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PubMed1989

The microcomputer as a clinical research tool.

A microcomputer system has been developed for clinical perinatal-neonatal research. This system is composed of commercially available hardware and software that is readily available, relatively inexpensive, and easy to learn to use. Systems like this permit compilation of data, statistical analysis, and the possibility of intercommunication with other microcomputers and mainframe systems in collaborative research endeavors. Further, microcomputer systems allow investigators immediate access to data and data analysis within their own offices.

Data Collection↗

PubMed1988

Using microcomputer telecommunications.

The field of computers and communication is rapidly growing. Microcomputer telecommunications is a fairly simple new tool that can increase productivity and improve work skills. For those who have access to a microcomputer, the cost to add telecommunication capability is minimal while the payoff is unlimited. The next time you need an article about a particular topic or try to remember where you read a particular article, make travel plans or write a letter to a colleague in another state, think how easy it would be with your microcomputer and a modem.

Computer Communication Networks↗

PubMed1986

The microcomputer and basic peripheral equipment.

This article has presented the basic information needed for setting up a microcomputer work station. The four basic components are the central processing unit (CPU), the monitor (CRT), the keyboard, and the disk drive. A brief overview of how the microcomputer works was presented, including the concepts of random-access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The use of peripheral devices to enhance the operating capabilities of the microcomputer has allowed this technology to become practical and useful both at home and in business and research. Special furniture is available to assure a comfortable and practical environment. Perhaps one of the most important concepts presented in this article is the necessity of backing up data on a regular basis. Finally, computer equipment must be cleaned and maintained on a regular basis.

Computers↗

PubMed1985

Microcomputers in nursing administration. A software overview.

The current environment of prospective payment systems and cost control requires nursing administrators to have fast access to useful, reliable information. Microcomputers can be used by individuals who are not computer experts to generate that information. This article discusses the various types of computer software used on microcomputers and gives examples of nursing administration applications for microcomputer software.

Administrative Personnel↗

PubMed1984

Future applications of the microcomputer in dietetics.

The microcomputer has potential in both clinical and educational aspects of dietetics. Computer-assisted learning (CAL) applications may be of value to students, to newly qualified staff and to patients needing to understand the background of their disorders. The most widely developed use of the computer at present is in dietary analysis, but other areas of CAL may be fruitful, particularly tutorial and simulation programs. An appreciable amount of work has been carried out exploring the patient-computer interface, and dietitians may wish to make greater use of patient interview and counselling systems in the future. The microcomputer could have value in setting up data files for recording patient and nutritional information. In addition, there are opportunities for increasing the use of computers in the general administration of a dietetics department. The microcomputer is therefore capable of having a marked effect on the future work of the dietitian, with a variety of avenues showing potential for further investigation.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗

PubMed1983

The personal microcomputer: its operation and application in the laboratory.

Several laboratory vendors have begun marketing quality control programs for use on personal microcomputers. To appreciate fully its utility, the first-time microcomputer user must have a basic understanding of its operation, application and limitations. This article presents an introduction to microcomputer operation for the computer novice. Laboratory applications and criteria for selecting additional application programs are discussed.

Computers↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A microcomputer based interactive system for the recording and automatic analysis of esophageal pH-studies.

A microcomputer based system for the recording and automatic analysis of esophageal pH-studies has been developed. It consists of a microcomputer interfaced with a pH-meter, one video display, two disk-drives for five inch diskettes, one printer and a fully interactive program written in BASIC. Every second, the microcomputer records the values of pH measured by the pH-meter. The options available in the program are: 1) Creation of medical records; 2) pH probe calibration; 3) pH-basal value acquisition; 4) Standard Acid Reflux Test (SART); 5) Acid Clearing Test (ACT); 6) 24-hour pH-monitoring test; 7) Summary of patient's current results; 8) Printing and data file management. Each one of these options provides access to other related functions. This system and its software has the following advantages: 1) it achieves a high standard in the execution of esophageal pH-study tests; 2) it provides an objective real-time analysis of the results; 3) it reduces the total cost of the investigation.

Computers↗

PubMed1982

[A new correction method for radionuclide formation in neutron activation analysis using a reactor power meter coupled with a microcomputer].

Neutron flux and irradiation time should be accurately known in neutron activation analysis using very short lived nuclides in which conventional monitoring methods i.e., a comparator method, flux monitor method and so on cannot be used satisfactorily. Especially, fluctuation of neutron flux has not been corrected. We noted a change of reactor power at a pneumatic operation, and found out a new correction method for its correction in activation analysis. In our small nuclear reactor, TRIGA-II, the reactor power increased rapidly a few % when a pneumatic-operated capsule arrived at a core of the reactor, and decreased when the capsule left from the core. If the duration between these two changes of the reactor power is equal to the irradiation time, and that the reactor power is proportional to the neutron flux, we can regard an activity formation as a time integration of the reactor power. Then, the correction system was made of a reactor power meter, a V-F converter (voltage to frequency converter), a clock time, a counter, a microcomputer, electric circuits and so on. The signal of the reactor power during the irradiation was counted through the V-F converter, and was accumulated in a memory of the microcomputer. The neutron fluence was calculated in this microcomputer. This method was examined by means of activation of copper and selenium standard samples by 9-11 sec irradiations. The observed activity involved +/- 10% error. However, the error in the corrected activity was decreased to a few % using this correction method. As a result, we found that this method can be used to obtain accurate value for radionuclide formation.

Activation Analysis↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Automated EEG analysis with microcomputers.

The application of microcomputers for the detection of individual waveforms in the electroencephalogram is described. The waveform detection, which is completely implemented in a microcomputer, consists of filtering the EEG, determining the time between zero-crossing of each wave, measuring the amplitude of each wave, and then determining if the individual waves occur with a specified pattern. The method provides for the detection and quantification of the waveforms normally occurring in the sleep EEG and in petit mal epilepsy. The same algorithm is used for all waveforms, except that the filter, wave, and criteria are changed. The microcomputer can also be used to obtain a quantitative description of the individual waveforms.

Electroencephalography↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Microcomputers and the future of epidemiology.

The Workshop on Microcomputers and the Future of Epidemiology was held March 8-9, 1993, at the Turner Conference Center, Atlanta, GA, with 130 public health professionals participating. The purpose of the workshop was to define microcomputer needs in epidemiology and to propose future initiatives. Thirteen groups representing public health disciplines defined their needs for better and more useful data, development of computer technology appropriate to epidemiology, user support and human infrastructure development, and global communication and planning. Initiatives proposed were demonstration of health surveillance systems, new software and hardware, computer-based training, projects to establish or improve data bases and community access to data bases, improved international communication, conferences on microcomputer use in particular disciplines, a suggestion to encourage competition in the production of public-domain software, and longrange global planning for epidemiologic computing and data management. Other interested groups are urged to study, modify, and implement those ideas.

Epidemiology↗

PubMed1993

Physician inpatient order writing on microcomputer workstations. Effects on resource utilization.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects on health care resource utilization of a network of microcomputer workstations for writing all inpatient orders. DESIGN: Randomized controlled clinical trial. SETTING: Inpatient internal medicine service of an urban public hospital. SUBJECTS: A total of 5219 internal medicine patients and the 68 teams of house officers, medical students, and faculty internists who cared for them. INTERVENTION: Microcomputer workstations, linked to a comprehensive electronic medical record system, for writing all inpatient orders. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Total inpatient charges for each admission and charges for specific categories of orders. A time-motion study of selected interns assessed the ordering system's time consumption. RESULTS: Intervention teams generated charges that were $887 (12.7%) lower per admission than did control teams (P = .02). Significant reductions (P < .05) were demonstrated separately for bed charges, diagnostic test charges, and drug charges. Reductions of similar proportion and statistical significance were found for hospital costs. The mean length of stay was 0.89 day shorter for intervention resident teams (P = .11). Interns in the intervention group spent an average of 33 minutes longer (5.5 minutes per patient) during a 10-hour observation period writing orders than did interns in the control group (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: A network of microcomputer workstations for writing all inpatient orders significantly lowered patient charges and hospital costs. This would amount to savings of more than $3 million in charges annually for this hospital's medicine service and potentially tens of billions of dollars nationwide. However, the system required more physician time than did the paper charts. Research at other sites and system advances to reduce time requirements are warranted.

Computer Communication Networks↗

PubMed1985

Collection and analysis of kinetic data from a stopped-flow spectrophotometer using a microcomputer.

A method of interfacing an inexpensive microcomputer to a stopped-flow kinetics spectrophotometer is described. It allows software-selectable sampling frequencies between 0.1 ms and 8 s and large numbers of data points to be collected. Machine language routines to use the interface are described and these allow the sampling frequency to be altered during data collection to ensure adequate numbers of points in critical regions of the kinetic profile. BASIC programs for collection and analysis of multicomponent kinetic data using this system are also described. Due to the large number of data points that can be collected and the ability to selectively sample transmittance values in regions where the signal is rapidly changing with time, relatively unsophisticated methods of data analysis can be used. These methods are suitable for use by microcomputers and mean that data analysis and acquisition can be performed on the same microcomputer in real time. To illustrate this, multicomponent analysis of kinetic transients is performed on simulated data and on the dissociation kinetics of the ethidium-DNA complex.

Automation↗

PubMed1989

Microcomputer programs for complex epidemiologic procedures. II. Test for equality and trend of adjusted rates.

The microcomputer program presented in Part I of this series (M. H. Dong, Comput. Biomed. Res. 22, 349 (1989)) is useful for computing adjusted excess rates. That program, however, does not provide a means for a quantitative analysis of the adjusted rates computed for the categories of a risk factor. At times it is crucial for us to determine whether after adjustment a factor exerts a dose-response effect that is statistically significant. Recently a hypothesis test for analyzing such an effect has been reported. The test is based on score statistics obtained directly from a product model assumed for the excess rate. The objective of this second part is to continue to make available a microcomputer program that has been written to implement the computation of these score statistics, which likewise entails a complex and lengthy iterative procedure. In this communication the test is described and the application of the microcomputer program is illustrated.

Biometry↗

PubMed1983

Three-dimensional reconstruction from serial sections: II. A microcomputer-based facility for rapid data collection.

A microcomputer-based facility is described that permits the data required for three-dimensional reconstructions to be collected quickly and inexpensively from serial sections. The facility consists of a microcomputer, a digitizer tablet, a graphics terminal, a printer, a plotter, and telephone coupler. Images of serial sections are superimposed on the digitizer tablet. Contours of interest on each section are digitized and the coordinates are stored on "floppy" disks. The problems of putting successive sections in correct register and of taking into account magnification factors are discussed briefly. Use of the facility for high-resolution applications is also considered.

Animals↗

PubMed1986

A microcomputer-based graphical reconstruction technique for serial sectioned objects, with hidden line removal.

The presented software package fulfills the need for processing serial sections with a microcomputer configuration, enabling three-dimensional reconstruction with hidden line removal. The language used is an interpreted BASIC-dialect (HPL). The input is performed via an interactive program. The object can be rotated in space. The Hidden Line algorithm does not depend upon a raster technique. Points of intersection of successive contours are calculated and inserted, thus providing drawings of high resolution and quality. The handling time can be said to be short, especially when considering the capacities of the microcomputer configuration used.

Animals↗

PubMed1984

Microcomputer analysis of indicator dilution curves to determine Qp/Qs.

We developed and tested, in an animal model, a method for collecting and analyzing indicator dilution curves to determine the pulmonary-to-systemic flow ratio (Qp/Qs) using a programmable microcomputer. Curves were digitized in real time by an analog to digital converter. A gamma variate curve fitting algorithm, similar to that used in nuclear cardiology, was used to determine the area under primary and recirculation portions of a single cardiogreen dye curve. A ratio of these areas was used as a measure of Qp/Qs. In an animal model simulating patent ductus arteriosus, there was close correlation of Qp/Qs measured by the Fick method and by the microcomputer method (computer Qp/Qs = 0.95 X Fick Qp/Qs + 0.22, R = 0.97, N = 14, SEE = 0.14). The computer method of measuring Qp/Qs is rapid, easily repeatable, and does not require catheter manipulation. Therefore, it may be particularly useful in the clinical cardiac catheterization laboratory for studying the effects of interventions on Qp/Qs.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A microcomputer measuring system applied to real-time ultrasound video imaging.

The high-resolution graphics facility of a microcomputer has been synchronized with real-time ultrasound images on a television monitor, allowing quick and accurate measurements of linear distances, are lengths, perimeter lengths, and areas, whether regular or irregular in shape. No particular knowledge of computers is required, as the program gives step-by-step directions. However, the full facilities of a 48K microcomputer using BASIC language remain accessible, which is a considerable advantage over equivalent measuring systems currently available.

Computers↗

PubMed1989

Pharmacokinetic analysis of single- or multiple-dose plasma drug concentration data with a microcomputer using multi-fraction absorption models.

A Basic program for multi-fraction absorption models was developed to link with another microcomputer program, MULTI, and was named MFA-MULTI. A main frame computer program SIMP, based on a simplex method using differential equations, was also operated using a microcomputer equipped with a FORTRAN compiler and a 8087 floating-point coprocessor. These two programs [MFA-MULTI and SIMP (M)] were applied to the analysis of plasma concentration data of several drugs with irregular absorption profiles. The results by MFA-MULTI and SIMP(M) for the single- or multiple-dose data were almost coincident with those obtained by a SIMP program. The result for nalidixic acid estimated using MFA-MULTI or PKM-MULTI was also compared. The plasma nalidixic acid concentration, with irregular absorption profiles due to characteristics of dissolution in the gastrointestinal tract, was found to be described by a two-fraction absorption model. The MFA-MULTI program was applied to the analysis of plasma cimetidine concentration data with double peaks in humans. Pharmacokinetic absorption behavior of a sustained-release preparation of theophylline after repetitive oral administration was adequately evaluated using MFA-MULTI. In addition, application of multi-fraction absorption models to population pharmacokinetics is discussed.

Administration, Oral↗