SEARCH · Search PubMed
Results for “Medical Informatics Computing”
Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
[CancerNet online--a contribution to improving oncologic management].
OBJECTIVE: We started the CancerNet project to evaluate the suitability of the internet to improve the quality of health care and the physician-patient relationship by offering worldwide access to high quality guidelines and standards. METHODS: Since early 1994 we have offered access to the National Cancer Institute's guidelines for current cancer therapy to physicians via WWW. These guidelines, which are provided by the NCI in accordance with the rules for evidence-based medicine, are accompanied by general information for non-professionals. Every month about 500 text-documents are HTML-encoded, linked together to about 10,000 abstracts available online as well as to MEDLINE. CancerNet is offered in English, Spanish, and German (only patient information) (http://www.meb.uni-bonn.de/cancernet/). RESULTS: From analyzing log files and user surveys in 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000, we know that offering guidelines and patient information via the web fits most expectations of our users (physicians, health professionals, scientists, and laymen) on a high quality medical information service. Since 1994 nearly 2 million users, including more than 200,000 physicians, used our service. About 95% rated our service excellent or good.
[Personal Digital Assistants assisting in clinical and administrative tasks].
Personal digital assistants (PDAs) are increasingly used by many professional and private users. They replace and combine common calendars, directories, to-do-lists and much more. Supplemented by useful additional software they can assist the clinician in his daily routine work. This concerns typical medical information as well as administrative work but gets more importance with regard to the planned introduction of diagnosis related groups in Germany however. Exact coding of medical performance is essential for this future invoice system. How PDAs can be used convenient in this respect will be shown with examples from our department.
[Quality assurance of medical information in the internet--challenges for a seal of approval in gynecology].
The Internet offers a vast amount of medical information for laymen and experts. Many sites focus on gynecology and obstetrics. The multitude of information and lacking structure make it difficult to retrieve high-quality information and to distinguish them from dubious ones. Many projects were started to solve these challenges. Criteria for assessing medical information on the internet were published by several authors. Some information providers comply to such standards voluntary to show their quality standards. There are scientific councils who assess individual sits. The Concerted Action on Health Information Systems (Aktions forum Gesundheits informations systeme AFGIS) was founded by the German Federal Ministry of Health to coordinate existing activities. The knowledge of experts is essential to describe and rate internet resources. The cooperation of the scientific medical societies in Germany should be an aim to make a quality seal for information on gynecology and obstetrics possible.
[Well-informed on health matters--how well? The German 'Clearinghouse for Patient Information'--objective, background and methods].
OBJECTIVE: Health information for lay people in print or electronic form are internationally recognised as useful tools and as necessary in the decision-making process of individuals. The effectiveness of offered patient information depends on quality and accessibility. Because much of the available health information is significantly deficient, the Agency for Quality in Medicine developed a programme for assessing the quality of specialised health and medical information for all non-medically trained persons. The German 'Clearinghouse for Patient Information' project is an adjunct to the already established German 'Clearinghouse for Clinical Guidelines'. METHOD: The basis for quality improvement for specialised medical information consists 1. in the determination of demands on quality for patient information published in the German language, 2. development of a standardised instrument for assessing the quality of specialised medical information by non-medically trained persons, 3. establishment of an Internet portal for evaluated and rated material, and 4. the establishment and organisation of relevant partnerships with information providers and users of health and medical information. The principle building block to rate medical information for lay people are the DISCERN criteria for good patient information. The results of the quality rating of specialised medical information are made available to the public with emphasis on promoting transparency of the assessment and rating processes used. RESULTS: The Internet-based patient information service of the Agency for Quality in Medicine (www.patienten-information.de 19.06.02) has currently a selection of approximately 800 information items covering fifty disease topics with fully or partially evaluated and rated information. Partnerships to appropriate information providers and users are already established and have been tested in special single projects. CONCLUSION: To advance the process of quality improvement for medical information for non-medical and lay persons, it is essential to develop and to intensify the cooperation with stake holders and partners at different levels. Only through close cooperation with others it is possible to create a basis to continuously develop and improve the information quality assessment instrument further. In addition, effective strategies need to be developed to disseminate these endeavours to patients and consumers of health information in a user-friendly and transparent way.
Applying information technology to the problem of acute myocardial infarction access to care, diagnosis, and evaluation: report of a symposium.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The changing role of the medical illustrator.
The annual meeting of the Australian Institute of Medical and Biological Illustration in Melbourne in November 1998 included keynote addresses from Richard Morton and Robin Williams. Both speakers looked at the future of the medical illustration profession, and in particular the impact of new technology. This matter was also addressed by Joe Nicholls in a presentation given at the Institute of Medical Illustrators' Annual Symposium in Warwick, UK, in September 1998. This paper is a synthesis of the ideas presented by these three speakers and elaborates on common themes in their presentations.
Medical illustration in the UK: its current and potential role in medical education.
This paper describes how medical illustration has evolved to become increasingly important in undergraduate medical education, postgraduate medical education and continuing medical education, as new technologies have become available and new teaching methods have developed based on the emerging technologies. It also examines how the role of the medical illustrator has changed. The descriptor 'medical illustration' fails to reflect the changing face of the profession and it is suggested that a new title is required to convey better the evolving role of the profession.
Medical illustration and medical education.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
The selection of filtering and differentiating techniques for biomechanical data.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Signing on for health: initiating a computerized health information bulletin board.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
XML-based visualization of design and completeness in medical databases.
PURPOSE: mdplot (medical database plot) visualizes both structure and quality of data in medical databases by means of a summary representation of design and completeness in XML format. The goal is to identify attributes suitable for evaluation and to aid in creating open data models. METHODS: A three-stage visualization approach is applied. First, an overview of all classes in a database, second a detailed view of a specific class and third an analysis of individual attributes. Missing data is identified to enable specific efforts to improve data quality prior to analysis. For each class number of patients, attributes, and records per patient are provided. A condensed bar chart for each category of attributes (categorical, numerical, text and other) visualizes available content: The abscissa corresponds to the sequence of attributes; the ordinate represents completeness per attribute. By selection of a specific class, a detailed description is provided including mean completeness in each category as well as completeness per attribute. To analyse attributes that are collected at several time points per patient, a frequency distribution of records per patient can be generated. RESULTS: The new methodology was applied to two clinical research databases consisting of 292 attributes (955 patients) and 224 attributes (610 patients), respectively, and resulted in major restructuring of the systems. A public website is provided for generation of mdplots.
How internet users find, evaluate, and use online health information: a cross-cultural review.
The Internet has become a favored source to find health information. Worldwide, about 4.5% of all Internet searches are for health-related information. However, research has found that the quality of online health information is mixed, which raises serious concerns about the impact of this information. This paper reviews relevant research to understand how health information on the Internet is retrieved, evaluated, and used. Most users of online health information are looking for information about specific health conditions because they or someone they know was diagnosed with a medical condition. They typically use general search engines to find online health information and enter short phrases, often misspelled. They seldom go beyond the first page of a search. Both their search and evaluation skills are limited although they are concerned about the quality of online health information. They avoid sites with overt commercialism, but often do not pay attention to indicators of credibility. Online health information is used to fill an information void which can enhance coping and self efficacy, affects health-related decisions and behavior of users and their friends and family, and is often discussed with health care providers. There are cross-cultural differences in the types of sites used as well as how online information is used. Based on the research reviewed in this paper, three major recommendations are suggested. Professionals should recommend sites. Professionals should promote more effective search and evaluation techniques. Professionals should be involved in developing and promoting uniform standards for health and mental health sites.
Public health surveillance in the United States.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Saying what you mean and meaning what you say: coupling biomedical terminology and knowledge.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Informatics and medical libraries: changing needs and changing roles.
Medical librarians play a crucial role in the evolution of institutional information policy. As information professionals, they share many similarities with their medical informatics counterparts. Both groups emphasize information delivery to the point of decision making; both groups serve as curators of institutional knowledge bases. If the term "publication" encompasses the delivery of clinical information relevant to individuals or populations, both librarians and medical informaticians have an immediate interest in the nature of biomedical publishing, particularly in areas of intellectual ownership, confidentiality, distribution, and access. Both groups also have been early leaders in applying information technology to solve pressing knowledge-management problems, and both groups have a strong commitment to educating colleagues in the effective use of information. Although the challenges faced by librarians and medical informaticians are sometimes different, the evolution of information technology and new forms of biomedical communication suggest that there is now a greater convergence between the two disciplines.
Taking a corporate approach to information technology in an academic medical center.
Academic health science centers employ faculty and research staff who demand and merit a high level of information technology (IT) support. Often their needs outstrip the ability of IT to provide adequate service. The authors review the recent history of IT at Baylor College of Medicine, beginning with the critical review of its operations undertaken outside consultants in 1996. The analysis led to a strategic planning strategic planning retreat at which three infrastructure projects and three systems projects were identified. As the IT program executed these projects, it transformed itself into a more modern organization able to provide higher levels of service to faculty and staff. Those involved in these changes at Baylor were able to successfully adopt a corporate model of information services support without sacrificing the college's academic focus.
Computer education of undergraduate medical students: a 2-year experience.
Computer literacy will become a necessity for doctors in the near future, as computer applications for clinical medicine are gradually developed and successfully implemented in the medical environment. Two years ago we began an optional course on computer systems for first-year medical students, as part of the biostatistics course at the University of Lisbon. The results of this experience show that computer education should be well adapted to the needs of students, and educators must continuously evaluate the students' reaction and anticipate the need for sudden changes in the course structure, which are often necessary to capture students' attention.