A PC-based free text DSS for health care. Case studies and applications

A physician's workstation designed for NASA and earth-based applications

One of the prime missions for NASA is the safety and care of astronauts. In addressing this challenge, a tool has been developed which has great potential for earth-based applications. The multimedia physician's workstation is the result of 13 years of planning and technical revolution in the field of computer science. Today, we have the hardware and the software to make a major change in the office-based practice of physicians. By offering the online features of a medical library as well as a complete multimedia medical record system, we are now in a position to introduce advance decision support technology that can be used on a daily basis for routine outpatient care. The system supports a new platform for patient education and offers the doctor an opportunity to share his expertise with his patient and their family. Although NASA will need several more years before this technology can be applied to a remote space environment, we plan to introduce this system into the doctor's office as an initial test of its feasibility. The basic design and general specifications of this multimedia workstation/office system are described and illustrated as they currently exist.

Diagnostic and treatment support for the NASA space program astronauts

For over 9 years our research unit has been investigating medical databases that would be required to support astronauts on long-term missions. The configuration that has been developed will allow complete separation from earth-based experts and the capability of an on-board stand-alone system for knowledge engineering and medical decision support. Our data processing base of operation has advanced from the early stages on mainframe computers to the now ubiquitous microcomputer. Over this nine-year period we have seen several generations of improvements in every level of technology to the point where we can now package and deliver for space travel a rather broad-based decision support tool for astronauts that can provide the basic needs of medical treatment and diagnostic support which is vital for the proper execution of manned space missions.

Mapping techniques for document processing

An information retrieval system should provide references to the set of documents the user must evaluate in order to satisfy his/her information requirements. A major concern in this evaluation process is whether or not a document meets the user's needs. In many document retrieval systems there is no relevant information regarding the content of the documents. This makes it very difficult to evaluate if a document is relevant to the user's initial query. This suggests the need for a method to compare the documents on a word by word basis. Fully automated methods are too complex and difficult to generalize upon. A semiautomated user driven method for document mapping is described in this paper. It should decrease the amount of time required to validate the information content of a query.

A PC-based free text retrieval system for health care providers. Design and development

The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and development of the Clinical Practice Library of Medicine (CPLM). CPLM is an investigational project aimed at providing health care practitioners with critical in-depth information similar to that obtained from a medical reference library or consultant. When used in conjunction with the physician's knowledge, CPLM can provide valuable diagnostic prompting information to assist in rapidly reaching a suitable diagnosis for timely administration of appropriate treatment. This system may also be used to assist paramedical professionals working in remote areas where other expert medical assistance may not be available.