Chapter 3

1. Chapter 3 Computers in Medicine and Science

2. Computers in Medicine Medical informatics is the application of computers, communications, and information technology to medicine • Patient history • Medical practice management • Patient diagnosis and monitoring • Operating room technology • Telemedicine and telepresence surgery • Research and training • Consumer information

3. Maintaining Patient History • A computer-based patient record (CPR) stores patient information electronically • Includes medical history, prescriptions, and health insurance information • Can also store digital X-rays, surgery videos, and recorded physician notes • An electronic medical record (EMT) system is a healthcare management software package • Stores CPRs • Includes computer devices and connectivity with labs • Checks for possible drug interactions

4. Managing the Medical Practice • EMT systems can help manage the medical practice • Link patient records with billing systems • Use coded records to file insurance claims • Scheduling systems • Schedule patient appointments • Print out reminder cards for patients • Reporting systems • Monitor patient outcomes over time • Help billing and insurance managers keep track of payments

5. Patient Diagnosis & Monitoring • Capture and analyze patient data with electronic diagnostic tools EKGs, ultrasound, MRIs, CAT scans, digital X rays, pill-sized cameras • Use computer-assisted diagnostics (CAD) to confirm or exclude a diagnosis Decision support or expert systems • Access pharmacy and medical information online Useful for both physicians and patients • Monitor patients continuously In the hospital or remotely from home

6. OR: Computer-Aided Surgery • Image-guided surgery Uses MRIs, CAT scans, and other images to understand the shape of tissues before and during the surgery • Endoscopy uses an endoscope to view images of internal structures in the body The surgeon watches the screen while moving the tube of the endoscope • Robots Used with endoscopy to perform very delicate procedures

7. Telemedicine and Telepresence • Telemedicine uses technology to help healthcare professionals consult and share knowledge around the world • Uses live Internet and videoconferencing to share digitized images • Allows doctors in remote areas to consult with specialists using a satellite link • Monitors chronically ill patients with online submissions • Telepresence surgery involves the use of robots Surgeon operates robotic arms from a remote site

8. Medical Research and Training • Epidemiology is concerned with the distribution, cause, and control of disease • Data regarding a specific disease can be • Collected into a database • Processed and analyzed by computers • Searched for patterns in the spread of the disease • Computers can recognize patterns of disease that would never be caught with human analysis alone Useful for cancer studies, outbreaks, and epidemics

9. Improving Medical Training • Virtual reality (VR) simulators • Allow students and trainees to interact with a patient • React to the student’s movements using a computer program • Store user’s performance for later review • Practice without risk • Haptic feedback • Gives feedback based on the sense of touch • Recreates how a procedure actually feels • Used with the Army’s human patient simulator

10. Computers in Science • Computer technology has revolutionized the scientific process as defined by the scientific method Observing, collecting, analyzing, and testing • Computers can create accurate models and simulations to test hypotheses • The speed and power of computers allow scientists to tackle complex problems with vast amounts of data

11. Collecting Weather Data • Weather balloons carry radiosondes into the upper atmosphere to collect data Radiosondes are high-tech instrument packages that measure temperature, humidity, air pressure, and wind speed and direction • Doppler weather radars collect data by sending out a beam of energy and then measuring how much of that beam is reflected back • Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) orbit the earth 22,000 miles above the equator

12. Remote Sensing • Uses GOES satellites to track and record data • Automatic weather station (AWS) units in Antarctica support meteorological research and climate prediction • The National Data Buoy Center tracks weather along U.S coastlines Buoys and C-MAN (Coastal Marine) stations transmit data to the satellite; the data is then posted on the Web • The DART system uses moored buoys to track tsunamis using abottom pressure recorder (BPR)

13. Data Classification and Analysis Example: The Human Genome Project • Identifies all of the genes in human DNA • A genome is a blueprint for an organism, encompassing the entire set of DNA • A gene defines the characteristic of an organism • DNA contains chemical bases that repeat billions of times • Uses powerful computers to sort through the billions of DNA bases and identify the approximately 30,000 genes

14. Data Classification and Analysis, 2 Example: SETI@home project • Searches for extraterrestrial intelligence with radio and light signals • Relies on the concept of distributed computing • Collective processing power of several computers is used to analyze vast amounts of collected data • A radio telescope in Puerto Rico captures the data • The data is sent to thousands of small computers for processing by a home server in Berkeley • The results are sent back and stored in a database

15. Data Modeling and Simulation • A computer model can represent just about any object, organism, or process • Models and simulations are useful when it is physically impossible to view the data • Weather forecasts • Impacst of pollution, global warming

16. Conclusion • Computers have revolutionized data collection, analysis, and communication • Computers are used in medicine to maintain patient records, manage a practice, acquire health information, diagnose and monitor patients, perform operations, and treat patients remotely • Computers are used in science to observe, collect, and analyze data, and to determine potential effects based on models and simulations