Internet based ECG medical information system

Efficient thresholding-based ECG compressors for high quality applications using cosine modulated filter banks

The aim of electrocardiogram (ECG) compression is to achieve as much compression as possible while the significant information is preserved in the reconstructed signal. Lossy thresholding-based compressors have shown good performance needing low computational resources. In this work, two compression schemes that include nearly perfect reconstruction cosine modulated filter banks for the signal decomposition are proposed. They are evaluated for highly reliable applications, where the reconstructed signal must be very similar to the original. The whole MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database and suitable metrics are used in the assessment, to obtain representative results. Results show that the proposed compressors yield better performance than discrete wavelet transform-based techniques, when high quality requirements are imposed.

Sensors and Sensor Systems for Psychophysiological Monitoring

Abstract. There are a wide range of sensors for acquiring signals from the human body in noninvasive ways. Some of those in use date back a few decades, and many new technologies have enabled different sensors designs in recent years. This review covers the following classes of sensors: electric, magnetic, electrochemical, mechanical, thermal, and optical. Sensor systems that are portable, safe, and low-cost are now becoming possible. This review provides an overview focussing on the technology behind sensors currently used by psychophysiologists with the objective of illuminating the choices available for acquiring signals that inform us about cognitive processes, emotional states, and behavioural patterns. In previously published encyclopaedic-type reviews of psychophysiology, the focus has been on what is measured, not how it is measured. By focussing on how the sensors and sensor systems work, this review aims to provide users of these technologies with information that will help them decide on the appropriate sensor to use, as well as to facilitate innovation and development of new sensors.

Enterprise imaging and multi-departmental PACS

The aim of this review is to present the status of digital image acquisition and archiving outside of radiology and to describe the technical concepts and possibilities of how a "radiology" Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) can become a multi-departmental (MD-)PACS. First the principles of system integration technology are explained and illustrated by the description of a typical radiology system integration. Then four types of modality integration approaches are defined: the direct modality integration (Type-I), the integration via DICOM acquisition software (Type-II) the integration via specialised systems either with (Type-III) or without PACS connection (Type-IV). The last section is dedicated to the presentation of the PACS requirements of selected interdisciplinary modality types [Endoscopy, Ultrasound and Electrocardiography (ECG)] and clinical disciplines (Pathology, Dermatology, Ophthalmology and Cardiology), which are then compared with the technical possibilities of a MD-PACS.

Knowledge and utilization of Information Technology among health care professionals and students in Ile-Ife, Nigeria: a case study of a university teaching hospital

BACKGROUND

The computer revolution and Information Technology (IT) have transformed modern health care systems in the areas of communication, teaching, storage and retrieval of medical information. These developments have positively impacted patient management and the training and retraining of healthcare providers. Little information is available on the level of training and utilization of IT among health care professionals in developing countries.

OBJECTIVES

To assess the knowledge and utilization pattern of information technology among health care professionals and medical students in a university teaching hospital in Nigeria.

METHODS

Self-structured pretested questionnaires that probe into the knowledge, attitudes and utilization of computers and IT were administered to a randomly selected group of 180 health care professionals and medical students. Descriptive statistics on their knowledge, attitude and utilization patterns were calculated.

RESULTS

A total of 148 participants (82%) responded, which included 60 medical students, 41 medical doctors and 47 health records staff. Their ages ranged between 22 and 54 years. Eighty respondents (54%) reportedly had received some form of computer training while the remaining 68 (46%) had no training. Only 39 respondents (26%) owned a computer while the remaining 109 (74%) had no computer. In spite of this a total of 28 respondents (18.9%) demonstrated a good knowledge of computers while 87 (58.8%) had average knowledge. Only 33 (22.3%) showed poor knowledge. Fifty-nine respondents (39.9%) demonstrated a good attitude and good utilization habits, while in 50 respondents (33.8%) attitude and utilization habits were average and in 39 (26.4%) they were poor. While 25% of students and 27% of doctors had good computer knowledge (P=.006), only 4.3% of the records officers demonstrated a good knowledge. Forty percent of the medical students, 54% of the doctors and 27.7% of the health records officers showed good utilization habits and attitudes (P=.01)

CONCLUSION

Only 26% of the respondents possess a computer, and only a small percentage of the respondents demonstrated good knowledge of computers and IT, hence the suboptimal utilization pattern. The fact that the health records officers by virtue of their profession had better training opportunities did not translate into better knowledge and utilization habits, hence the need for a more structured training, one which would form part of the curriculum. This would likely have more impact on the target population than ad hoc arrangements.