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PubMed1989

Software that works in school settings. A framework for choosing the right program.

The use of the computer as a tool in therapy is a relatively new concept. As with any new concept, there are many questions, concerns, and problems in implementation. Those who do not know how to use a computer should seek help from the individual in their school who is responsible for the care and maintenance of the computer equipment. A majority of software programs require very little knowledge about operating a computer. Those who do not have the funds to purchase needed software programs should request support from their school's PTA and community businesses, apply for a state or federal grant, or use a nearby college or university lending library. If local computer stores only carry business-oriented software, software catalogues or computer magazines such as Teaching and Computers are sources for products. The magazines not only advertise but also critique software. Finally the computer application framework (Figure 1) should help clinicians determine how an individual piece of software can be chosen and implemented, based on a student's need and a clinician's work situation. No single piece of software is perfect for every student, nor is the public school environment perfect for the utilization of software. It is hoped that this article will help clinicians extract the best from both worlds by suggesting how the microcomputer can be used for therapy in a school setting.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1986

Computer software for the professional. Its evolution and current status.

The development of software during the past 30 years has been just as dramatic in many respects as that of hardware. Whereas future developments in hardware technology can be expected to provide smaller, cheaper, and more powerful computers as has been the case during the past 25 years, future developments in software technology can be expected to play the equally important role of expanding the user base for computers, thus making it economically feasible to exploit new technologies on the hardware side. Although today's computer software offerings are very broad indeed in terms of the variety of tasks they perform, one can reasonably expect that entirely new uses will be found for computers, through the development of new types of software, in the future. By exploiting the huge memory capacities of today's newer computers, future software will be much easier to use and will be capable of carrying out several tasks simultaneously. It will also be much more forgiving, adapting itself automatically to the work style (and probably also to the mistakes) of the user. By incorporating at least a part of what constitutes the stock of knowledge in particular applications, so-called "expert systems," one may expect future software, particularly in areas such as financial and statistical analysis, to enable the computer to work more as a partner or colleague than as an unintelligent (albeit very fast) tool. Perhaps to an even greater extent in the future than has been true to date, the evolution of the computer as a useful tool will depend on software, rather than hardware, innovation. The hardware advances necessary to place hearing, speaking, seeing, and even thinking computers on everyone's desktop, each of which would be able to provide ready access to truly mind-boggling quantities of information, is at hand. Only the software really remains to be developed.

Computers↗

PubMed1995

An interactive consultation multimedia software for orthodontic patients.

Presentation of diagnosis and treatment planning for orthodontic problems by orthodontists is often a hurdle and a nuisance to most patients. The reasons are that it has much content which may be hard to understand without having expert knowledge related to the temporal change in dentofacial structures known as the growth, development and physiological aspects of masticatory apparatus. To complement this, we have developed an interactive consultation multimedia software for orthodontic patients. he design concept of the current software has three aspects. Firstly, since the software is operated by orthodontic patients themselves or by their parents, it enhances the operational feasibility. Secondly, it helps the patients choose the information in which they are interested. Thirdly, it emphasizes audio-visual understanding of orthodontic practice, including terminology. e used a hypertext machine with a 240MB hard disk drive, an 8MB RAM and a 13 inch color monitor. In developing the current software, we also used a video camera, a video color board, a microphone, and an image scanner together with an image recorder, a movie and sound data editing system, image scanning and editing, an image changer, a spread sheet and mathematical software. he current software consists of various multimedia such as images, sounds, characters, and biosignals. The "stack" of the software consists of three parts: a) "General Understanding of Occlusion" b) "Understanding Specific Types of Occlusion Exhibited by the Patient" c) "Orthodontic Terminology" When card A is selected the patient can choose either "Good Occlusion" or "Malocclusion." If "Malocclusion" is chosen, respective occlusal types are shown. The next card provides pathological conditions caused by respective malocclusion, e.g., gingivitis. After selecting card B which asks the patient, "What do your teeth look like?" the following buttons are provided: "Maxillary Protrusion," "Reversed Occlusion," "Crowding," "Open Bite," and "Spaced Arch." After selecting one of these, the card with an explanation of the respective malocclusion is shown according to the patient's physiological age. Finally, after card C is selected, a new card which has a list of orthodontic terminology is presented. Patients can search any term according to their choice to open a new card which gives a detailed explanation. e confirmed that the current consultation multimedia software can provide a comfortable environment to the patients and their families to learn where the orthodontic problems lie and how they could be solved.

Audiovisual Aids↗

PubMed2004

Quantification of myocardial perfusion defects using three different software packages.

Software packages are widely used for quantification of myocardial perfusion defects. The quantification is used to assist the physician in his/her interpretation of the study. The purpose of this study was to compare the quantification of reversible perfusion defects by three different commercially available software packages. We included 50 consecutive patients who underwent myocardial perfusion single-photon emission tomography (SPET) with a 2-day technetium-99m tetrofosmin protocol. Two experienced technologists processed the studies using the following three software packages: Cedars Quantitative Perfusion SPECT, Emory Cardiac Toolbox and 4D-MSPECT. The same sets of short axis slices were used as input to all three software packages. Myocardial uptake was scored in 20 segments for both the rest and the stress studies. The summed difference score (SDS) was calculated for each patient and the SDS values were classified into: normal (< 4), mildly abnormal (4-8), moderately abnormal (9-13), and severely abnormal (> 13). All three software packages were in agreement that 21 patients had a normal SDS, four patients had a mildly abnormal SDS and one patient had a severely abnormal SDS. In the remaining 24 patients (48%) there was disagreement between the software packages regarding SDS classification. A difference in classification of more than one step between the highest and lowest scores, for example from normal to moderately abnormal or from mildly to severely abnormal, was found in six of these 24 patients. Widely used software packages commonly differ in their quantification of myocardial perfusion defects. The interpreting physician should be aware of these differences when using scoring systems.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Clinical efficacy of a new software developed for dental digital subtraction radiography.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to test and compare the efficacy of software developed recently for digital subtraction radiography (DSR) in vivo. METHODS: An algorithm performing both manual and automated image reconstructions and contrast correction was developed for the manipulation of radiographic images. Pre- and post-operative radiographic images of ten patients were obtained and the automated subtraction analyses were performed using four different softwares (new software, Emago, Photoshop 8.0 and Paintshop Pro 9). Ten experienced dental specialists evaluated the clinical efficacy of each program and scored the softwares by using visual analogue scales (VAS). The results were statistically analysed and alpha was set as 0.05. RESULTS: The newly developed algorithm received higher scores than the others (new software =67.89, Emago = 64.26, Paintshop Pro 9 = 33.41 and Photoshop 8.0 = 27.24, respectively). The clinical efficacies of the new software and Emago were not significantly different (P = 0.720); likewise, Photoshop 8.0 and Paintshop Pro 9 performed comparably (P = 0.295). CONCLUSIONS: Considering this study, the new software and Emago would be suggested for DSR in dental practice.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1993

Trends in computer hardware and software.

Previously identified and current trends in the development of computer systems and in the use of computers for health care applications are reviewed. Trends identified in a 1982 article were increasing miniaturization and archival ability, increasing software costs, increasing software independence, user empowerment through new software technologies, shorter computer-system life cycles, and more rapid development and support of pharmaceutical services. Most of these trends continue today. Current trends in hardware and software include the increasing use of reduced instruction-set computing, migration to the UNIX operating system, the development of large software libraries, microprocessor-based smart terminals that allow remote validation of data, speech synthesis and recognition, application generators, fourth-generation languages, computer-aided software engineering, object-oriented technologies, and artificial intelligence. Current trends specific to pharmacy and hospitals are the withdrawal of vendors of hospital information systems from the pharmacy market, improved linkage of information systems within hospitals, and increased regulation by government. The computer industry and its products continue to undergo dynamic change. Software development continues to lag behind hardware, and its high cost is offsetting the savings provided by hardware.

Clinical Pharmacy Information Systems↗

PubMed1993

Basics of computer hardware and software.

The basics of computer hardware and software are presented. A computer is a general-purpose electronic counting device used in data processing because of its accuracy and high speed. The physical components of a computer system are called the hardware, which includes the central processing unit and peripheral equipment for data input, output, and storage. Computer capacity is measured by the amount of data that can be stored in main memory and by the computer word size. Performance is indicated by the speed with which instructions are executed. Input devices (e.g., keyboard-type terminals) are the components that accept raw data and convert it into electronic form, and output devices (e.g., video display terminals) present the results of data processing in human-readable form. System software is the set of instructions that facilitate hardware use and allow the application software, which solves specific user problems, to run efficiently. System and application software is written by using various machine and symbolic languages. Milestones in software-development techniques include program subroutine use, modular programming, functional decomposition, structured programming, and structured analysis. Objectives in improving software quality are reducing development costs, making maintenance easier, and making development results more predictable. Because software development has lagged behind revolutionary advances in hardware, the full potential of computers has yet to be realized.

Computer Literacy↗

PubMed1997

Melanie II--a third-generation software package for analysis of two-dimensional electrophoresis images: I. Features and user interface.

Although two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) computer analysis software packages have existed ever since 2-DE technology was developed, it is only now that the hardware and software technology allows large-scale studies to be performed on low-cost personal computers or workstations, and that setting up a 2-DE computer analysis system in a small laboratory is no longer considered a luxury. After a first attempt in the seventies and early eighties to develop 2-DE analysis software systems on hardware that had poor or even no graphical capabilities, followed in the late eighties by a wave of innovative software developments that were possible thanks to new graphical interface standards such as XWindows, a third generation of 2-DE analysis software packages has now come to maturity. It can be run on a variety of low-cost, general-purpose personal computers, thus making the purchase of a 2-DE analysis system easily attainable for even the smallest laboratory that is involved in proteome research. Melanie II 2-D PAGE, developed at the University Hospital of Geneva, is such a third-generation software system for 2-DE analysis. Based on unique image processing algorithms, this user-friendly object-oriented software package runs on multiple platforms, including Unix, MS-Windows 95 and NT, and Power Macintosh. It provides efficient spot detection and quantitation, state-of-the-art image comparison, statistical data analysis facilities, and is Internet-ready. Linked to proteome databases such as those available on the World Wide Web, it represents a valuable tool for the "Virtual Lab" of the post-genome area.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1993

A software for the description of workplaces.

Three softwares have been designed, the first for job histories, the second for job-exposure matrices, and this, the third and latest, for workplace descriptions. The first two softwares were presented in earlier articles while the current article presents the software for workplace descriptions. Workplace description has been based on the idea that a job is best described by listing its constituent tasks so as to determine associated risks better. The three softwares, the job history software (JHS), the job-exposure software (JES) and the workplace description software (WDS) are interfaced and constitute an integrated professional risk surveillance (PRS) system.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2005

Comparison of image analysis software packages in the assessment of adhesion of microorganisms to mucosal epithelium using confocal laser scanning microscopy.

We have compared current image analysis software packages in order to find the most useful one for assessing microbial adhesion and inhibition of adhesion to tissue sections. We have used organisms of different sizes, the bacterium Helicobacter pylori and the yeast Candida albicans. Adhesion of FITC-labelled H. pylori and C. albicans was assessed by confocal microscopy. Four different Image analysis software packages, NIH-Image, IP Lab, Image Pro+, and Metamorph, were compared for their ability to quantify adhesion of the two organisms and several quantification methods were devised for each package. For both organisms, the dynamic range that could be detected by the software packages was 1x10(6)-1x10(9) cells/ml. Of the four software packages tested, our results showed that Metamorph software, using our 'Region of Interest' method, with the software's 'Standard Area Method' of counting, was the most suitable for quantifying adhesion of both organisms because of its unique ability to separate clumps of microbial cells. Moreover, fewer steps were required. By pre-incubating H. pylori with the glycoconjugate Lewis b-HSA, an inhibition of binding of 48.8% was achieved using 250 mug/ml Lewis b-HSA. The method we have devised using Metamorph software, provides a simple, quick and accurate way of quantifying adhesion and inhibition of adhesion of microbial cells to the epithelial surface of tissue sections. The method can be applied to organisms ranging in size from small bacteria to larger yeast cells.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Performance of community pharmacy drug interaction software.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the performance of computerized drug-drug interaction (DDI) software in identifying clinically important drug-drug interactions. DESIGN: One-time performance test of computer systems using a standard set of prescriptions. SETTING: Community pharmacies or central corporate locations with pharmacy terminals identical to those used in actual pharmacies. PARTICIPANTS: Chain and health maintenance organization (HMO) pharmacies with seven or more practice sites in Washington State. A total of nine different DDI software programs were installed in 516 community pharmacies represented by these chains and HMOs. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of software in detecting 16 well-established DDIs contained within six fictitious patient profiles. RESULTS: The software systems failed to detect clinically relevant DDIs one-third of the time. Sensitivity of the software programs ranged from 0.44 to 0.88, with 1.00 being perfect; specificity ranged from 0.71 to 1.00; positive predictive value ranged from 0.67 to 1.00; and negative predictive value ranged from 0.69 to 0.90. For software packages that were installed at different locations, between-installation differences were observed. CONCLUSION: The performance of most DDI-detecting software programs tested in this study was suboptimal. Improvement is needed to advance their contribution to detection of DDIs.

Drug Interactions↗

PubMed2006

GNU polyxmass: a software framework for mass spectrometric simulations of linear (bio-)polymeric analytes.

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, a variety of (bio-)polymers can be analyzed by mass spectrometry. The detailed interpretation of the spectra requires a huge number of "hypothesis cycles", comprising the following three actions 1) put forth a structural hypothesis, 2) test it, 3) (in)validate it. This time-consuming and painstaking data scrutiny is alleviated by using specialized software tools. However, all the software tools available to date are polymer chemistry-specific. This imposes a heavy overhead to researchers who do mass spectrometry on a variety of (bio-)polymers, as each polymer type will require a different software tool to perform data simulations and analyses. We developed a software to address the lack of an integrated software framework able to deal with different polymer chemistries. RESULTS: The GNU polyxmass software framework performs common (bio-)chemical simulations-along with simultaneous mass spectrometric calculations-for any kind of linear bio-polymeric analyte (DNA, RNA, saccharides or proteins). The framework is organized into three modules, all accessible from one single binary program. The modules let the user to 1) define brand new polymer chemistries, 2) perform quick mass calculations using a desktop calculator paradigm, 3) graphically edit polymer sequences and perform (bio-)chemical/mass spectrometric simulations. Any aspect of the mass calculations, polymer chemistry reactions or graphical polymer sequence editing is configurable. CONCLUSION: The scientist who uses mass spectrometry to characterize (bio-)polymeric analytes of different chemistries is provided with a single software framework for his data prediction/analysis needs, whatever the polymer chemistry being involved.

Biopolymers↗

PubMed2005

Presurgical staging of non-small cell lung cancer: positron emission tomography, integrated positron emission tomography/CT, and software image fusion.

PURPOSES: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of positron emission tomography (PET) and integrated PET/CT and to evaluate the performance of software fusion for staging of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: Thirty-six patients (17 men and 19 women) with NSCLC underwent staging with integrated PET/CT followed by mediastinal lymph node dissection and tumor resection. Twenty-five of the 36 patients (69%) underwent separate CT studies for software fusion of images. Two blinded reviewers analyzed in consensus all PET images, and an experienced radiologist was added to assess integrated and software-fused PET/CT images. Histopathologic findings served as "gold standard" for determining the diagnostic accuracy of all modalities. RESULTS: Reviewers examining PET and integrated PET/CT classified T stage accurately in 67% (20 of 30 patients) and 97% (29 of 30 patients), respectively (p < 0.05). Overall, interpretations based on PET staged 57% (17 of 30 patients) correctly, over-staged 6 patients (20%), and under-staged 7 patients (23%). Interpretations based on integrated PET/CT correctly staged 83% (25 of 30 patients), over-staged 3 patients (10%), and under-staged 2 patients (7%). The overall staging accuracy of integrated PET/CT was significantly higher than that of PET (p < 0.05). Automatic software fusion of separately obtained PET and CT studies was successful in 68% of the patients but failed in 32%. In successful software fusion cases, the results of software fusion with regards to T stage and N stage were not different from integrated PET/CT. CONCLUSIONS: Integrated PET/CT compared with PET alone was associated with 26% points-greater overall diagnostic accuracy (p = 0.01). The software fusion method failed to provide acceptable co-registration in > 30% of the patients.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Software design to facilitate information transfer at hospital discharge.

Discharge communication between inpatient and outpatient physicians is often an inefficient and error-prone process. Adverse events result from poor communication at the time of discharge. The objective of this study was to describe development of discharge software to overcome communication barriers. The secondary objective was to assess factors that influence the time to complete tasks with the software. Methods were a performance improvement model and database analysis of 336 discharges. Software design specifications included computerised physician order entry, immediate utility, minimal development and deployment costs, acceptability to physician-users, and satisfaction of primary care physicians, patients and pharmacists. Design features included simple 'just-in-time' prompts and point-of-care prescribing resources. The dependent variable for analysis was physician time to complete discharge prescriptions and instructions while using the software. General linear and mixed-effects regression models adjusted for physician effects and other predictors. Results revealed that physician factors significantly affected the time to complete a discharge while using the software. As the number of accesses (log-ins) and free text typing increased, then time to complete the computerised discharge increased. Patient-related factors that increased physician time were discharge diagnoses, prescriptions and length of stay. In conclusion, discharge software can help inpatient physicians transfer timely, complete and legible information to outpatient physicians, pharmacists and patients. Physician and patient factors influence the time to complete discharges using the software.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1994

Contemporary issues in HIM. Software engineering--what does it mean to you?

There have been significant advances in the way we develop software in the last two decades. Many companies are using the new process oriented approach to software development. Companies that use the new techniques and tools have reported improvements in both productivity and quality, but there are still companies developing software the way we did 30 years ago. If you saw the movie Jurassic Park, you saw the perfect way not to develop software. The programmer in the movie was the only person who knew the details of the system. No processes were followed, and there was no documentation. This was an absolutely perfect prescription for failure. Some of you are probably familiar with the term hacker which describes a person who spends hours sitting at a terminal hacking out code. Hackers have created some outstanding software products, but with today's complex systems, most companies are trying to get away from their dependence on hackers. They are instead turning to the process-oriented approach. When selecting software vendors, don't just look at the functionality of a product. Try to determine how the vendor develops software, and determine if you are dealing with hackers or a process-driven company. In the long run, you should get better, more reliable products from the latter.

Engineering↗

PubMed2003

On the design of a generic and scalable multilayer software architecture for data flow management in the intensive care unit.

OBJECTIVES: The current Intensive Care Information Systems (IC-ISs) collect and store monitoring data in on automated way and can replace all paper forms by an electronic equivalent, resulting in a paperless ICU. Future development of IC-ISs will now have to focus on bedside clinical decision support. The current IC-ISs are data-driven systems, with a two-layer software architecture. This software architecture is hardly maintainable and probably not the most optimal architecture to make the transition towards future systems with-decision support. The aim of this research was to address the design of an alternative software architecture based on new paradigms. METHODS: State-of-the art component, middleware and agent technology were deployed to design and implement a software architecture for ICU data flow management. RESULTS: An advanced multi-layer architecture for efficient data flow management in the ICU has been designed. The architecture is both generic and scalable, which means that it neither depends on a particular ICU nor on the deployed monitoring devices. Automatic device detection and Graphical User Interface generation are taken into account. Furthermore, a demonstrator has been developed as a proof that the proposed conceptual software architecture is feasible in practice. The core of the new architecture consists of Bed Decision Agents (BDAs). The introduction of BDAs, who perform specific dedicated tasks, improves the adaptability and maintainability of the future very complex IC-ISs. CONCLUSIONS: A software architecture, based on component, middleware and agent technology, is feasible and offers important advantages over the currently used two-layer software architecture.

Computer Systems↗

PubMed2005

Multislice mapping and quantification of brain perfusion MR imaging data: a comparative study of homemade and commercial software.

PURPOSE: We developed a homemade computer program for analysis of perfusion weighted MR imaging (PW-MRI) data in order to produce colored multislice rCBV, rCBF, and MTT maps. We then compared those maps with others produced by a commercially available program, obtained from the same PW-MRI data, to determine the feasibility of using our program in clinical practice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Studies of 20 patients were performed on a high field MR scanner. Imaging protocol consisted of perfusion study (EPI, TR/TE: 1430/46 msec, 10 mm gap, matrix: 128x128, FOV: 240 cm, NEX: 1). Twenty ml of Gd-DTPA was administered at a rate of 4-5 ml/sec beginning at the 5th acquisition of 50 dynamic series. MATLAB software was used for writing codes of both mathematical equations and the graphical user interface. All images were in DICOM standard. For validation of the results, all maps were compared with another commercially available program, which is widely being used in daily practice, and was installed on the MR scanner. Ability to define the lesion contours and extension, and artifacts at the bone-soft tissue interface were the criteria used for statistical evaluation. RESULTS: Field definition was equally good in 38% of the patient scans for both software programs; our homemade software was better in 23% of the cases and the commercial software was better in 31%. In 6% of the results, either software program was not sufficient. For the elimination of artifacts, our homemade software was 100% successful in every case. CONCLUSION: Our homemade program is a user friendly one that gives comparable results with those of a commonly used commercial one. However, this program should be tested with different categories of diseases and a larger patient population and then compared with different commercial software programs to be validated more clearly.

Blood Flow Velocity↗

PubMed1986

Computer software.

Software is the component in a computer system that permits the hardware to perform the various functions that a computer system is capable of doing. The history of software and its development can be traced to the early nineteenth century. All computer systems are designed to utilize the "stored program concept" as first developed by Charles Babbage in the 1850s. The concept was lost until the mid-1940s, when modern computers made their appearance. Today, because of the complex and myriad tasks that a computer system can perform, there has been a differentiation of types of software. There is software designed to perform specific business applications. There is software that controls the overall operation of a computer system. And there is software that is designed to carry out specialized tasks. Regardless of types, software is the most critical component of any computer system. Without it, all one has is a collection of circuits, transistors, and silicone chips.

History, 19th Century↗