DATA &

INFORMATION
Edwyn Saleh
edwindent@yahoo.com
 Data

DATA Information Interpretation

Decision Knowledge

Information plays a key role when interpreting

data and making decisions

Technology :
Calculator
Computer/PC
Internet
 Data Folder

Writing : doc.,ppt.
Table : xls.,Lotus
Picture : cdr.,jpeg.,pdf.
Format data : db.
Computer VS Human Brain
Data Processing, memory.
Human with sense, computer with
consistency and accuracy
Ex. Stetoskop, microscope
DATA & INFORMATION
HUMAN THINKING & COMPUTERS

human reasoning can now be assisted by

computers.
If computers are able to assist human
reasoning, it is important to know the strong
points and the limitations of computers in
general and in health care in particular
INFORMATION PROCESSING

COMPUTERS DO NOT PROCESS INFORMATION

BUT MERELY PROCESS DATA
ONLY A HUMAN BEING IS ABLE TO INTERPRET
THE DATA SO THAT THEY BECOME
INFORMATION
COMPUTERS CAN
EXTEND THE BRAINS MEMORY
INCREASE DATA PROCESSING CAPABILITIES
IMPROVE THE ACCURACY AND
CONSISTENCY DATA PROCESSING
INFORMATION PROCESSING

Computer systems can be used for

different types of operations
Computer systems assist in the
diagnostic-therapeutic cycle, especially in
the observation stage, but also partly in
the diagnostic and therapeutic stages.
Computer systems are used to provide the
user with the data needed to make
decisions and take actions.
 COMPUTER RESPONSABILITY

Support of Human Thinking

Technological developments
Necessity of computers
Developments in Health Care
Costs of healthcare
Evaluation of care
Parallels
Computers in health care and in society
NECESSITY OF COMPUTERS

Both in science and in health care, our

thinking and action are dominated by man-
made rules or laws that have been
discovered and theories that have been
developed in the course of scientific
research.
A computer may support us in structuring
and ordering the world in which we live,
both in science and in society at large.
 Computer applications
Level Society Health Care
1 Use of the Internet Health-care
communication
2 Airline booking Hospital registration

3 Satellite pictures X-ray imaging

4 Process control Patient monitoring

5 Computer-assisted Radiotherapy
design planning
6 Model of traffic flow Model of the blood
circulation
SYSTEMATIZATION
At first sight the applications of
computers in health care look very
extensive and the field of medical
informatics does not seem to be
structured or orderly
The systematization that we want to
discuss intends to address all three areas.
the limitations of computers in health care
their dependence on human interaction
new generations of information systems are
developed
LEVEL OF COMPLEXITY
COMMUNICATION & TELEMATIC

The analysis of samples of blood or urine in

the clinical laboratory, which is fully automated
for the majority of all blood and urine tests
A local area network
The transmission of radiological images
The electronic interchange of patient data
between computer-based patient records in a
region
World Wide Web
 STORAGE & RETRIEVAL

Hard disk, USB ( universal serial bus controller )

Hospitals --- more than 1 million patients. The
storage of medical images requires a huge
capacity
ICD ( nternational Clasification of disease )
National Library of medicine
PROCESSING &
AUTOMATION
A more complex use of
computers concerns its
more "intelligent"
applications in areas such as laboratory
automation or processing of biological signals.
Here also most of the processing can be done
without much human interaction, problems that
can be standardized can be solved, for example,
if they are repetitious.
Ex.Radiation dosage of rontgent
Radiotherapy
DIAGNOSIS &
DECISION MAKING
the recognition of visual
images and situations,
which allow people to prepare for subsequent
decision making and plan further actions.
The ultimate challenge in this area is how to
formalize medical knowledge in such a way
that it can be used for decision support.
Ex. Correct decision develop for abdominal
pain
Intrepretation of ECGs
 THERAPY AND CONTROL
In health care we find on this level only a few
computer applications that have a direct effect on
patient care.
The injection of a drug or surgery will always
primarily remain a human activity.
computer algorithms that control the automatic
administration of infusion on the basis of fluids
given or withdrawn, (anticoagulation therapy or for
the administration of insulin )
the radiation equipment is often automatically
adjusted and calibrated under level 3
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

This is exactly the object of research in

medical informatics
The use of virtual-reality models in surgery, for
training (comparable to flight simulators) or to
assist surgeons in so-called minimal invasive
surgery.
the analysis of data acquired in
epidemiological studies
computer-based patient records and models
Main References

Van Bemmel J.H, et al. Handbook of Medical

Informatics. Springer-Verlaag. 1997.

Chapter 1, page 3 - 17
Advance Text Books

Shortliffe EH, Perreault, L.E., Wiederhold G,

Fagan, L.M., eds. Medical Informatics: Computer
Application in Health Care. Reading, MA: Addison-
Wesley; 1995
Hovenga, E., Kidd, M., Cesnik, B. Health
informatics an overview. Churchill Livingstone.
1996
Coeira, E. Guide to medical informatics,
internet and telemedicine.
The End