Computer

Applications in
Health Care
Computers are EVERYWHERE

• Doctors use computers to record progress notes.

• Nurses use computers to transmit orders to other
departments and in patient care
• Pharmacists use computers to order medication
and view a patient profile.
• For the most part, ALL HEALTHCARE
WORKERS use computers.
 2. Information Systems
• Accounting – saves time and money
• Scheduling – appointments
• Monitoring – blood pressure, heartbeat
• Databases
– A database is an organized collection of
information
– Information entered in areas called fields
– Extensive use of databases in biotech
 3. Confidentiality
• Confidentiality of
patient information
must be
strictly enforced.
• Access codes and passwords are used.
• Only authorized workers have access to patient
information.
• Confidentiality- the principle in medical ethics that the
information a patient reveals to a health care provider
is private and has limits on how and when it can be
disclosed to a third party.
 4. Medical Laboratory
• Computers used to
analyze DNA
– Blood
– Urine
• Used to test for disease
and genetic disorders
• Can run as many as
500 specimens per
hour
 5. Electrocardiogram (EKG or
ECG)
• Computer provides a printout
of electrical activity of patient’s
heart
• Computer can also “read” the EKG – tell the
reader what the EKG means. This used to be
done by the doctor.
• An EKG can be done at a remote location
and sent to a doctor thousands of miles
away.
5. Echocardiogram

• Computer directs sound

waves into the heart, then
converts the reflection of the
waves into an image of the
heart.
• Used to reveal heart problems
– valve problems,
– defects in the heart wall, etc.
6. Computerized Tomography (CT)

• It’s a computerized body scanner

• Shows cross-section views
• Allows us to see bone and body tissues
• Helps us find tumors
 7. Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI)

• It’s a body scanner that uses nuclear

magnets instead of x-rays
• Patient is placed in a large, circular
magnet that measures the activity of
hydrogen ions and converts it to a picture
• Can see tumors, blood moving through
veins
 8. Ultrasonography
• Uses high frequency sound waves
• Body parts are viewed on a
computer screen and printed on
photo paper
• Used during
pregnancy
 9. Telemedicine
• Includes remote monitoring devices and
video-conferencing
• Used to connect specialists to patients in
remote locations
• Can transmit information from prisons, an
ambulance, and other challenging
locations
• Families can watch the care of high-risk
newborns who are still in the hospital
 10. Bioinformatics
• The use of computers to
store, retrieve, analyze or
predict the composition or
the structure of
biomolecules.
• "Biomolecules" include your
genetic material---nucleic
acids---and the products of
your genes: proteins.
 Human Genome Project
• Computers play an important role in the Human
Genome Project.
• The goals of the Human Genome Project are:
– identify all the approximate 30,000 genes in
human DNA,
– determine the sequences of the 3
billion chemical base pairs that
make up human DNA,
– store this information in databases,
– improve tools for data analysis.
 Computers in Biotech
• IBM is working on a supercomputer called
Blue Gene which may decipher some of
the mystery behind how proteins work.
• “Computational biology," or
"bioinformatics," can collect information
"without having to do the experiment” This
could make it easier to design drugs
because we can make a reasonable
prediction of the structure with a computer.
 Bioinformatics
• Bioinformatics is the term
related to the new field that
merges biology, computer
science, and information
technology to manage and
analyze data, with the
ultimate goal of
understanding and modeling
living systems.
 ADVANTAGES

 Computers are mostly used in every organization. Computer plays

different roles in different fields now a day’s no field is evolving without
the role of computers.
 Computers become a reliable product in every hospital due to its effective
and efficient performance. From open heart surgery to X-Ray’s everything
is made possible so easily only through computers.
 Apart from administration purposes computers are used in performing
surgeries. Laparascopic surgeries is said to be the most common surgery
which can be done only through the help of computers. The medical
experts insert the medical tools and other small equipments attached with
cameras into the patient’s body.
 ADVANTAGES

 High-tech surgery tools and instruments embedded with cameras are used
in surgical process. The operations done by the medical experts are
completely recorded by the computers for future references and also to
avoid complications.
 Computers make their role perfect in all types of clinical image processing
like CT scan X-rays and more accurately.
 The Heart rate, pulse rate, brain readings and other specifications are
monitored and recorded continuously through computers and finally the
medical expert analyze the computer record and provide treatment for the
affected person.
 Always up to date
DISADVANTAGES

 Cost
 One of the biggest drawbacks of adding computers to
hospitals is the cost. Computers cost money, and a large hospital
needs many computers to keep the system running smoothly.
 Creating a network to transfer medical records or keep track
of billing is an additional initial cost. Unlike paper records, which
simply require a few more copies, electronic record keeping
requires constant upkeep of computers, computer software and
other electronic elements, which can cost even more.
 DISADVANTAGE
S
 Lack of Standardization
 From a hospital point of view, one of the biggest disadvantages of
adding computers and electronic records to a hospital is the lack of
standardization through the medical field. Different hospitals use
different shorthand abbreviations or symbols on medical records
than others. Even the codes called out during emergencies don't
always mean the same thing in every hospital. If a medical record is
transferred from another hospital or the system becomes open so
hospitals can share information, the lack of standardization in
hospital notes and records could cause problems when it comes to
a medical professional's understanding of the medical record.
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