS which includes the ordering and scheduling system of diagnostic imaging. IDIIS has an important role to improve the quality of patient care and medical education as well as image management and is an essential component for the implementation of HIIS.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
PDQ is an online database that provides information about the prognosis and treatment of all major types of cancer. It represents a major effort by the NCI to communicate advances in cancer treatment using computer technology, and serves as a major component of the Institute's program to reduce cancer mortality nationwide. PDQ utilizes a modern large-scale computer to provide processing speed, a general purpose database management system to provide retrieval and display functions, and commercial telecommunication networks to provide online access to up-to-date information on cancer treatment. A series of user-friendly menus allow searching, browsing, and displaying without having to learn a specialized search language. PDQ is accessible through the National Library of Medicine's computer system via a computer terminal or personal computer and is available to the medical community at over 2000 medical libraries and centers and through individual access codes. PDQ is also available as an online database under a special license agreement with NCI through two medical information systems produced by commercial database vendors: BRS/Saunders' COLLEAGUE and Mead Data Central's MEDIS.
PDQ is an online database that provides information about the prognosis and treatment of all major types of cancer. It represents a major effort by the NCI to communicate advances in cancer treatment using computer technology, and serves as a major component of the Institute's program to reduce cancer mortality nationwide. PDQ utilizes a modern large-scale computer to provide processing speed, a general purpose database management system to provide retrieval and display functions, and commercial telecommunication networks to provide online access to up-to-date information on cancer treatment. A series of user-friendly menus allow searching, browsing, and displaying without having to learn a specialized search language. PDQ is accessible through the National Library of Medicine's computer system via a computer terminal or personal computer and is available to the medical community at over 6,000 medical libraries and centers and through individual access codes. PDQ is also available as an online database under a special license agreement with NCI through two medical information systems produced by commercial database vendors: BRS/Saunders' COLLEAGUE Mead Data Central's MEDIS, and Telmed, a Swiss database.
A computerized database will serve a practice well if physicians and staff make their expectations and needs explicit, establish clear database specifications, and use those specifications as the basis for selecting appropriate data management software and computer hardware. Any computerized database management system introduced into a practice should be thoroughly documented, and the process of implementing the system should be planned in advance. Finally, because a practice's information-related needs, expectations, and capabilities change over time, database usage should be reviewed and refined regularly.
In the lifecycle of epidemiologic data three steps can be identified: production, interpretation and exploitation for decision. Computerized support can be precious, if not indispensable, at any of the three levels, therefore several epidemiologic data management systems were developed. In this paper we focus on intelligent management of epidemiologic data, where intelligence is needed in order to analyze trends or to compare observed with reference value and possibly detect abnormalities. After having outlined the problems involved in such a task, we show the features of ADAMS, a system realized to manage aggregated data and implemented in a personal computer environment.