BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING:

NURSING INFORMATICS
COURSE MODULE COURSE UNIT WEEK
1 3 3

Computer Hardware

Read course and unit objectives

Read study guide prior to class attendance
Read required learning resources; refer to unit
terminologies for jargons
Proactively participate in classroom discussions
Participate in weekly discussion board (Canvas)
Answer and submit course unit tasks

At the end of this unit, the students are expected to:

Cognitive:
1. Describe a computer system
2. Understand milestones in the history of computers
3. Enumerate key and extended hardware components of a computer system as to:
a. Input Device
b. Process Device
c. Output Device
4. Understand four (4) basic operation of the Central processing Unit (CPU).
5. Describe methods of measuring computer speed and power.
 6. Understand the three (3) classes of computers.

Affective:
1. Instill the concept of group effort during discussion
2. Listen attentively during class discussions
3. Demonstrate tact and respect when challenging other people’s opinions and ideas
4. Accept comments and reactions of classmates on one’s opinions openly and graciously.

Psychomotor:
1. Participate actively during class discussions
2. Confidently express personal opinion and thoughts in front of the class

Saba, V., and McCormick, K. (2006) Essentials of Nursing Informatics 4 th Edition, Overview of
Computers and Nursing, Historical Perspectives of Nursing and Computer (pp 41-51). New York:
McGraw-Hill Companies

Computers

A computer is defined as a machine that is capable of performing a sequence of arithmetic and

logic operations and with the following characteristics:
• It is a machine
• It is electronic
• It is automatic
• It can manipulate data
• It has memory
• It has logic functions

A computer system is capable of performing certain logical operation, provide new time dimension,
has the ability to store and retrieve information, control error and check itself.

On the other hand, it has limitations. A computer is dependent on prepared instructions. It has no
ability to derive meaning from objects and cannot correct wrong instruction supporting the idea
“GIGO” which means “garbage in – garbage out”.
Components of a Computer System

• Hardware - It refers to the tangible parts of a computer

• Software - Refers to any sequence of instruction that make it easier to communicate with
computers. It also pertains to the programs that govern the operation of a computer that
make the hardware productive.
• Peopleware/ Personnel - Refer to the user or people who work with the computer so that it
can be used to find solutions to problems; it indirectly refers to the persons who use the
information generated by the computer. In medical and nursing informatics, it refers to the
members of the healthcare team.

Classes of Computers

• Supercomputer –machines with the capacities beyond large computer systems with the
speed of 100 million instructions per second.
• Mainframes – the largest, fastest and most expensive type of computer for processing,
storing and retrieving data and can access billions of characters of data.
• Microcomputers / Personal Computers – is a digital computer system under the control
of a stored program that uses a microprocessor, a programmable read only memory (ROM)
and random-access memory (RAM).
• Handheld Computers/ PDAs - is a handy computer which can be brought from one place
to another

History of Computers

• First Generation Computers

Modern computing can probably be traced back to the 'Harvard Mk I' and Colossus (both of
1943). Colossus was an electronic computer built in Britain at the end 1943 and designed to
crack the German coding system - Lorenz cipher. The 'Harvard Mk I' was a more general
purpose electro-mechanical programmable computer built at Harvard University with backing
from IBM. These computers were among the first of the 'first generation' computers.

First generation computers were normally based around wired circuits containing vacuum
valves and used punched cards as the main (non-volatile) storage medium. Another general
purpose computer of this era was 'ENIAC' (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer)
which was completed in 1946. It was typical of first generation computers, it weighed 30 tonnes
contained 18,000 electronic valves and consumed around 25KW of electrical power. It was,
however, capable of an amazing 100,000 calculations a second.
• Second Generation Computers

The next major step in the history of computing was the invention of the transistor in 1947. This
replaced the inefficient valves with a much smaller and more reliable component.
Transistorised computers are normally referred to as 'Second Generation' and dominated the
late 1950s and early 1960s. Despite using transistors and printed circuits these computers
were still bulky and strictly the domain of Universities and governments.

• Third Generation Computers

The explosion in the use of computers began with 'Third Generation' computers. These relied
Jack St. Claire Kilby's invention - the integrated circuit or microchip; the first integrated circuit
was produced in September 1958 but computers using them didn't begin to appear until 1963.
While large ‘mainframes' such as the I.B.M. 360 increased storage and processing capabilities
further, the integrated circuit allowed the development of Minicomputers that began to bring
computing into many smaller businesses. Large scale integration of circuits led to the
development of very small processing units, an early example of this is the processor used for
analyzing flight data in the US Navy's F14A `TomCat' fighter jet. This processor was developed
by Steve Geller, Ray Holt and a team from AiResearch and American Microsystems.

• Fourth Generation Computers (Modern)

On November 15th, 1971, Intel released the world's first commercial microprocessor, the 4004.
Fourth generation computers were developed, using a microprocessor to locate much of the
computer's processing abilities on a single (small) chip. Coupled with one of Intel's inventions -
the RAM chip (Kilobits of memory on a single chip) - the microprocessor allowed fourth
generation computers to be even smaller and faster than ever before. The 4004 was only
capable of 60,000 instructions per second, but later processors (such as the 8086 that all of
Intel's processors for the IBM PC and compatibles are based) brought ever increasing speed
and power to the computers. Supercomputers of the era were immensely powerful, like the
Cray-1 which could calculate 150 million floating point operations per second. The
microprocessor allowed the development of microcomputers, personal computers that were
small and cheap enough to be available to ordinary people. The first personal computer was
the MITS Altair 8800, released at the end of 1974, but it was followed by computers such as the
Apple I and II, Commodore PET and eventually the original IBM PC in 1981.

Although processing power and storage capacities have increased beyond all recognition since
the 1970s the underlying technology of LSI (large scale integration) or VLSI (very large scale
integration) microchips has remained basically the same, so it is widely regarded that most of
today's computers still belong to the fourth generation.
Computer Hardware

Definition of Computer Hardware

The computer hardware is defined as all of the physical components (objective) of the machine
itself. The basic hardware of the computer includes the electronic circuits, microchips, processors
and the motherboard itself encased in the Central Processing Unit (CPU) box.

In addition, hardware typically includes devices that are peripheral to the main computer box such
as input and output device including keyboard, mouse, printer, fax and storage components such
as hard drives. The group of required and optional hardware items that are linked together to
make up a computer system is called configuration.

Computer hardware advances during the late 1990s have made possible many changes to the
healthcare industry. The first operations to be modified were special administrative functions such
as finance, payroll and nurse staffing and scheduling reports. Later, the computer allowed fantastic
changes in the practice of radiology and imaging, allowing noninvasive visualization of the human
body. Computers are now pervasive throughout the healthcare industry.

Fundamentals of Computer Hardware

The box of any computer contains a motherboard. It is a thin, flat sheet made of a firm, non-
conducting material on which the internal components of the computer are mounted. It has holes or
perforation through which components can be affixed. The specific design of the components is
called the computer architecture.

Fundamentals of Computer Hardware

A computer has four basic components, although most have many add-on components. At its
most basic, a computer must consist of a CPU, input and output controllers and storage media.
Examples of basic components are as follows:

• Central Processing Unit

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is considered the brain of the computer that primarily
consists of the following:

Arithmetic & Logic Unit

Memory Unit Register

Control Unit
• Arithmetic and Logic Unit
Controls mathematical function such as addition and subtraction and functions of the test logic
(Boolean) conditions [e.g. is value x greater, equal to or more than the y value]

• Control Unit
The control unit carries out the machine language functions called fetch, execute, decode and
store.

• Memory
Memory includes the locations of the computer internal or main working storage. It consists of
registers (small number of very high-speed memory locations), RAM, ROM and cache (small
memory storage area holding recently accessed data).

Computer Power

Computers do not process information as words or numbers. They handle information as byte that
is made up of 8 bits. The term bits and bytes refer to how the machine stores information at the
lowest, or “closest to machine registers and memory”, level. The following definitions and
conversions are necessary for the discussion:

• Bit – short for “binary digit” is a unit of data in the binary number system. It means “two”, so
a bit can assume any of two positions. A bit is an on (value of 1) and off (value of 0) switch.
• Byte – a group of 8 bits. Bits are grouped into collection of eight (8), which then functions as
a unit. There are 255 different combinations of 0 and 1 in an 8-character (or 1-byte unit).
Byte conversion table is presented below:

FREQUENCY UNIT CONVERSION

1 Bit 1 Character
1 Byte 8 Bits
1000 Byte 1 Kilobyte
1000 Kilobyte 1 Megabyte
1000 Megabyte 1 Gigabyte

Computer Speed

The basic operations of the CPU are called cycles (fetch, decode, execute and store cycles). It
takes time to the computer to perform these functions. The CPU speed is measured in cycles per
second. For example, the original IBM PC introduced in 1981 had a clock speed of 4.77 MHz (4.77
million cycles per second). Nowadays, PC speeds are timed in billion cycles per second or
gigahertz (GHz).
Computer - a machine that is capable of performing a sequence of arithmetic and logic operations

Hardware - It refers to the tangible parts of a computer

Software - Refers to any sequence of instruction that make it easier to communicate with
computers. It also pertains to the programs that govern the operation of a computer that make the
hardware productive.

Peopleware/ Personnel - Refer to the user or people who work with the computer so that it can be
used to find solutions to problems; it indirectly refers to the persons who use the information
generated by the computer. In medical and nursing informatics, it refers to the members of the
healthcare team.

Intermec Technologies Corp (2008), Glossary of Terms, Retrieved August 29, 2019 from Intermec
Webpage, Website:
http://www.intermec.com/learning/glossary/p.aspx

White, S. (2005), A Brief History of Computing, Retrieved August 29, 2019 from Stephen’s
Webpage, Website: http://trillian.randomstuff.org.uk/~stephen/history

• Write an essay based on the main theme: “Computer Parts: Similar to the Human Body”
consisting of 300-500 words.
• Download a research article from ScienceDirect focusing on a study related to computer
hardware in hospitals

Brady Communications (2008), Glossary, Retrieved August 29, 2019, from Brady
Communications, Website:
http://www.bradycommunications.com/perspectives/glossary.aspx
Intermec Technologies Corp (2008), Glossary of Terms, Retrieved August 29, 2019 from Intermec
Webpage, Website:
http://www.intermec.com/learning/glossary/p.aspx

Mannix, T. (2004), Computer Terms and Email Etiquette, Retrieved August 29, 2019 from
University of Washington Webpage, Website:
http://www.umw.edu/policies/style_guide/computer_terms__email_etiq/default.php

Saba, V., and McCormick, K. (2006) Essentials of Nursing Informatics 4 th Edition, Overview of
Computers and Nursing, Historical Perspectives of Nursing and Computer (pp 41-51). New York:
McGraw-Hill Companies

White, S. (2005), A Brief History of Computing, Retrieved August 29, 2019 from Stephen’s
Webpage, Website: http://trillian.randomstuff.org.uk/~stephen/history