This is an experimental study on the feasibility of maintaining medical concept dictionaries in production grade relational database management systems (RDBMS.) In the past, RDBMS did not support transitive relational structures and had therefore been unsuitable for managing knowledge bases. The revised SQL-99 standard, however, may change this. In this ...

The PACS system built and used in hospitals nowadays has quite significant overload on its central server because of both treatment of very large data and full management of medical images. We suggest a distributed communication and management methodology using PC to PC multicasting strategy for efficient management of medical ...

Healthcare managers are making quicker, riskier decisions in an increasingly competitive and regulated environment. Questions have been raised regarding the accountability and performance of boards of these organizations, as board members are not always selected based on their competencies to guide such decisions. Adapting mission and strategy and monitoring organizational ...

This article presents a case study describing the development, structure and operation of a comprehensive system for managing conflicts in a Norwegian city hospital. This was done in an effort to further develop the dispute mechanisms available in the hospital and to strengthen the management skills of clinical leaders and ...

Nephrology divisions work within the systems and constraints of a department of medicine in a college of medicine, and in an increasing number of cases, also within a larger health care delivery system. Key to the division's stability are a consistently applied practice pan, how the tenure and clinical track ...

The effects of transgenic herbicide-resistant soybean varieties and their corresponding weed management strategies on canopy insects were examined in studies at two locations in Iowa in 1997 and 1998. Weed management systems that allowed more weed escapes typically had higher insect population densities. However, systems with fewer weeds seemingly were ...

This article provides an introduction to bibliographic software products, common uses for bibliographic software, and some suggestions on how to choose the right software product. The focus of this article is on software for individual, rather than institutional, use. Bibliographic software is designed to allow information to be catalogued and ...

This paper describes the process of enhancing Trial/DB, a database system for clinical studies management. The system's enhancements have been driven by the need to maximize the effectiveness of developer personnel in supporting numerous and diverse users, of study designers in setting up new studies, and of administrators in managing ...

The tools used to measure outcomes in the 21st century probably will look nothing like the tools used to measure outcomes during the past century. These guideposts (guidelines, information systems, and vocabulary) are only three of the many new tools that will be available to us through technology. The three ...

In response to the information management and technology changes proposed by the Government's NHS modernization initiative this article examines the issues that GPs feel to be of major significance to their work. Although information and communications technology is widely used in general practice there is no one agreed standard system. ...

Over the next few years it will be possible to use advances in single nucleotide polymorphism map technology to correlate information from patients' DNA with their response to medicines. This provides significant opportunities to enhance current drug surveillance systems by collecting data that would enable rare serious adverse events to ...

This is a description of a project at the university of Vxj, where we developed a customisable web portal for forest owners with the goal to provide a web-site where all Swedish forest related web links are available in a structured and reliable way. It is based on a set ...

Operating room (OR) scheduling information systems can decrease perioperative labor costs. Material management information systems can decrease perioperative inventory costs. We used computer simulation to investigate whether using the OR schedule to trigger purchasing of perioperative supplies is likely to further decrease perioperative inventory costs, as compared with using sophisticated, ...

From 1992 to 1995, 0.15% (n=3916) of the bovids (cattle and buffalo) in Sri Lanka were sampled, using a multi-stage sampling procedure. Serum antibodies for Brucella abortus were detected using the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The age, the agroecological zone and the management system practiced in the farms of ...

Dairy farming now needs more records to be kept for quality assurance as well as for management. Herd fertility management is best brought about through the use of computerised records for each animal that integrate fertility, health and production. The development of dairy information systems over the last 25 years ...

Clinical decision support (CDS) systems, with the potential to minimize practice variation and improve patient care, have begun to surface throughout the healthcare industry. This study reviews historic patterns of information technology (IT) in healthcare, analyzes barriers and enabling factors, and draws three lessons. First, the widespread adoption of clinical ...

This article presents the results of information technology management audits conducted by senior executives at ten healthcare organizations. The audits evaluated how well the following seven information technology management responsibilities were carried out: (1) strategic information systems planning; (2) employment of a user focus in system development; (3) recruiting of ...

Formaldehyde is a physiological intermediary metabolite taking part in many biological process in the body. It is a constituent of many items of daily use, including foods. It is also used in medicine for treatment of some conditions. A 40% solution of formaldehyde in water is known as formalin. Formalin ...

/ Environmental regulatory agencies are responsible for protecting human health and the environment in their constituencies. Their responsibilities include the identification, evaluation, and cleanup of contaminated sites. Leaking underground storage tanks (USTs) constitute a major source of subsurface and groundwater contamination. A significant portion of a regulatory body's efforts may ...

A number of ideas, concepts and systems have emerged over the past 50 years, attempting to offer insights into improving the effectiveness of contemporary management. Many of these have become part of the management landscape. With the continuing publication of standards for (among others) quality, environment and safety management of ...

As increasingly powerful informatics systems are designed, developed, and implemented, they inevitably affect larger, more heterogeneous groups of people and more organizational areas. In turn, the major challenges to system success are often more behavioral than technical. Successfully introducing such systems into complex health care organizations requires an effective blend ...

Whether you are acquiring clinical or business information systems, patient monitoring systems, or therapeutic and diagnostic systems, the odds are good that the project will be delivered late, will cost far more than predicted, and will not provide all the features promised. The principal reason for project failure is improper ...

The Java Virtual Machine speci#cation neither mandates garbage collection nor speci#es an automatic storage management system. However, no popular implementations of Java without garbage collection are known.

Current challenges facing picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) center around database design and functionality. Workflow issues and folder manager concepts such as autorouting, prefetching, hanging protocols, and hierarchical storage management are driven by a properly designed database that ultimately directly impacts the clinical utility of a PACS. The key ...

The introduction of a clinical management computer system into a dental practice involves more than selecting and installing a suitable software package. The computer system introduces a new set of dynamics within the dental practice and a new set of demands on the practice staff. Research conducted in South African ...

"The village forest commons in the Kullu District of the Western Himalayas forms an integral part of the local system of land use and land management. Recent development and expansion of the tourism industry and commercial horticulture has resulted in increased pressure on the forests in the area and therefore ...

"In Samoa, an archipelago in the western part of Polynesia, local societies use an array of institutions and management techniques to cope with uncertainties in their environment. Tropical cyclones are highly unpredictable, both on a temporal and spatial scale, and may cause widespread destruction of villages and plantations. Examples of ...

Effective and cost efficient work injury prevention and disability management requires an integrated process that involves a number of components. Each component needs to be linked into a continuum or system. Components by themselves will not provide satisfactory solutions. This article addresses some of the key components that need to ...

Quality management is an ongoing development resulting in consistency products and services and ever increasing customer satisfaction. The ultimum is Total Quality Management. Quality systems and quality management in transfusion medicine have gained considerable attention since the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic. Where product orientation has long been applied through ...

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine user acceptance of a clinical computer system in two pediatric practices in the southeast. Data were gathered through interviews with practice and IS staff, observations in the clinical area, and review of system implementation records. Five months after implementation, Practice A ...

As provider and managed care organizations continue to look for better ways to control costs and improve patient outcomes, disease management programs are getting an increasing share of their attention. One often-over-looked area with significant potential to improve outcomes, reduce costs, and enhance revenues is pain management. It has been ...

Payer organizations, regulatory entities, and delivery networks are placing increasing pressure on physicians to report aggregate information about their patients and practice of medicine. Historically, clinicians have been ill-equipped to respond to these pressures when their practices have relied upon payer records for clinical information management. Key Industry Drivers: Physicians ...

Total Quality Management (TQM) is defined as the management approach of the organization aimed at long-term success through client satisfaction, and which benefits all members of the organization and society (ISO 8402; International Organization for Standardization, 1994a). The objective of the study was to evaluate management methods applied to improve ...

AIM: This paper describes an evaluation methodology that focuses on management decisions at the ward level in a hospital. BACKGROUND: Successive governments in the 1990s have provided considerable funds to introduce decision support systems for ward management, but few have been evaluated rigorously. This paper reviews the approaches to systems' ...

We present the first evaluation results of a knowledge management and decision support system for Type I diabetes patients' care. Such system, meant to help physicians in therapy revision, relies on the integration of Rule Based Reasoning and Case Based Reasoning, and exploits both explicit and implicit knowledge. Reliability was ...

The second in a series of two articles exploring the sustainable management of a controlled ecological life support system (CELSS), this article examines the feasibility of the approach outlined in Part 1 using a simple, abstract CELSS representation comprising buffers and pumps. We develop a two-level management hierarchy in which ...

Recent advances in tools for scientific data acquisition, visualization, and analysis have lead to growing information management problems for medical research laboratories. An exponential increase in the volume of data, combined with a proliferation of heterogeneous formats and autonomous systems, has driven the need for flexible and powerful Experiment Management ...

Most schemes for the accreditation (e.g. United Kingdom Accreditation Service) and certification (e.g. BS EN ISO 9002) of laboratories include a requirement to establish and maintain procedures for the management and control of documents generated internally. Such documents include policy statements, procedures, specifications, and some notices and memoranda. Organisations benefit ...

Most organizations are smarter than they think. It's just that the information is locked in file cabinets, databases and people's heads. Getting that information--and using it--is the hallmark of a top-flight organization. The task is more difficult than you might think. H&HN profiles your knowledge management resources that can help ...

The billing and accounts receivable management process in medical practices today has evolved into a multidisciplinary function. This function requires efficient, coordinated performance by physicians and all staff members, from the point of initial patient contact through aggressive follow-up on delinquent payments for services rendered. Offices with deficient or nonexistent ...

The central nervous system and systemic complications of bacterial meningitis cause significant morbidity and mortality. This article offers insight into the clinical features, pathogenesis, and management of these complications. In many instances, the improved outcome of intervention is based on clinical suspicion and early recognition. The management of complications is ...

Developments in automated chemistry have kept pace with developments in HTS such that hundreds of thousands of new compounds can be rapidly synthesized in the belief that the greater the number and diversity of compounds that can be screened, the more successful HTS will be. The increasing use of automation ...

The traditional techniques of quality improvement, such as just-in-time delivery, can only go so far in dealing with materiel management issues. A further step is necessary: the implementation of systems thinking. This type of thinking focuses on the interconnectedness of all the members that exist throughout the system. This article ...

Although the free exchange of information is a necessary part of patient care, it's important to ensure that data aren't inadvertently shared with the wrong people. To avoid inappropriate disclosure, save patient-specific conversations for private areas, not hospital hallways or elevators. It's also important to take steps to keep case ...

After the heady mid-1990's rush of lower premiums, most managed care systems tumbled into a well of red ink. Those hit especially hard were nonprofit MCOs, which have a limited ability to raise capital compared with their nonprofit competitors. However, Kaiser Permanente has reported its first quarterly surplus since 1997, ...

The telephone system is the pulse of communication in a medical group. As customers demand increased access to their providers, telephone systems and their operators are becoming overloaded. Re-engineering is critical to meet this surging customer demand. This article explores new methods and applications of re-engineering the telephone system by ...

IDSs able to incorporate academic medical centers (AMCs) into their organizations can realize several benefits, including access to a broad spectrum of specialty services and clinical resources that can be used to develop clinical protocols and reduce variations in care delivery practices across the system. Before pursuing such a strategy, ...

We calculate the self-frequency shift experienced by a soliton in a dispersion-managed fiber that is due to the Raman effect, as well as the energy and frequency shifts that result from a collision of such solitons with different wavelengths. We find that dispersion management suppresses both types of frequency shift ...

Due to the lack of a single information system solution that can meet all of the data management requirements of an integrated delivery system (IDS), IDSs must pursue various strategies to ensure that they manage their data as efficiently as possible. An IDS can identify which strategies will work best ...

Three management systems (winter, spring, and late summer) distinguished by season of lambing and management practices were compared for litter size born and weaned and growth and carcass characteristics of lambs. Three sire breeds (Cheviot, Rambouillet, and Suffolk) and three dam breeds (Florida Native, Native-X, and Synthetic-X) were used in ...