Mobile computing initiatives within pharmacy education

OBJECTIVES

To identify mobile computing initiatives within pharmacy education, including how devices are obtained, supported, and utilized within the curriculum.

METHODS

An 18-item questionnaire was developed and delivered to academic affairs deans (or closest equivalent) of 98 colleges and schools of pharmacy.

RESULTS

Fifty-four colleges and schools completed the questionnaire for a 55% completion rate. Thirteen of those schools have implemented mobile computing requirements for students. Twenty schools reported they were likely to formally consider implementing a mobile computing initiative within 5 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Numerous models of mobile computing initiatives exist in terms of device obtainment, technical support, infrastructure, and utilization within the curriculum. Responders identified flexibility in teaching and learning as the most positive aspect of the initiatives and computer-aided distraction as the most negative, Numerous factors should be taken into consideration when deciding if and how a mobile computing requirement should be implemented.

ED adds business center to wait area

Providing your patients with Internet access in the waiting area can do wonders for their attitudes and make them much more understanding of long wait times. What's more, it doesn't take a fortune to create a business center. The ED at Florida Hospital Celebration (FL) Health made a world of difference with just a couple of computers and a printer. Have your information technology staff set the computers up to preserve the privacy of your internal computer system, and block out offensive sites. Access to medical sites can help reinforce your patient education efforts.

E-health: determinants, opportunities, challenges and the way forward for countries in the WHO African Region

BACKGROUND

The implementation of the 58th World Health Assembly resolution on e-health will pose a major challenge for the Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region due to lack of information and communications technology (ICT) and mass Internet connectivity, compounded by a paucity of ICT-related knowledge and skills. The key objectives of this article are to: (i) explore the key determinants of personal computers (PCs), telephone mainline and cellular and Internet penetration/connectivity in the African Region; and (ii) to propose actions needed to create an enabling environment for e-health services growth and utilization in the Region.

METHODS

The effects of school enrolment, per capita income and governance variables on the number of PCs, telephone mainlines, cellular phone subscribers and Internet users were estimated using a double-log regression model and cross-sectional data on various Member States in the African Region. The analysis was based on 45 of the 46 countries that comprise the Region. The data were obtained from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) sources.

RESULTS

There were a number of main findings: (i) the adult literacy and total number of Internet users had a statistically significant (at 5% level in a t-distribution test) positive effect on the number of PCs in a country; (ii) the combined school enrolment rate and per capita income had a statistically significant direct effect on the number of telephone mainlines and cellular telephone subscribers; (iii) the regulatory quality had statistically significant negative effect on the number of telephone mainlines; (iv) similarly, the combined school enrolment ratio and the number of telephone mainlines had a statistically significant positive relationship with Internet usage; and (v) there were major inequalities in ICT connectivity between upper-middle, lower-middle and low income countries in the Region. By focusing on the adoption of specific technologies we attempted to interpret correlates in terms of relationships instead of absolute "causals".

CONCLUSION

In order to improve access to health care, especially for the majority of Africans living in remote rural areas, there is need to boost the availability and utilization of e-health services. Thus, universal access to e-health ought to be a vision for all countries in the African Region. Each country ought to develop a road map in a strategic e-health plan that will, over time, enable its citizens to realize that vision.

Representative survey of dental students about the present state of education, PC equipment and configuration requirements for a net-based dental education system

A representative survey of 130 dental students revealed that the necessary conditions for using net-based education systems seem to exist, as 99% of all students have access to a PC, of which most (78%) own one. As most of them use the PC at least several times a week, they seem to be adequately skilled to deal with hard- and software. Internet and emailing are the most commonly used features of the PC after text documentation, therefore it can be inferred that almost all computers have Internet access. The students' requirements for the planned net-based dental education system are case documentation, multimedia documented work-flows, checklists related to workflows, a training tool for prosthetic therapy planning, practical advice and films about dental treatment methods, timetables and discussion fora. The net-based dental education system can support private study but may also be used for seminars in small groups.

Handheld computers in critical care

BACKGROUND

Computing technology has the potential to improve health care management but is often underutilized. Handheld computers are versatile and relatively inexpensive, bringing the benefits of computers to the bedside. We evaluated the role of this technology for managing patient data and accessing medical reference information, in an academic intensive-care unit (ICU).

METHODS

Palm III series handheld devices were given to the ICU team, each installed with medical reference information, schedules, and contact numbers. Users underwent a 1-hour training session introducing the hardware and software. Various patient data management applications were assessed during the study period. Qualitative assessment of the benefits, drawbacks, and suggestions was performed by an independent company, using focus groups. An objective comparison between a paper and electronic handheld textbook was achieved using clinical scenario tests.

RESULTS

During the 6-month study period, the 20 physicians and 6 paramedical staff who used the handheld devices found them convenient and functional but suggested more comprehensive training and improved search facilities. Comparison of the handheld computer with the conventional paper text revealed equivalence. Access to computerized patient information improved communication, particularly with regard to long-stay patients, but changes to the software and the process were suggested.

CONCLUSIONS

The introduction of this technology was well received despite differences in users' familiarity with the devices. Handheld computers have potential in the ICU, but systems need to be developed specifically for the critical-care environment.

Are you Y2K-ready for low vision assistive technology?

The new Millennium brings a new breed of low vision assistive technology--some of it straight out of science fiction--and a surge in patients who can benefit from it.

Requiring students to have computers: questions for consideration

For the past several years a dialogue has been taking place in the offices, lounges, and meeting rooms of medical schools about whether medical students should be required to bring or purchase computers when they enter school. Microcomputers offer educators a unique opportunity to provide students with access to computer-assisted instruction, asynchronous communication, and extensive knowledge bases. However, there is still no evidence attesting to the effectiveness of computers as teaching or learning tools in medical education. The author raises questions that schools need to consider before requiring students to own computers: What kind of computer best suits their needs? What might impede using computers to teach? And who is currently requiring computers? In addressing the last question, the author presents information about 15 North American schools that currently require their students to have computers, reporting each school's software and hardware requirements; how each expects students to use the computers; and who covers the cost of the computers (the students or the school). Finally, he argues that major institutional commitment is needed for computers to be successfully integrated into any medical school curriculum.

Workstations that work

Computerization of patient information is no longer just a nice extra; for the healthcare system of the future, it's a necessity. Hospitals' experience shows that the right type of system can save big money. The trick is to have a system that clinicians really want to use.

Micro-computers: availability to and use by trainees in public health medicine

A survey of the availability to and use of micro-computers by public health medicine trainees was undertaken in February, 1989. Most departments have access to computers and trainees possess computing skills, but almost one in 15 trainees had no access to a micro-computer, and one trainee in eleven had no computing experience while a further one in eight had not progressed beyond word-processing. Departments of Public Health Medicine should review their computing resources and ensure that they are adequate for the challenges of the 1990s.

Survey of equipment in general practice

Partners in general practice have to buy any equipment they want themselves. As a result partners in high investing practices have lower net incomes. Of the 297 practices in Devon and Cornwall, 265 responded to a questionnaire listing 115 possible items of practice equipment. Overall, practices seemed to be fairly well equipped. Key findings were that 193 of those who responded had an electrocardiograph, 206 had a kit for minor operations, 119 owned a computer, and less than one third owned a microscope. Most of these practices were high investors. There seems to be a shift away from some traditional instruments towards expensive information technology. Government policies are encouraging the use of computers and such equipment, though funds are not necessarily being made available for this purpose.

Bedside patient care work stations

This article discusses the rationale behind introduction of microcomputer work stations at the hospital patient's beside and describes capabilities of the first phase of a network of such systems at University Hospitals, University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Computerized diagnostic instruments for ophthalmic practice

The microprocessor, the so-called "computer-on-a-chip," is providing automation of many of our diagnostic instruments, including refractors, keratometers, lensmeters, and perimeters. Microprocessors can monitor switches, control lights, drive motors, and perform complex mathematical calculations in a fraction of a second. These capabilities promise a standardization of measurement never before possible. Clinical tests will soon not only use instruments controlled by computers, but the tests themselves will be administered by computers. Cost:benefit ratios are decreasing as this new technology becomes an expected part of ophthalmic practice.