Computers in medicine

Article Abstract:

The practice of medicine is increasingly dominated by information: its recording, retrieval, communication, and use. This is true in the areas of data collection and documentation of patients' conditions in their medical records. The National Library of Medicine produces MEDLINE, the most important medical literature database. It lists more than 600,000 articles each year, a volume of knowledge even the most industrious physician would be hard put to keep up with. Practitioners need to develop the skills necessary to consult this giant database; software packages have been developed to facilitate use of MEDLINE. A new problem has arisen; the format of physician training has not changed appreciably to keep up with this tremendous expansion in medical knowledge. Some medical schools have restructured their curricula, even including training in information technology. Lower prices for computers, and the availability of graphic displays and other educational aids, make acceptance of this mode of learning easier. The importance of accurate, accessible patient records led to the creation of a new agency, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, whose duties include developing standards for medical records. No longer will a paper-based chart suffice. New technologies, including voice recognition, will allow physicians to use the computer terminal directly. One problematic aspect of applying computer technology to problems of patient care is the complexity of and variability in medical language. The National Library of Medicine is currently attempting to develop a Unified Medical Language System that will allow information from many machine-readable sources to be integrated. Use of the computer in medicine will be aided by the recent emergence of medical informatics as a discipline with its own organization, the American Medical Informatics Association. The field has been discussed in major medical publications, and training fellowships are available for interested physicians. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Medicine, Information services, Medical records, Access control, United States. National Library of Medicine, Communication in medicine, Medical communication, MEDLINE (Database)

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Information technologies in US medical schools: clinical practices outpace academic applications

Article Abstract:

Many medical schools use computer-assisted instruction, but should expand their use of computers and the teaching of medical information technology. The use of computers is becoming a standard practice in every profession including medicine. Among 92 medical schools, 90 (97.8%) used computer-assisted instruction to supplement lecture material, and 73 (79.3%) were developing long-term plans for using computers in their curricula. Professors or staff members at all of the schools were developing educational software in different medical specialities. None of the schools required that students take classes in computer-assisted data management and analysis, but 18 required that students learn to use computers for tasks such as data processing and library searches. Many schools expressed concern that students were not being taught the computer skills needed for managing medical information. Students were becoming familiar with the different types of systems that are available for managing medical data.

Computer-assisted instruction, Computer assisted instruction, Medical colleges, Medical schools, Information systems

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Above all 'do no harm': how shall we avoid errors in medicine?

Article Abstract:

Computers may be useful in preventing errors in the prescribing and administering of drugs. Errors are common and preventable. A major cause of errors which cause adverse drug incidents are attributed to ordering mistakes. Ordering errors may be reduced if computers do not accept unapproved drug doses. Systems must be continually evaluated to be sure errors remain minimal. Computers may point out where problem areas lie, so they can be corrected. The majority of errors appear to be caused by a complicated set of circumstances. Factors such as stress and interruption of work also can impact the accuracy of drug delivery.

Editorial, Drug delivery systems

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