Studies in health technology and informatics
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The arterial system can be modelled by means of distributed analogs and by lumped parameter representations, such as the Windkessel. The distributed models, together with biological data, lead to the explanation of arterial function in terms of pressure and flow. The lumped parameter models form the basis of arterial compliance and characteristic impedance estimation. They also make comparison between mammals possible and it could be shown that input impedance, when scaled, is similar in mammals.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 1999
Emergency protocols in prehospital emergency medicine in Slovenia.
Emergency medicine is a branch of medicine in which prompt and accurate information is of crucial importance, because a patient's survival and the final outcome of a treatment very often depends on it. Therefore the standardization of prehospital emergency service administration with uniform documentation, methods of annotation of technical data as well as uniform gathering and data analysis are necessary. ⋯ Firstly when team members, especially physicians, are constrained to fulfill paper forms and secondly when data are entered into the computer, because all inconsistencies are being reconsidered and corrected if necessary. The developed application also gave the opportunity to the emergency team for prompt and accurate information.
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International experiences reveal the important role played by scientific research and systematic study a problems, in effectively tackling change in the health sector. Meta-analysis was introduced to address the problem of synthesizing the large quantity of information on a particular subject. It is viewed, only as a step in the process of developing better tools to quantify information across studies. ⋯ If there are gaps in the funnel shape it indicates that some studies may have not been published or located. In evaluating bias, we use meta-analysis studies about radiotherapy alone versus combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy in stages IIIa and IIIb non-small cell lung cancer. A simple analysis of funnel plots provides useful test for the likely presence of bias in meta-analyses, but as the capacity to detect bias will be limited when meta-analyses are based on a limited number of small trials the results from such analyses should be treated with considerable caution.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 1999
Medical informatics educational tasks seen from practical perspective. Tempus-Phare Project CME-02555-96.
This paper tries to synthesize the discussion of a seminar on medical informatics educational tasks held in May 1998 in Sinaia, Romania, within the frame of the Tempus-Phare Project CME-02555-96 entitled "Know How Transfer from University to Industry" and coordinated by the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, Romania. Special emphasis was paid to particular features of medical education requirements in East European countries, with particular reference to Romania.
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Stud Health Technol Inform · Jan 1999
Knowledge optimization theory and application to point-of-care testing.
Point-of-care testing is defined as testing at or near the site of patient care wherever that medical care is needed. The number and types of tests available at the point of care are increasing dramatically. Point-of-care testing provides test results to the clinical team immediately, usually within a therapeutic turnaround time of five minutes. ⋯ The basis for optimality is improved medical and/or economic outcomes. Results show that point-of-care testing is strongly justified for emergency resuscitations under any circumstances, in critical care, such as the operating room and intensive care unit, and in disease management. Long-range implications are: (1) the point-of-care testing trend will accelerate; (2) viable optimization tools include integrative strategies, clinical algorithms, care paths, and performance maps; (3) attention should be focused on rapid communication and understanding of critical results; and (4) enhanced human interfaces are crucial for efficient medical decision making and efficacious patient therapy.