The present article is the second in a series of Background Papers prepared as part of the AAMC's Medical School Objectives Project (MSOP). This report provides information about and insight into U.S. medical schools' use of educational technology in 1998. The authors define educational technology as the use of information ...

Changes in medical practice that limit instruction time and patient availability, the expanding options for diagnosis and management, and advances in technology are contributing to greater use of simulation technology in medical education. Four areas of high-technology simulations currently being used are laparoscopic techniques, which provide surgeons with an opportunity ...

W. J. Kolff's development of the first clinical dialysis device was a remarkable achievement in the absence of any previous extensive laboratory or experimental data. An examination of the four decades before the emergence of dialysis provides a unique occasion to see how science and medical technology evolved relative to ...

Even with the technologic sophistication available in the United States today, effectiveness in dealing with a bioterrorist event is limited. Current surveillance systems may be inadequate to detect attacks. Because the onset of illness after exposure to an agent is delayed, even the time and location of the attack may ...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the development of telemedicine capabilities-application of remote consultation and diagnostic techniques-and to evaluate the feasibility and practicality of such clinical outreach to rural and underserved communities with limited telecommunications infrastructures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In 1992, Mayo Foundation (Rochester, Minn, Jacksonville, Fla, and Scottsdale, Ariz), the National Aeronautics ...

This article outlines the mechanisms involved in specific cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibition as they relate to the safety of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use. New advancements in COX-2 technology appear to improve the safety profile of NSAID therapy. Gastroenterologic issues such as ulcer disease and liver disease as ...

Ultrasonic assisted liposuction is a new and highly advanced technology that uses sound waves to emulsify body fat thereby allowing an efficient removal compared with the mechanical disruption of fat used in traditional liposuction. Safe application requires an exceptionally sophisticated plastic surgical, anesthetic, and operating room team. The media bombards ...

In this paper I first discuss the concept of medical technology. (I thank Knut Arnesen, Arvid Fennefoss, and Aslaug Høye for many informative and educational conversations about problems pertaining to technology). Then, I review some different meanings of the term, and then discuss the relationship between ethics and the scientific ...

W. J. Kolff's development of the first clinical dialysis device was a remarkable achievement in the absence of any previous extensive laboratory or experimental data. An examination of the four decades before the emergence of dialysis provides a unique occasion to see how science and medical technology evolved relative to ...

We previously demonstrated that a combination of cholinesterase (ChE) pre-treatment with an oxime is an effective measure against soman and sarin. We describe here a novel approach for the preparation of covalently linked ChEs which are immobilized to a polyurethane matrix. Such preparation of ChE-sponges enhances the stability and usefulness ...

Maintenance of medical equipment has been changing rapidly in the past few years. It is changing more rapidly in developed countries, but changes are also occurring in developing countries. Some of the changes may permit improved maintenance on the higher technology equipment in developing countries, since they do not require ...

Technology has come to dominate the medical world over the past 100 years. Some of this technology has come from science and some has been imported from the world of business. Some technology exists in the form of physical objects; other technology takes the form of systems and organization. Technology ...

Multimedia technology was once rarely found outside the realm of commercial production studios or in elaborate computer games. However, with the addition of only a few simple accessories, recent advances have made this technology readily available to the podiatric medical practitioner on a desktop office computer. The role that the ...

Laser technology has led to a number of valuable medical treatments, yet its greatest contributions are in the industrial and scientific sectors of health care. This article reviews a variety of applications where the laser tool has been successful in increasing the precision and reliability of industrial processes and medical ...

Data mining has been recently experiencing a boom of interest from researchers and software producers. In medicine, however, its applications are still rather rare. In this paper, we argue that this is primarily due to the requirements of reproducibility of results and diversity of available data mining tools, both of ...

This paper begins with a discussion of the value of privacy, especially for medical records in an age of advancing technology. I then examine three alternative approaches to protection of medical records: reliance on governmental guidelines, the use of corporate self-regulation, and my own third hybrid view on how to ...

A number of examples of what Jöns Jacob Berzelius was later (1835) to call catalysis, have been known from antiquity. One of the most prominent of these, dating from the early eighteenth century, was the action of platinum black on hydrogen observed in 1823 by Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner (1780-1849), Professor ...

A model of medical technology is proposed, containing six different perspectives of its definition: physical, information, knowledge, process, change, and as an enabling and strategic resource. These perspectives are integrated to form an organizational dimension. The contributions of this model to better management of medical technology are described and its ...

OBJECTIVE: To describe assisted reproductive technology (ART) and use of medications during these procedures. DATA SOURCES: Recent clinical literature. STUDY SELECTION: Not applicable. DATA EXTRACTION: Not applicable. DATA SYNTHESIS: ARTs are procedures used in treatment of infertility that involve removal of oocytes and their manipulation outside the woman's uterus. The ...

Turf battles have always existed in radiology although recently, we have observed an increase in their numbers and sometimes in their virulence. The main reasons for this increase include the relative plethora of physicians especially in industrialized areas, and the rapid progress and development of medical technology and minimally invasive ...

In this article the authors recreate an improvisational vignette originally presented at the Third Annual Information Connection in Burlington, Vermont, in January 1998. The vignette illustrates various state-of-the-art decision-support systems for clinical care and their promises and problems in real-world medical practice. The characters are Dr. Alex Grant, a rural ...

Telemedicine, broadly defined as the use of information technology (IT) to deliver medical services over distances, is one proposed solution to problems of accessibility, quality, and costs of medical care. Although telemedicine applications have proliferated in recent years, their diffusion has remained low in terms of the volume of consultations. ...

Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO2) is an important treatment given to various groups of patients exposed to pathologic situations (i.e., carbon monoxide exposure). Since many hyperbaric patients are critically ill and are being treated for life-threatening disorders, it is necessary to monitor various physiologic and biochemical parameters. This is a review of ...

Developing a market strategy is a complex task. Analysts need to identify a diverse range of issues and correctly assess their impact. This article uses political, economic, social and technology analysis to assess the market drivers that are affecting all medical device companies. The wide-ranging implications of the euro are ...

In the near future, the most successful medical practices will have wellness and prevention as their primary objectives of care. Telephoned reminders have proved to be the most effective method of bringing patients in for immunizations, cancer screening, and other preventive measures. Using computer telephony integration (CTI) technology to automate ...

Reproductive technology has made a huge impact on society, exposing many long-standing, unresolved anomalies in our values and traditions. Access to medically assisted reproduction is particularly controversial, raising medical, legal and ethical issues. The 1980s saw increasing demands across several jurisdictions for clear legal rules, the hope being expressed in ...

New medical technology index isn't a crystal ball, but it's almost as good. If you're wondering what your health system needs--a strategic alliance, capital improvements, or a new surgical suite--this new index may be just what the doctor ordered. Find out how it can help you evaluate whether your hospital ...

Regression results show that nearly half of 1960-1993 growth in real per capita medical spending and almost two-thirds of its 1983-1993 growth were due to ever-increasing levels of insurance coverage (the spending portion paid by third parties). Growth in coverage may have played a minor part as well; we would ...

This paper presents a psychological perspective on key issues related to medical vocabularies. There have been rapid advances in the development of computer technology underlying medical information systems. However, in keeping with technological progress, we must also take into account advances in our understanding of human behaviour and learn from ...

Recent developments in medical informatics research have afforded possibilities for great advances in health care delivery. These exciting opportunities also present formidable challenges to the implementation and integration of technologies in the workplace. As in most domains, there is a gulf between technologic artifacts and end users. Since medical practice ...

There are numerous areas of potential liability for the practicing surgeon attempting to upgrade skills and introduce emergent technology into his or her practice. The College understands that graduate medical education in a teaching institution, continuing medical education at our College-sponsored venues, and all other sponsored or co-sponsored educational activities ...

With the advent of picture archival and communication systems (PACS), the importance of design surrounding primary review workstations has become apparent. To help acceptance of filmless medical imaging, workstations must be developed that serve the needs of both radiologists and referring clinicians. This report will discuss integral requirements of workstation ...

Changes in medicine, medical education, and technology have influenced graduate medical education (GME) and have altered many traditional concepts of resident training. Three issues in particular have led to changes. The first is the shortage of time that academic and community physicians have to devote to medical teaching because of ...

Marsupials present a dichotomy in population management; the numbers of many Australian marsupial species have declined due to loss of habitat, competition from introduced herbivores and predation by introduced carnivores, but other species have become locally overabundant in Australia or are introduced pests in New Zealand. The manipulation of reproduction ...

In June 1994 the summit crater of Nyiragongo volcano, located in the Great Lakes region of central Africa, began to fill with new lava, ending nearly 12 years of quiescence. An earlier eruption of the volcano in 1977 had culminated in the catastrophic draining of a lava lake through fissures ...

Since its inception, the world wide web (WWW) has possessed the potential for becoming a 'watershed' medium for conveying complex, structured information across vast temporal and geographical barriers. In 1995, the MedWorld project (http:(/)/medworld.stanford.edu) was created at the Stanford University School of Medicine in an effort to innovate and explore ...

The Economic European Society has stated that Medical Information Technology is one of the fields to be developed within the global Information Society of the future. Medical Information Technology is recognized as a speciality with formal courses in medical schools, and since it is an applicative science, medical doctors are ...

Computer telephony is the technology associated with the electronic transmission of voice, fax, or other information using a computer via the telephone. Medical practices are increasingly under pressure to raise the level of customer service they offer while controlling or cutting expenses. Properly used, interactive voice technology will help a ...

The disposal of low-level radioactive waste (LLRW) entails financial and safety risks not common to most market commodities. This manifests debilitating uncertainty regarding future waste volume and disposal technology performance in the market for waste disposal services. Dealing with the publicly perceived risks of LLRW disposal increases the total cost ...

Geneticization is a broad term referring to several related processes such as a spreading tendency to use a genetic model of disease explanation, a growing influence of genetics in medical practice, and the slow changing of individual and societal attitudes towards reproduction, prevention and control of disease. These processes can ...

Xylene is widely used in medical technology, but there are many concerns about its safety. A 52-year-old woman, employed as a histotechnician, presented with burning, swollen hands. Patch testing and a visit to her place of work confirmed exposure and sensitivity, in the form of contact urticaria, to xylene. The ...

Few kinds of technology have had as broad an impact on the recent affairs of humanity as have information technologies. The appearance and rapid spread in the past several years of innovations such as the Internet's World Wide Web and the emergence of computer networks connecting tens to hundreds of ...

Internet teleconferencing software can be used to hold "virtual" meetings, during which participants around the world can share ideas. A core group of anesthetic medical practitioners, largely consisting of the Society for Advanced Telecommunications in Anesthesia (SATA), has begun to hold regularly scheduled "virtual grand rounds." This paper examines currently ...

Telemedicine or the electronic transmission of medical data has become an even more important part of medical practice with developing technology. How to best use this technology to enhance and empower both physician and patient is the challenge. What is there, what is coming, and thoughts regarding how otolaryngologists may ...

PURPOSE: We determined a rational strategy for treatment of patients with retrograde ejaculation in the era of modern assisted reproduction technology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 7 consecutive patients medical treatment or retrieval of spermatozoa from the bladder was performed at a male infertility clinic. RESULTS: Antegrade ejaculation was restored in ...

The disproportionate distribution of financial, educational, social, and medical resources between some rich countries of the northern hemisphere and less fortunate societies creates a moral challenge of global dimension. The development of new forms of highly advanced medical technologies, including neoorgans and xenografts, as well as the promotion of health ...

Predetermination of sex in human and in farm animals is reviewed. Preconceptional sex selection has generated great interest and controversy over the years. Medical and commercial benefits outweigh the ethical issues. Technology has not yet provided a routine method for separating the X- and Y-chromosome-bearing sperm. Flow cytometry is the ...

Modern surgeons have at their disposal a vast array of advanced technological data dissemination devices. The ring of high resolution monitors circling the typical operating area to display pre-operative and real-time patient data is esteemly supportive. The drawback, however, is that such displays require the surgeons to frequently shift their ...

OBJECTIVE: Telemedicine technology has the ability to project highly specialized medical and dental expertise anywhere in the world. This is particularly important to many small, isolated communities that do not have access to medical and dental specialists. Telemedicine also has the potential to reduce unnecessary travel, time away from work, ...

Telemedicine is the use of communication technologies to deliver health care. Telesurgical telementoring represents an advanced form of telemedicine, whereby an experienced surgeon can guide and teach practicing surgeons new operative techniques utilizing current video technology, medical robots, and high-band-width telecommunications. This technology can potentially enhance surgeons' education, increase patients' ...