Studies in health technology and informatics
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2006
Developing an interactive approach in teaching medical informatics.
A new masters program in medical informatics is proposed for development at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Timisoara. Given the rapidly changing technology itself and its deployment in biomedical science, the master's program curriculum has to be multidisciplinary, comprehensive and coherent in conveying the concepts, as well as the interdisciplinary character, of medical informatics (MI). ⋯ Two teaching teams of four instructors have been assigned to one of two tracks in our pilot study: traditional instruction or interactive instruction. After one term we have gained important information about how the structural and instructional aspects of the pilot design may influence confidence and attitudes.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2006
Removal of paper-based health records from Norwegian hospitals: effects on clinical workflow.
Several Norwegian hospitals have, plan, or are in the process of removing the paper-based health record from clinical workflow. To assess the impact on usage and satisfaction of electronic health record (EHR) systems, we conducted a survey among physicians, nurses and medical secretaries at selected departments from six Norwegian hospitals. The main feature of the questionnaire is the description of a set of tasks commonly performed at hospitals, and respondents were asked to rate their usage and change of ease compared to previous routines for each tasks. ⋯ Even though the increase in use among clinicians after removing the paper based record were mainly in tasks where respondents had no choice other than use the electronic health record, the attitude towards EHR-systems were mainly positive. Thus, while removing the paper based record has yet to promote new ways of working, we see it as an important step towards the EHR system of tomorrow. Several Norwegian hospitals have shown that it is possible.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2006
The influence of brace on quality of life of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis.
Traditionally, the effectiveness of brace treatment on adolescents with IS is based on curve magnitude and to some extent on vertebral rotation and rib hump. QoL has been introduced in the recent years in order to evaluate the effectiveness of brace treatment. The aim of the study is to determine the influence of brace on quality of life (QoL) of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis (IS). ⋯ The ATI correlated significantly with social functioning (thoracolumbar ATI, p<0.038; lumbar ATI, p<0.035). There were no significant correlations between either Cobb angle or ATI with BrQ overall scores. Cobb angle and ATI significantly influenced school activity and social functioning respectively, but not general health perception, physical functioning, emotional functioning, vitality, bodily pain and self-esteem and aesthetics.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2006
Telemedicine odyssey customised telemedicine solution for rural and remote areas in India.
There is a significant potential for delivering medical services in rural areas of India using Telemedicine methods. However, there is a continuous emphasis on patient privacy, which is usually not a concern in traditional consultation. We at Centre for Development of Advance Computing, Mohali Punjab have developed a customized Telemedicine solution, which overcomes the barrier--technological as well as professional, legal and financial--to Telemedicine. ⋯ Currently, our major project is to deploy Telemedicine sites at various locations in the hilly and remote state of Himachal Pradesh. During these developments, we have faced unavoidable hurdles and tried to overcome them with team effort, perseverance and never give up attitude. This paper will shed light on our journey from scratch to what we have achieved till date.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 2006
Variations of the position of the cerebellar tonsil in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis with severe curves: a MRI study.
This study is an investigation into the position of the cerebellar tonsils in AIS with severe curves and any relationship it has with age, sex, curve severity and curve pattern. Sagittal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of hindbrain was performed on both of 205 AIS patients with a Cobb angle greater than 40 degrees and 86 healthy controls. The position of the cerebellar tonsil relative to the line connecting the basion and opisthion (BO line) was measured. ⋯ However, a significant lower incidence of tonsillar ectopia (p=0.049) was found in patients with lumbar curves when compared to those with thoracic or thoracolumbar curves. In conclusion, there was a relatively lower position of the cerebellar tonsil together with a significant higher incidence of tonsil ectopia in AIS patients. There was a trend that tonsillar ectopia was more often in thoracic or thoraco-lumbar curves, suggesting that a lower position of the cerebellar tonsil may play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of AIS.