Computers in medicine. Computers in the medical field

In conditions of development modern society information Technology penetrate deeply into people's lives. They very quickly turned into a vital stimulus for the development of not only the world economy, but also other areas of human activity. Nowadays it is difficult to find an area that does not use information technology.

Every year, information technology is becoming more and more firmly established in all areas of activity (from the auto business to construction). Rapidly accelerating in recent decades, progress against the backdrop of the widespread introduction of computer information technologies (IT technologies) has also covered medicine. Today information systems in medicine they are used more and more widely: when creating a serious clinic, it is no longer possible to do without an IT component. Their implementation in the practice of commercial clinics and medical centers is especially relevant, because in addition to the benefits for medical staff and patients, information systems are beneficial from a purely economic point of view.

And it is no coincidence that when intending to finance medical institutions or even their networks, investors first of all include in the investment budget the equipment of clinics with modern IT systems. Information technologies used in medical clinics and centers provide the following advantages:

· Make the work of medical personnel more efficient and convenient.

· Allows you to save significant money.

Therefore, the study of this topic is relevant.

Computers have been used in medicine for a long time. Many modern diagnostic methods are based on computer technology. Examination methods such as ultrasound or computed tomography are generally unthinkable without a computer. But computers are increasingly invading “older” methods of examination and diagnosis. Cardiogram and blood tests, examination of the fundus and the condition of the teeth... - it is now difficult to find an area of ​​medicine in which computers are not used more and more actively.

But the use of computers in medicine is no longer limited to diagnostics. They are increasingly beginning to be used in the treatment of various diseases - from drawing up an optimal treatment plan to controlling various medical equipment during procedures.

In addition, computers now help sick people in everyday life. A huge number of devices designed for sick and infirm people that are controlled by computers have already been created.

New employees have appeared in British hospitals - robots that can perform not only simple actions, but also perform surgical operations. At St. Mary's Hospital in London, Remote Presence (RP6) Robots will “look after” patients. Hospital staff named the machines "Nurse Mary" and "Dr. Robbie." With their help, doctors will be able to not only monitor the condition of patients from anywhere in the world, but also conduct video conferences.

A doctor located, for example, in another country will control the robot using a joystick and wireless network. By directing the electronic assistant to the bed, the doctor will have the opportunity to see the patient, talk to him, view test results and x-rays. And all this time the patient will see the doctor’s face on the LCD display that the robot is equipped with. Of course, new devices will not completely replace doctors. But the clinic’s medical staff believes that robots will solve a pressing problem - very often highly qualified doctors simply need to be present in several places at the same time, which is physically impossible. Now specialists will monitor the health of patients, regardless of the distances separating them.

At another London hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, technicians are given much more responsible responsibilities. There, the da Vinci medical robot performed surgery to remove a kidney from a living donor. A fifty-five-year-old resident of Rochester decided to save her fiancé and, by sacrificing a kidney, gave him a chance to live in this world. This complex operation was performed for the first time in the UK using an electronic surgeon. Naturally, without

There was no human involvement - the robot was controlled from a special console by a flesh-and-blood doctor. Only one minute passed from the moment the da Vinci manipulators entered the donor’s body until the kidney was collected. All the rest of the work - organ transplantation to the recipient - was carried out by a team of surgeons.

The operation took the da Vinci robot to a new level, because previously it was used only for reconstructive surgery on the heart and removal of pathologically altered organs.

Today in Russia there is a computer in every dental clinic. Most often, he works as an assistant accountant, and does not serve to automate the office work of the entire dental clinic

Most widely used in the dental market computer programs– digital radiography systems, often called radio videographers (Fig. 1). The systems allow you to study in detail various fragments of a tooth and periodontal image, increase or decrease the size and contrast of images, save all information in a database and, if necessary, transfer it to paper using a printer. Most famous programs: Gendex, Trophy. The disadvantage of this group of programs is the lack of information about the patient.

The second group of programs are systems for working with dental video cameras. They allow you to record in detail the condition of groups or specifically selected teeth “before” and “after” the treatment. Such programs common in Russia include: Vem Image, Acu Cam, Vista Cam, Telecam DMD. The disadvantages are the same as

Previous group.

The next group is dental clinic management systems. There are quite a lot of such programs. They are used in Voronezh, Moscow, St. Petersburg and even in Belgorod. One of

The disadvantage is their vulnerability to unauthorized access to information.

Electronic document management modernizes the exchange of information within a dental clinic. Varying degrees of access for doctors and patients, mandatory use encryption systems for encoding diagnoses, examination results, therapeutic, surgical, orthodontic and other procedures make it possible to reliably protect any information.

Conclusion .

Today, more and more attention is paid to the introduction of modern information technologies in hospitals and clinics, as this allows them to take their work to a qualitatively new level. Leading Russian system integrator Open Technologies company guarantees that the use of information technologies in medicine allows:

· improve the quality of medical services and patient satisfaction;

· reduce the non-therapeutic burden on medical specialists;

· improve the availability of medical information and the speed of its provision to medical personnel;

· increase the efficiency of support services;

· reduce the percentage of accidental losses and unreasonable waste of medical materials, equipment and supplies;

· improve internal medical records;

· optimize the process of mandatory reporting to higher organizations, present the results of the clinic’s work to management in real time;

· increase the loyalty of doctors and medical personnel.

· Computers play important role in medical research. They make it possible to establish how air pollution affects the incidence of disease in the population of a given area. In addition, they can be used to study the effect of impacts on various parts of the body, including

in particular, the consequences of an impact in a car accident on the human skull and spine.

· Medical data banks allow doctors to keep abreast of the latest scientific and practical advances.

· Computers are used to create maps showing how quickly epidemics spread.

· Computers store patient medical histories in their memory, which frees doctors from time-consuming paperwork and allows them to spend more time with the patients themselves.

Today, information systems in medicine are used more and more widely. Therefore, medicine of the 21st century cannot exist without computers and ICT.

References.

1) A. Novembert, B. Kershan, J. Stone. "Basics computer literacy" Publishing house "Mir" 2000.

2) Journal “Medical Technology” No. 14 1999 – 2000, pp. 25-26.

3) Scientific and practical journal No. 3, No. 7, 1999, volume VIII, pp. 18-19.

5) http://comp-doctor.ru/int/int_0006.php

6) http://www.syssupport.ru/page/page23.html

7) http://itm.consef.ru/main.mhtml?Part=24&PubID=28

1.1. Personal computers in medical practice………………... ....................... ....... ...………………………….4

1.2. Brief information about IT in medicine…………..……...………..…...4

1.4. Use of computers in medical laboratory research…………………………………………… ……...……….....6

1.6. Medical IT: opportunities and prospects……...………......8

2. MIS and local information systems…………………….………………… …………..9

2.1. MIS levels……………………………………………………….12

3. Brief history of IT…………………………………………… ….14

3.1. A look into the past: examples of MIS…………………… ……………..14

3.2. Modern idea of ​​MIS…………………………… …..16

4. Classification of MIS…………………………………………………..18

4.1. MIS market………………………………………………………..21

4.2. Prospects for the implementation of MIS……………………………………23

Introduction
Modern healthcare organizations produce and accumulate enormous amounts of data. The quality of medical care, the general standard of living of the population, the level of development of the country as a whole and each of its territorial entities in particular depend on how effectively this information is used by doctors, managers, and governing bodies. Therefore, the need to use large, and at the same time constantly growing, volumes of information when solving diagnostic, therapeutic, statistical, management and other problems determines today the creation of information systems in medical institutions.
The modern period of development of society is characterized by a strong influence on it of computer technologies, which penetrate into all spheres of human activity, ensure the dissemination of information flows in society, forming a global information space. They very quickly turned into a vital stimulus for the development of not only the world economy, but also other areas of human activity. It is difficult to find an area in which information technology is not currently used. The leading areas for the implementation of computer technology are architecture, mechanical engineering, education, banking and, of course, medicine.
The computer is increasingly used in the field of healthcare, which can be very convenient and sometimes simply necessary. Thanks to this, medicine, including alternative medicine, is acquiring completely new features today. In many medical studies, it is simply impossible to do without a computer and special software for it. This process is accompanied by significant changes in medical theory and practice associated with adjustments to the training of medical workers.
The life path of every person, to one degree or another, intersects with the doctors to whom we entrust our health and life. But the image of a medical worker and medicine in general has recently undergone strong changes, and this is largely due to the development of information technology.
The relevance of the development of information technologies is emphasized by President D.A. Medvedev at the meeting of the Presidium of the State Council “On the implementation of the Strategy for the Development of the Information Society in Russian Federation”, held on July 17, 2008: “...At our presidium meetings we always consider the most pressing issues of the development of our country. These include the issue of developing the information society in the Russian Federation. I won’t say platitudes; it is obvious that in the 21st century the main focus is on the development of information and communication technologies. That says it all..."
Also, for the first time, issues of informatization were highlighted in the project “Concept for the development of the healthcare system in the Russian Federation until 2020.” in sections of the draft Concept 2.7. and 4.2.8 “Informatization of healthcare”.
Moreover, it becomes obvious that the health, and therefore the prosperity of the entire nation, will depend on the effectiveness of the implementation of information technologies in medicine in the near future.

1. Information technologies in medicine.

Personal computers in medical practice

1.2. Brief information about IT in medicine
Information technology (IT) is an ordered set of methods and techniques for collecting, processing, accumulating, storing, searching for distribution, protecting and consuming information carried out in the process of management activities.
Modern IT widely uses computers, computer networks and all kinds of software in the management process. The purpose of introducing information technologies is to create information systems (IS) for analysis and making management decisions based on them. Information technology includes two factors - machine and human. The specific embodiment of information technology is mainly automated systems, and only in this case is it customary to talk about computer technology. Modern information technologies are characterized by the following capabilities:

end-to-end information support at all stages of information flow based on integrated databases providing a single unified presentation form, storage, search, display, recovery and data protection;
paperless document processing;
possibilities collaboration based on network technology, united by means of communication;
the possibility of adaptive restructuring of forms and methods of presenting information in the process of solving a problem.

1.3. Computed tomography
A method for studying the state of the human body, in which sequential, very frequent measurements of thin layers of internal organs are made. This data is recorded in a computer, which uses it to construct a complete three-dimensional image. The physical basis of measurements is varied: X-ray, magnetic, ultrasonic, nuclear, etc.
A set of devices that provide measurements, scanning, and a computer that creates a complete picture is called a tomograph (see figure).
Tomography is one of the main examples of the introduction of new information technologies in medicine. Creating this method without powerful computers it would be impossible.

1.4. Use of computers in medical laboratory research
When using a computer in laboratory medical research, a certain diagnostic algorithm is included in the program. A database of diseases is created, where each disease corresponds to certain symptoms or syndromes. During the testing process, using an algorithm, a person is asked questions. Based on his answers, symptoms (syndromes) that best correspond to the group of diseases are selected. At the end of the test, this group of diseases is given with a percentage indication - how likely this disease is for a given test taker. The higher the percentage, the higher the likelihood of this disease. Now attempts are being made to create a system (algorithm) that would produce not several, but one diagnosis. But all this is still at the development and testing stage. In general, today more than 200 computer expert systems have been created in the world.

1.5.Computer fluorography
The software for digital fluorography units, developed at the Research and Production Center for Medical Radiology, contains three main components: a complex control module, a module for recording and processing X-ray images, including a block for creating a formalized protocol, and an information storage module, containing a block for transmitting information over a distance. This software structure allows you to use it to obtain an image, process it, save it on various media and print hard copies.
A special feature of this software product is that it fully meets the requirements for solving the problem of preventive studies of lungs in the population. The presence of a program block for filling out and storing a research protocol in the form of a standardized form creates the possibility of automating data analysis with the issuance of diagnostic recommendations, as well as automated calculation of various statistical indicators, which is very important given the significant increase in the number of pulmonary diseases in various regions of the country. The software provides the ability to transfer images and protocols using modern communication systems (including INTERNET) for the purpose of diagnostic consultations complex cases in specialized institutions. Based on this experience, it was possible to formulate the basic requirements for the organization and hardware and software of a digital fluorography service, which are reflected in the draft Guidelines for organizing mass chest examinations using a digital X-ray unit, prepared with the participation of specialists from the Scientific and Practical Center for Medical Radiology. The developed software can be used not only for fluorography, but is also suitable for other pulmonological applications

1.6. Medical information technologies: opportunities and prospects
The medical information system of the Pavlodar region is designed to improve the quality and accessibility of medical services. The use of new information technologies in modern medical centers will make it easy to keep a complete record of all services provided, tests taken, and prescriptions written. Also, when automating a medical institution, electronic outpatient cards and medical histories are filled out, reports are compiled and medical statistics are maintained. Automation of medical institutions is the creation of a unified information space for health care facilities, which, in turn, allows you to create automated workplaces for doctors, organize the work of the medical statistics department, create databases, maintain electronic medical records and combine into a single whole all medical, diagnostic, administrative, economic and financial processes. The use of information technology in the work of clinics or hospitals significantly simplifies a number of work processes and increases their efficiency in providing medical care to residents of our region.

2 Medical information systems and local information networks

Creation of a unified information space;
Monitoring and management of the quality of medical care;
Increasing the transparency of the activities of medical institutions and the effectiveness of management decisions;
Analysis of economic aspects of medical care;
Reducing the time required for examination and treatment of patients;
The introduction of MIS has a positive effect on all participants in the healthcare system.

Benefits for the patient:

Treatment efficiency:
the doctor has more time to work with patients by reducing “paperwork”;
the efficiency of obtaining diagnostic data increases the speed of prescription and the effectiveness of appropriate treatment;
accumulation of patient data for any number of years with the ability to view his previous medical records;
reducing the risk of losing patient information;
Minimizing time spent:
the ability to create an optimal schedule of patient visits to diagnostic and treatment rooms in a minimum period of time;
lack of queues at treatment and diagnostic rooms;
quick receipt of examination results and discharge summary in printed or electronic form;
Benefits for the attending physician:
Treatment efficiency:
the ability to view previous patient records;
the ability to obtain information from the enterprise’s pharmacy warehouse about the availability of medicines;
availability of any information from the medical history in real time
Minimizing time spent:
reduction of redundant manual labor costs for rewriting the same data;
facilitating the search for reference data and working with reference literature;
automatic encoding of diagnoses using ICD-10 codes;
using templates (frequently used phrases) when filling out a medical history;
automated receipt of discharge summary;
For the Department and Ministry of Health:
comparison of the activities of various healthcare institutions based on data coming from various regions of the Russian Federation;
timely adoption of important strategic and tactical decisions based on the analysis of real-time data;

2.1. MIS levels

According to employees of the American Institute of Medical Records (Medical Records Institute, USA), in fact, 5 different levels of computerization for MIS can be distinguished.
The FIRST level of MIS is automated medical records. This level is characterized by the fact that only about 50% of the patient’s information is entered into the computer system and is issued to its users in various forms in the form of reports. In other words, such a computer system is a kind of automated environment around the “paper” technology for patient management. Such automated systems usually cover patient registration, discharge, intra-hospital transfers, entering diagnostic information, appointments, operations, financial issues, run parallel to “paperwork” and serve primarily for various types of reporting.
The SECOND level of the MIS is the Computerized Medical Record System. At this level of MIS development, those medical documents that were not previously entered into electronic memory (primarily we are talking about information from diagnostic devices received in the form of various types of printouts, scanograms, topograms, etc.) are indexed, scanned and stored in electronic systems. image storage (usually on magneto-optical storage devices). The successful implementation of such MIS began almost only in 1993.
The THIRD level of MIS development is the introduction of electronic medical records (Electronic Medical Records). In this case, the medical institution must develop an appropriate infrastructure for entering, processing and storing information from its workplaces. Users must be identified by the system and given access rights appropriate to their status. The structure of electronic medical records is determined by computer processing capabilities. At the third level of MIS development, an electronic medical record can already play an active role in the decision-making process and integration with expert systems, for example, when making a diagnosis, choosing medications taking into account the patient’s current somatic and allergic status, etc.
At the FOURTH level of MIS development, which the authors called electronic medical record systems (Electronic Patient Record Systems or, according to other sources, Computer-based Patient Record Systems), patient records have many more sources of information. They contain all the relevant medical information about a particular patient, the sources of which can be either one or several medical institutions. For this level of development, a national or international system for identifying patients, a unified system of terminology, information structure, coding, etc. are necessary.
The FIFTH level of MIS development is called the Electronic Health Record. It differs from an electronic patient record system in that there are virtually unlimited sources of information about a patient's health. Information appears from the areas of alternative medicine, behavioral activities (smoking, playing sports, using diets, etc.).
Currently, the first, second or third level of MIS development has been implemented in different regions. The next level may have been achieved in small regions by 2010, but overall it is likely that it will not be introduced into the health system until the economic situation stabilizes.

3 Brief history about IT
3.1. Hindsight: Examples of MIS

To better understand the state of affairs today, it is necessary to look back in history. The style of the past was to design any system by thinking of it as a sequence of operations that achieved a predetermined goal reflecting overall health care utility. It was supposed to provide solutions to a certain range of problems. Here are some of the examples of MIS of the cybernetic era, when the desire to manage systems rather than intelligent information processing dominated in the ideas of developers and customers.
The first attempts were made to use IS to manage a hospital, or more precisely, to process data to “detect diseases, make decisions on admission, for inpatient monitoring and treatment, discharge from the clinic, and post-discharge monitoring.” The hardware platform for such systems was based on computers of the Minsk 22/23/32 and EC 1020/30/40 type. Communication between hospitals and government agencies was provided by data transmission equipment such as the Ob or subscriber telegraph.
In the USA, even then, the Kaiser MIS was constantly operating with a computer center in Oakland, serving 1.5 million patients, 51 clinics and two hospitals. 2 thousand doctors and 13 thousand medical staff had access to it. It included several subsystems: accelerated mass survey of the population with automatic processing data and results output (20 stations, each of which served one person per minute); processing data related to patient admission; collecting diagnostic results, doctors’ orders and reports on the condition of patients, etc. (50 reception and examination points were used); recording the medications used and analyzing their impact on patients (centralized processing of data received from all institutions included in the MIS was carried out); information about new examination methods that increase the efficiency of doctors and free them from filling out documents manually.
In our country, such work was carried out by the automated control system of the USSR Ministry of Health. At first the M-222 computer was used, and then it was replaced by a more powerful ES computer. The main information resource for all accounting MIS was data from card No. 261, practically a state standard for various services of the Ministry of Health and other institutions.
MIS based on the M-220 computer were also created and operated for diagnosing various diseases. For example, at the Institute of Surgery named after. A.V. Vishnevsky, the attending physician, using such a system, could assess the patient’s condition after surgery and possible complications. At the Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery named after. A.N. Bakulev’s own diagnostic and monitoring MIS on the Minsk-23 computer made it possible to analyze body parameters and conditions of artificial circulation during open-heart surgery and great vessels.
In the USA in the 50s, developments were carried out in the field of information systems for medicine as part of the MedNet project. In the USSR, at the same time, organizations of the Ministry of Health carried out developments in the field of automation of systems for storing diagnostic data on narcology and psychology. Since 1965, differences have emerged in the directions of development of information systems for medicine. In the United States, in connection with the development of the health insurance system and the government-approved MediCare program, joint information and telecommunication systems began to intensively develop, which gave rise to the term telemedicine. In the USSR, there was a different medical care system, and the intensive development of telemedicine was not relevant in the practical sphere of healthcare. However, since 1992, the term telemedicine began to be filled with content in Russia.
In the USA, the cost of creating and modernizing medical information systems is about 8.5 billion dollars per year. Capacity domestic market medical information systems is $20 million. USA.

3.2. Modern ideas about MIS

It is advisable to consider the functional features of healthcare as a system based on ideas about MIS. In Russia, healthcare still exists at the traditional organizational level, as an administrative system, and all attempts to create an IS based on it are fragmented, which reflects not only the fundamental difficulties of integration solutions, but also, above all, the enormity of its physical dimensions, as well as the required volumes of all kinds of funds for other implementations that seriously change the organizational structure.
The first attempts to create an industrial automated control system, as described above, were made by the USSR Ministry of Health. To date, many narrow-profile MIS have appeared that implement individual structural and functional needs of healthcare and, even more broadly, medicine. These include various types of systems for medical institutions, such as a district hospital, pharmacy, etc.
Recently, national and international MIS integration projects have begun to appear, for example on telemedicine in the countries of the European Union and in Russia. This is due to the fact that, on the one hand, the world community implements the principle of equal opportunities for citizens, including in the field of healthcare, and on the other hand, the level of IT development, achievements of science and technology make it possible not only to realistically assess financial and organizational problems of creating such MIS, but also to begin their implementation.
At the same time, existing and projected MIS mainly perform individual functions of an information system - from a number of workstations to help organize information services to the accounting information system of a medical institution or the most important processes related to healthcare (for example, information support for postoperative patients or maintaining medical statistics).
etc.............

In the context of the development of modern society, information technologies penetrate deeply into people's lives. They very quickly turned into a vital stimulus for the development of not only the world economy, but also other areas of human activity. Nowadays it is difficult to find an area that does not use information technology.

Every year, information technology is becoming more and more firmly established in all areas of activity (from the auto business to construction). Rapidly accelerating in recent decades, progress against the backdrop of the widespread introduction of computer information technologies (IT technologies) has also covered medicine. Today, information systems in medicine are used more and more widely: when creating a serious clinic, it is no longer possible to do without an IT component. Their implementation in the practice of commercial clinics and medical centers is especially relevant, because in addition to the benefits for medical staff and patients, information systems are beneficial from a purely economic point of view.

And it is no coincidence that when intending to finance medical institutions or even their networks, investors first of all include in the investment budget the equipment of clinics with modern IT systems. Information technologies used in medical clinics and centers provide the following advantages:

· Make the work of medical personnel more efficient and convenient.

· Allows you to save significant money.

Therefore, the study of this topic is relevant.

Computers have been used in medicine for a long time. Many modern diagnostic methods are based on computer technology. Examination methods such as ultrasound or computed tomography are generally unthinkable without a computer. But computers are increasingly invading “older” methods of examination and diagnosis. Cardiogram and blood tests, examination of the fundus and the condition of the teeth... - it is now difficult to find an area of ​​medicine in which computers are not used more and more actively.

But the use of computers in medicine is no longer limited to diagnostics. They are increasingly beginning to be used in the treatment of various diseases - from drawing up an optimal treatment plan to controlling various medical equipment during procedures.

In addition, computers now help sick people in everyday life. A huge number of devices designed for sick and infirm people that are controlled by computers have already been created.

New employees have appeared in British hospitals - robots that can perform not only simple actions, but also perform surgical operations. At St. Mary's Hospital in London, Remote Presence (RP6) Robots will “look after” patients. Hospital staff named the machines "Nurse Mary" and "Dr. Robbie." With their help, doctors will be able to not only monitor the condition of patients from anywhere in the world, but also conduct video conferences.

A doctor located, for example, in another country will control the robot using a joystick and a wireless network. By directing the electronic assistant to the bed, the doctor will have the opportunity to see the patient, talk to him, view test results and x-rays. And all this time the patient will see the doctor’s face on the LCD display that the robot is equipped with. Of course, new devices will not completely replace doctors. But the clinic’s medical staff believes that robots will solve a pressing problem - very often highly qualified doctors simply need to be present in several places at the same time, which is physically impossible. Now specialists will monitor the health of patients, regardless of the distances separating them.

At another London hospital, Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, technicians are given much more responsible responsibilities. There, the da Vinci medical robot performed surgery to remove a kidney from a living donor. A fifty-five-year-old resident of Rochester decided to save her fiancé and, by sacrificing a kidney, gave him a chance to live in this world. This complex operation was performed for the first time in the UK using an electronic surgeon. Naturally, without

There was no human involvement - the robot was controlled from a special console by a flesh-and-blood doctor. Only one minute passed from the moment the da Vinci manipulators entered the donor’s body until the kidney was collected. All the rest of the work - organ transplantation to the recipient - was carried out by a team of surgeons.

The operation took the da Vinci robot to a new level, because previously it was used only for reconstructive surgery on the heart and removal of pathologically altered organs.

Today in Russia there is a computer in every dental clinic. Most often, he works as an assistant accountant, and does not serve to automate the office work of the entire dental clinic

The second group of programs are systems for working with dental video cameras. They allow you to record in detail the condition of groups or specifically selected teeth “before” and “after” the treatment. Such programs common in Russia include: Vem Image, Acu Cam, Vista Cam, Telecam DMD. The disadvantages are the same as

The next group is dental clinic management systems. There are quite a lot of such programs. They are used in Voronezh, Moscow, St. Petersburg and even in Belgorod. One of

The disadvantage is their vulnerability to unauthorized access to information.

Electronic document management modernizes the exchange of information within a dental clinic. Varying degrees of access for doctors and patients, the mandatory use of an encryption system for encoding diagnoses, examination results, therapeutic, surgical, orthodontic and other procedures makes it possible to reliably protect any information.

What is the importance of computers in medicine? How computer technology can be used in the medical field? Read this article to find the answers.

Computers play a key role in almost every area of ​​life. They facilitate the storage of huge amounts of data and allow you to quickly process information, and they also have built-in intelligence, which, in combination with human intelligence, can work wonders. Because of their intelligence and speed, computers operate at a level close to that of the human brain. Therefore, they can be used in various fields such as mechanical engineering, information processing and storage, planning and scheduling, network equipment, education, and health and medicine.

Computers in the medical field

From efficient data storage and easy access and sharing information, to conducting medical tests and simulating complex surgical procedures, computers play an important role in the medical field.

They can be divided into four main categories which include:

• Data storage
• Surgical procedures
• Diagnostic tests
• Knowledge sharing

As in any other field, the importance of computer technology in medicine cannot be ignored.

• Computers are an excellent tool for storing patient-related data. Hospitals use computer systems to support the patient.
• It is often necessary to keep detailed records of patients' medical records. Doctors often require information about the patient, family history, physical ailments in the family (if any), with an already established diagnosis of the disease and prescribed medications. This information may be stored in a computer database.
• Computers can track prescriptions and payment information. They can be used to store information about medications prescribed to a patient, as well as information about medications that cannot be prescribed to him/her (to which the patient is allergic).
• Computers provide efficient storage of vast amounts of medical data. Medicine has a wide range of information base. The computer can serve as the best means storing this information.
• Medical journals, research and diagnostic documents, important medical documents and reference books are best stored in electronic format.

• Computer software used to diagnose diseases. It can be used to examine the internal organs of the body. Advanced computer systems are used to study the body's organs.
• Some complex operations can be performed using a computer. Computer-assisted surgery is a rapidly developing field of medicine that combines medical expertise with computer intelligence to provide faster and more accurate results in surgical procedures. The robot-assisted surgical system creates a model of the patient, then analyzes it before surgery. The surgical procedure is simulated on virtual image sick.
• The operations can be performed by a surgical robot programmed as a medical professional or the robot can only assist the doctors while they perform the operations.
• In both cases, computer intelligence is used, thereby emphasizing the importance of the use of computers in medicine.

• Various types of monitoring equipment in hospitals are often based on computer programming.
• Medical imaging examines techniques for creating images of the human body for medical purposes. Many of modern methods scanning and image processing are largely based on computer technology. We have managed to implement a number of the latest methods medical imaging, thanks to advances in computer science.
• Magnetic resonance imaging uses computer software. Computed tomography allows the use digital methods geometry processing to produce 3-D images. Advanced computers and infrared cameras are used to obtain images from high resolution. Computers are widely used to create 3-D images.
• Many modern medical equipment have small, programmed computers. Many medical devices today operate on programmed instructions. The circuitry and logic in most medical equipment is essentially a computer.
• The functioning of the hospital - emergency and personal alarm systems, X-ray machines and many other medical devices are based on computer logic.

The importance of computers cannot be emphasized enough. Computers have given a new dimension to every field and medicine is no exception.

Nowadays, a computer is an integral part of human life and is used in various industries, including medicine.

Medicine is one of the most complex sciences, and in many cases, even the best highly qualified specialist can find it difficult to make a correct diagnosis of a patient.

In such cases computer help significantly facilitates the doctor’s work, because the results of patient examinations, which are transmitted to the computer, are instantly processed to identify abnormal analysis results, and after some time they can be obtained full information about the probable diagnosis. Undoubtedly, the last word always remains with the doctor, but the help of a computer greatly helps speed up the process of making the right decision, on which the health, and sometimes even the life of the patient, very often depends.

Health workers in modern practice of all medical institutions have long ago switched to working with computers, abandoning paperwork. The computer stores all the necessary information about the medical history of all patients, which allows doctors to devote more time and attention to patients, and not “dragging” with papers. In addition, modern computer technologies help doctors quickly and efficiently conduct preventive examinations. Thus, for example, medical device cat scanner is one of the most painless and exact ways study of human internal organs.

These are just a few specific examples of the use of computers in medicine, but if you dig deeper, you can see that the involvement computer equipment plays an extremely important role in medical research. With the help of computers, it is possible to study the various effects of impacts on important parts of the human skeleton, such as the spine and skull, in car accidents.

Thanks to human medical databases, medical professionals can always stay up to date with current scientific advances. Today computer networks are widely used to exchange information about donor organs needed by critically ill patients awaiting transplantation.

In addition to all the above benefits of using computers in medicine, they are also an ideal tool for the purpose of training healthcare professionals. In this case, computers “play the role of a sick patient,” and based on the symptoms given to them, the assistant needs to make a diagnosis and also prescribe appropriate treatment. If there is a student error, the computer will instantly display it and indicate the source of the deviation.

Today, epidemiological services cannot do without computers, which are used by computers to create epidemiological maps that allow monitoring the direction and speed of spread of epidemics.

We can talk for a long time about the benefits of computers in medicine, but the conclusion of a computer will never be able to compare with the basic decision that a person makes.

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