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PubMedDate not supplied

Medical data-bases-telecommunications issues in the 1980s.

This paper gives a brief description of the telecommunications problems encountered when accessing medical data-bases. In the first part of the article, the authors described how the creation of a special telecommunications working group at IMA (the French MEDLINE Centre) helped to handle and solve these problems. The second part shows how French users will be able to access new European data-bases; and discusses the changes brought about by the development of networks such as TRANSPAC and EURONET. It also compares the communications costs for all access configurations.

France↗
PubMed1993

Developing a request for proposal for a telecommunications system.

Because the quality of service and support of telecommunications systems in hospitals ultimately impacts patient care, selecting the vendor can be a significant process. Outlined in this document are the steps that should be taken before installing a new telecommunications system. Recommendations are given on how to prepare a request for proposal, how to narrow the list of bidders, and how to determine what's important to the hospital in selecting a vendor.

Competitive Bidding↗
PubMed1986

Telecommunications and the hospital.

Telecommunications is a rapidly changing industry which currently offers the hospital administrator an opportunity to cut costs in the short run while providing for future needs. Like any important resource, this technology must be managed by skilled personnel who can recommend solutions consistent with the hospital's business philosophy and strategic plan. Three specific actions were recommended: first, consider modernizing your PBX; second, train an inhouse person or hire a telecommunications analyst to conduct the review of available systems and options and to supervise installation and operation; and third, when replacing computer systems and PBXs, develop a plan which will provide for current needs and future growth.

Computers↗
PubMed2000

The Communication Enhancement through Telecommunication (ComET) project.

The Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) has made strenuous efforts to address communication imperatives for its programme delivery to its member countries. Initially, it used the Internet to assist in programme delivery. However, the low availability and high costs of telecommunications in Noumea and Suva hampered these efforts. The use of PACNET (the communications service of the Pacific Public Health Surveillance Network) was very successful but restricted by communication capabilities and lack of connectivity. In 1998 the capacity was limited to 28.8 kilobytes per second (kbps) in Noumea and 1.9 kbps in Suva with no possibility of obtaining additional capacity at affordable costs through the commercial telecommunications carriers. The ComET project has now installed 7.2 metre antenna and associated equipment at each of the Secretariat's offices in Noumea and Suva. This allows 24 hour per day access to the PAS2 satellite for high speed transmission of voice, data and video traffic. Connection to the Offratel premises in Nouville via the Celeris high speed backbone operated by OPT has linked this to the internet and thereby to member countries and territories, and the rest of the world. The ComET project began transmission in March 2000 and has addressed communication problems, and thereby improved the SPC's programme delivery (examples given in this paper) to it's members at affordable costs within the Secretariats existing budget.

Humans↗
PubMed2006

Musculoskeletal symptoms in support staff in a large telecommunication company.

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of this study was to determine the extent and severity of the musculoskeletal problems in office workers in a telecommunication company. RESEARCH DESIGN: A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders' symptoms, their perceived intensity and interaction with ability to work among office workers. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire and Cornell Hand Discomfort Questionnaire developed by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory at Cornell University were used on a sample of 140 office workers in a telecommunication company. MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Discomfort/pain/ache at the wrist level was reported by 86.5% for the left side and 95.5% for the right side. Additionally, discomfort/pain/ache was reported by 77.5% of the sample for neck and 31% of the sample for the left and 50% for the right shoulder region. At the hand site, the area in the distal proximity of the wrist was the most affected site being indicated in 90% of cases for left side and 95% of cases for the right side. CONCLUSIONS: An overview of problems associated with the body parts in office work may allow targeted prevention and intervention.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

A minicomputer-based perinatal/neonatal telecommunications network.

A minicomputer-based telecommunications network has been developed to link all of the state's nine tertiary neonatal intensive care units in order to provide information on availability of neonatal and maternal beds. The information is updated automatically on computer terminals located in each neonatal intensive care unit every two hours by a complete system poll (350 polls per month). This information has been found to be accurate 95% of the time. Through a computer simulation, this network is shown to provide a significant reduction (P less than .0005) in the number of referral telephone calls, and thus the time, required to locate a bed within the state for obstetric or pediatric patients needing transfer. In addition, this network has provided a data base to aid in local, regional, and statewide planning for perinatal facilities. A 6-month summary of the data indicated that for 16% of the system polls, less than two neonatal intensive care units could accept outside referrals, demonstrating frequent severe statewide restrictions for care of high-risk patients. The total operating budget for the most recent fiscal year was less than +25,000, which is far less than that of manual 24-hour central telephone operator systems providing similar services. This telecommunications network is a cost-effective answer to the common problem of limited regional perinatal resources.

Computers↗
PubMed1996

[Support by telecommunication of decisions in diagnostic pathology. Experience with the first telepathology system in Hungary].

The term of telepathology can be determined as diagnostic work of the pathologist at distance via an interactive telecommunication connection in which the image of the specimen appears on a monitor instead of viewing it directly through a microscope. Being a part of the telemedicine, the fast development of the telepathology is based on the revolution of the new digital technology. Technical advances of telecommunication and of image procession in the latest 80s have provided the means to transfer huge amount of visual information in narrow communication bandwidth in two direction link. In 1995 multiple live image transmission with simultaneous voice transfer has been performed between the Department of Pathology of MI Central Hospital and 1.st Institute of Pathology and Experimental Cancer Research of Semmelweis Medical University, Budapest. Transfer rate via ISDN channel was 128 kbit/sec. The first live image telemedicine system in CCE/NIS countries has achieved transmission of cytological smears, frozen sections and paraffin embedded slides supplemented with immunohistochemical preparations. Quality of visual information using video-conference software of standard H.320 was suitable for diagnosis. Development of global telepathology services depends on compatibility of different systems and on comprehensive examinations of cost, accessibility and quality for the clients and providers of telemedicine. Recent paper surveys shortly the historical development of the telepathology, analyses the essence of the new consultation technology, summaries the first experiences in Hungary and raises some questions have to be answered in the near future.

Academies and Institutes↗
PubMed1997

[Scientific role of German ophthalmology in the European telecommunication project OPHTEL].

BACKGROUND: In Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain and Italy, the OPHTEL project combines clinical centers of ophthalmology and internal medicine, an institute for medical informatics and health services research, a publishing company and different industrial partners in the EDP market. AIMS: With the aid of visual telecommunication and rapid data transfer, methods and conditions will be developed and proved so that any physician can very easily obtain sufficient information for treating his patient. Thus, the regional differences in the quality of structured health service (e.g., urban/ rural) will be overcome throughout Europe. SCIENTIFIC TASKS: A multilingual diagnostic and therapeutic thesaurus has to be worked out in order to create standards for communication and quality control. Based on literature, images and image analysis in a knowledge-based data bank, a monitoring system (containing watch-dog functions) and the basic aspects of an ophthalmological patient/disease register will be investigated. (In parallel, a technical development of synchronous and asynchronous telecommunication between eye physicians is taking place in close cooperation with the regional Bavarian project Teleopathalmology in Bavaria on-line). RESULTS: State of the art 6 months after starting the project:the knowledge-based image data bank has been founded and also an ophthalmological 8 language thesaurus and definition standard. All data transfer lines are installed. DISCUSSION: The project is taking place amid diverging sections of medicine: ophthalmology and internal medicine, health politics and data protection, individual treatment and common interest (health care), product management and office organization. Thus, the scientific quality of the transferred ophthalmological content must undergo sophisticated controls. FUTURE STEPS: Intense cooperation with the big German associations for ophthalmology (DOG, BVA) and the European ophthalmological societies concerning EDP, classification and quality control.

Computer Communication Networks↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The telecommunication revolution in the medical field: present applications and future perspective.

In the present review, we analyze the achievements of telecommunication innovations in the medical field focusing on patient care and medical-education aspects. In this regard, the telecommunication revolution has offered medical professionals the possibility to transmit information of any sort zeroing transmission time latency and annihilating spatial distances. Although telemedicine is still in its infancy, multiple applications of this science have already been successfully tested. As an example, robotically mediated telesurgery has it made possible for surgeons to operate standing at a considerable distance from the operating table without even touching or directly seeing the surgical field. Moreover, medical education and medical consulting have acquired new and wider ranges of applicability thanks to the introduction of teleproctoring, telementoring, and teleconsulting. Finally, in the very near future, telepresence surgery will permit "virtual" operations on patients where surgeons can project their manual dexterity, psychomotor skills, and problem-solving ability to remote locations. In this context, telemedicine will support a more equal distribution of medical knowledge and promote excellence in patients' care even in the most disadvantaged environments.

Humans↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Reasoning about diabetes and its relationship to the use of telecommunication technology by patients and physicians.

UNLABELLED: Health care is moving toward a team effort, with patients as partners. This requires effective communication between physicians and patients, who have different understandings of health and illness. These understandings in turn guide their decisions about management of health and illness. With the introduction of home-based technology, which provides an efficient way for doctors and patients to communicate, the question of the effectiveness of the decisions being made must be addressed. In this study, we assess the conceptualizations of health and illness related to diabetes and the relationship to the use of communication technology by patients and physicians. METHODS: The subjects were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire and were then asked to enter information into a telephone-based telecommunications system. Data were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed to characterize models of health and illness and for the factors that influence the decision making about diabetes management. Interactions with the system were then examined relative to these findings. RESULTS: Patients used lay concepts in providing explanations of their illness, whereas physicians used biomedical concepts. Use of these differing concepts influenced the use of telecommunication technology, with more errors in the communication of information being made by patients than by physicians. Examination of the organization of information required by the system showed it to be incongruent with the way patients normally reason, but in agreement with the way physicians reason. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for: (a) the nature of evidence used by patients and physicians; and (b) the design of technology to maximize effective doctor patient communication.

Attitude to Computers↗
PubMed2003

Neuropsychological assessment and telemedicine: a preliminary study examining the reliability of neuropsychology services performed via telecommunication.

Within the last decade, various applications of two-way audio-visual telecommunication have been implemented in the Norwegian health care system to facilitate the delivery of medical services to patients located in rural areas away from the hospitals. This technology may also be useful to extend neuropsychological services to underserved areas and thereby reduce the patients' travel time and costs. In the current study, a total of 12 visual, verbal and performance tests were administered face-to-face and via videophones to 32 volunteer participants to examine the consistency and stability of test-scores when delivered via different formats. The obtained reliability coefficients ranged from .37 to .86 with a median value of .74. When testing for mean differences, the measures on verbal learning (WMS-Logical Memory I) and auditory attention (Seashore Rhythm Test) differed significantly due to administration format (t = 2.34, p = .024 and t = 2.37, p = .025, respectively). The findings imply that administration format does not appear to affect the reliability of measurement but neuropsychological test performance is significantly higher for the measures of attention and memory when delivered via videophone. Additional research on these cognitive domains is required, and if the observed differences due to testing format persist, separate normative data via telecommunication will be required before assessments are carried out. Also, since only normal participants were included in this study, the findings may have external validity for normal populations, but similar controlled trials with patients need to be completed before remote assessments can be implemented in regular clinical practice.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Direct laser writing of three-dimensional photonic-crystal templates for telecommunications.

The past decade has witnessed intensive research efforts related to the design and fabrication of photonic crystals. These periodically structured dielectric materials can represent the optical analogue of semiconductor crystals, and provide a novel platform for the realization of integrated photonics. Despite intensive efforts, inexpensive fabrication techniques for large-scale three-dimensional photonic crystals of high enough quality, with photonic bandgaps at near-infrared frequencies, and built-in functional elements for telecommunication applications, have been elusive. Direct laser writing by multiphoton polymerization of a photoresist has emerged as a technique for the rapid, cheap and flexible fabrication of nanostructures for photonics. In 1999, so-called layer-by-layer or woodpile photonic crystals were fabricated with a fundamental stop band at 3.9 microm wavelength. In 2002, a corresponding 1.9 microm was achieved, but the important face-centred-cubic (f.c.c.) symmetry was abandoned. Importantly, fundamental stop bands or photonic bandgaps at telecommunication wavelengths have not been demonstrated. In this letter, we report the fabrication--through direct laser writing--and detailed characterization of high-quality large-scale f.c.c. layer-by-layer structures, with fundamental stop bands ranging from 1.3 to 1.7 microm.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1981

An application of the Swedish Cancer-Environment Registry. Leukaemia among telephone operators at the telecommunications administration in Sweden.

The detection of 4 cases of leukaemia among telephone operators at the Telecommunications Administration in Gothenburg within a period of 6 years (1969-74) evoked disquiet among the employees. Following an inquiry to the National Board of Health and Welfare a retrospective study was undertaken with a view to examining whether this incidence was consistent with the risk for the country as a whole. The study was based on the newly established Cancer-Environment Registry for the period 1961-73 covering the entire country. This was the first occasion on which the Registry had been applied in an investigation of cancer risk for a specific occupational group. The analysis disclosed no higher risk of leukaemia among telephone operators in the Telecommunications Administration in Sweden than among the population as a whole.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Quantum telecommunication based on atomic cascade transitions.

A quantum repeater at telecommunications wavelengths with long-lived atomic memory is proposed, and its critical elements are experimentally demonstrated using a cold atomic ensemble. Via atomic cascade emission, an entangled pair of 1.53 microm and 780 nm photons is generated. The former is ideal for long-distance quantum communication, and the latter is naturally suited for mapping to a long-lived atomic memory. Together with our previous demonstration of photonic-to-atomic qubit conversion, both of the essential elements for the proposed telecommunications quantum repeater have now been realized.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Robust region of interest coding for improved sign language telecommunication.

More than 500,000 deaf people in North America use American Sign Language or a similar signed system as a first language. Long-distance communication of this visually based medium is hampered by its incompatibility with audio and text telecommunication systems. Movements associated with signed languages require a more consistent and higher frame rate than is available with residential video telephony. New video compression standards (JPEG 2000 and MPEG-4) allow optional region of interest coding in which areas within a frame can be assigned different levels of compression. This paper presents a novel skin color segmentation approach that identifies the hands and face each video frame. This method is robust in terms of variations in skin pigmentation in a single subject, in skin pigmentation across a population of potential users, subject clothing, and image background. Specifying these critical regions of interest to the compression algorithm maintains high visual quality in the regions of the hands and face, while allowing very lossy, high compression of the remainder of the video frame. This reduces the coded representation of each frame, and offers a potential increase in the frame rate for telecommunication.

Algorithms↗
PubMed2002

Design of omnidirectional high reflectors with quarter-wave dielectric stacks for optical telecommunication bands.

A design for omnidirectional high reflectors with quarter-wave dielectric stacks in the optical telecommunication band that uses conventional optical thin-film design theory is described. The omnidirectional bandwidth is derived in units of wavelength and investigated as a function of its high- and low-refractive-index values in the near infrared. The results show that the high refractive index should be larger than 2.26 for an omnidirectional high reflector and that the low refractive index for maximum onmidirectional bandwidth should be approximately 1.5. It is shown that one can design broad-bandwidth omnidirectional high reflectors for S, C, and L bands for optical telecommunication simply by connecting the band edges of omnidirectional high reflectors.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1991

Improved diabetic prognosis following telecommunication and graphical processing of diabetic data.

The thesis that an integrated telecommunications/reporting system would affect diabetic prognosis was tested. Over fifteen months a double crossover study compared traditional diaries versus graphical display of telecommunicated blood glucose data. Significant drops in glycohemoglobin were observed in both groups during the telecommunications period, while no significant drops were observed in the groups while diaries were employed.

Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring↗
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↗