Dentistry today is changing because of new knowledge networks based on electronic technology. This book tells practitioners, administrators and educators what is happening in dentistry and how to use the full potential of new information technologies. Specifics such as existing machines, operating systems, software packages and user support groups are discussed. Aspects of standards for storage, access, and the use of information as well as its integration into the dental practice are covered. More general topics cover the impact of dental informatics on dentistry training programs, the dental manufacturing industries and insurance.

Computer technology has impacted the practice of medicine in dramatic ways. Imaging techniques provide noninvasive tools which alter the diag nostic process. Sophisticated monitoring equipment presents new levels of detail for both patient management and research. In most of these high technology applications, the computer is embedded in the device; its presence is transparent to the user. There is also a growing number of applications in which the health care provider directly interacts with a computer. In many cases, these applica tions are limited to administrative functions, e.g., office practice manage ment, location of hospital patients, appointments, and scheduling. Nev ertheless, there also are instances of patient care functions such as results reporting, decision support, surveillance, and reminders. This series, Computers and Medicine, focuses upon the direct use of information systems as it relates to the medical community. After twenty five years of experimentation and experience, there are many tested ap plications which can be implemented economically using the current gen eration of computers. Moreover, the falling cost of computers suggests that there will be even more extensive use in the near future. Yet there is a gap between current practice and the state-of-the-art."

This volume is based on lectures held at the NATO Advanced Study Institute on Multiple Criteria Decision Making and Risk Analysis Using Microcomputers that took place in Istanbul, Turkey from June 28 to July 8, 1987. The book considers aspects of multiple criteria decision making and risk analysis, with numerous methods and applications using microcomputers. The methodology included is fairly representative of the field. It covers the Analytical Hierarchy Process of Saaty, the approaches of Zionts and Wallenius and their colleagues, and the work of Dyer, Steuer, and Yu. Important behavioral considerations in decision making, psychological aspects of judgement and choice, and preference elicitation are discussed, followed by a number of applications of methods in various fields including hospital diagnostics systems and production planning. Special emphasis is placed on the growing importance of computer graphics in multiple criteria models. The approach of Korhonen and Wallenius in "A Pareto Race" is presented as a decision support system. The "Trimap" approach by Climaco, an approach that has some potential for end users, is of particular interest to MCDM researchers.

Computer technology has impacted the practice of medicine in dramatic ways. Imaging techniques provide non-evasive tools which alter the diagnostic pro cess. Sophisticated monitoring equipment presents new levels of detail for both patient management and research. In most of these high technology applica tions, the computer is embedded in the device; its presence is transparent to the user. There is also a growing number of applications in which the health care provider directly interacts with a computer. In many cases, these applications are limited to administrative functions, e.g., office practice management, loca tion of hospital patients, appointments, and scheduling. Nevertheless, there also are instances of patient care functions such as results reporting, decision support, surveillance, and reminders. This series, Computers and Medicine, will focus upon the direct use of infor mation systems as it relates to the medical community. After twenty-five years of experimentation and experience, there are many tested applications which can be implemented economically using the current generation of computers. Moreover, the falling cost of computers suggests that there will be even more extensive use in the near future. Yet there is a gap between current practice and the state-of-the-art."

This book contains a collection of quantitative procedures in common use in pharmacology and related disciplines. It is intended for students and researchers in all fields who work with drugs. Many physicians, especially those concerned with clinical pharmacology, will also find much that is useful. The procedures included may be considered "core" since they are generally applicable to all classes of drugs. Some of the procedures deal with statistics and, hence, have even wider application. In this new edition we have increased the number of procedures from 33 (in the first edition) to 48. Other procedures have been revised and expanded. Yet the basic philosophy of this new edition remains unchanged from the first. That is, the pharmacologic basis of each procedure is presented, along with the necessary formulas and one or more worked examples. An associated computer program is included for each procedure and its use is illustrated with the same worked example used in the text. The discussions of theory and the sample computations are brief and self-contained, so that all computations can be made with the aid of a pocket calculator and the statistical tables contained in Appendix A. Yet it is realized that the proliferation of lower-priced microcom puters is likely to mean that more and more readers will utilize a computer for most calculations. Accordingly, we have modified the format of the book to facilitate computer usage."

Intended for nurses who would like to know more about the development of the computerized information systems on which they have become so dependent, Nursing and Computers: An Anthology is a wide-range introduction to the literature of this field. The editors have selected historical and contemporary papers to show both the systems at their inception and examples of how they have evolved. Of interest to both the generalist and the specialist, these articles examine the partnership between nurses and computers in the areas of administration, practice, research, and education.

Computer technology has impacted the practice of medicine in dramatic ways. Imaging techniques provide noninvasive tools which alter the diag nostic process. Sophisticated monitoring equipment presents new levels of detail for both patient management and research. In most of these high technology applications, the computer is embedded in the device; its presence is transparent to the user. There is also a growing number of applications in which the health care provider directly interacts with a computer. In many cases, these appli cations are limited to administrative functions, e.g., office practice man agement, location of hospital patients, appointments, and scheduling. Nevertheless, there also are instances of patient care functions such as results reporting, decision support, surveillance, and reminders. This series, Computers and Medicine, will focus upon the direct use of information systems as it relates to the medical community. After twenty-five years of experimentation and experience, there are many tested applications which can be implemented economically using the current generation of computers. Moreover, the falling cost of computers suggests that there will be even more extensive use in the near future. Yet there is a gap between current practice and the state-of-the-art."

This series in Computers and Medicine had its origins when I met Jerry Stone of Springer-Verlag at a SCAMC meeting in 1982. We determined that there was a need for good collections of papers that would help disseminate the results of research and application in this field. I had already decided to do what is now Information Systems for Patient Care, and Jerry contributed the idea of making it part of a series. In 1984 the first book was published, and-thanks to Jerry's efforts - Computers and Medicine was underway. Since that time, there have been many changes. Sadly, Jerry died at a very early age and cannot share in the success of the series that he helped found. On the bright side, however, many of the early goals of the series have been met. As the result of equipment improvements and the consequent lowering of costs, com puters are being used in a growing number of medical applications, and the health care community is very computer literate. Thus, the focus of concern has turned from learning about the technology to understanding how that technology can be exploited in a medical environment."

This series is intended for students and practitioners of the health profes sions who are seeking to expand their knowledge of computers in health care. Our editors and authors, experts in their fields, offer their insights into innovations and trends. Each book is practical and easy to use. Since the series began, in 1988, we have seen increasing acceptance of the term "informatics" and of the innovations it brings to health care. Today more than ever we are committed to making this series contribute to the field of healthcare informatics, the discipline "where caring and technology meet. " KATHRYN J. HANNAH MARION J. BALL v Preface Computer technology has transformed health care not only by improving the accuracy and quantity of information available to'clinicians, but also by improving the flow of information among the people who provide, arrange for, and pay for health services. This book is about the new computer networlcs that electronically link people and organizations in the health care field. Its purpose is to explore the impact of new computer networks upon the different organizations in the field, their services to patients, and the way in which organizations collaborate and compete, share information, and guard confidential material. The book explores computer networks primarily from the perspective of public health, discussing the impact that networks have upon communities as well as individuals."

Microcomputer-based labs, the use of real-time data capture and display in teaching, give the learner new ways to explore and understand the world. As this book shows, the international effort over a quarter-century to develop and understand microcomputer-based labs (MBL) has resulted in a rich array of innovative implementations and some convincing evidence for the value of computers for learning. The book is a sampler of MBL work by an outstanding international group of scientists and educators, based on papers they presented at a seminar held as part of the NATO Special Programme on Advanced Educational Technology. The story they tell of the development of MBL offers valuable policy lessons on how to promote educational innovation. The book will be of interest to a wide range of educators and to policy makers.

This computer-based nomenclature aims to create a universal environment for the acquisition, review, and transmission of medical information independent of language. MEDCIN systemizes the diagnostic process, by removing the subjective variables of patient information gathering, allowing for a more consistent patient diagnosis, and more reliable data for research. Through a coding structure of hierarchical inheritance, MEDCIN accommodates the individual thought processes of the clinician, while remaining structured enough to capture the clinical findings needed for documentation and analysis. It also provides a universal language base for over 50,000 specific medical findings in French, German and Spanish, enabling the user to read patient chart data, irrespective of the language of acquisition.

An International Conference on "Neurosurgical Training and Reserach" was held in Munich from October 6 - 9, 1996, under the auspices of the EANS, and organized by H.-J. Reulen and H.-J. Steiger. Experts from different countries and neurosurgical organizations have collected information on the present status of resident training in neurosurgery and the mechanisms involved with the training. Various aspects, the recruitment process, the criteria used for selection, the contents and structure of a program, the continuous quality control, exposition to the art of research, fellowships and subspeciality training, etc. have been covered. The present book contains this material and thus provides a unique and comprehensive source of information on the complex of modern neurosurgical training. " ... The beauty of this work is that it puts in one place the many varied aspects of a neurosurgical training program that one needs to be aware of ... should be required reading for the faculty of any academic training program as well as for others who may have a misconception of what residency training is ... an excellent book for any program director or active faculty member. It should be required reading for all faculty members before the next round of resident interviews ..." Neurosurgery "... well edited, published to a high standard and will naturally be of interest to those specifically involved in the areas of selection and training ... a useful text for aspirants to surgical training posts ..." British Journal of Neurosurgery

Ever since the early 1960s, the medical ical records. Expert assistance in di- issue might contain a review of an office agnosis and treatment selection will be world has awaited the promise of com- practice management system-of in- as close as the nearest telephone, which terest to the physician, nurse, and office puterization. Many of us were fasci- will provide an immediate link to the nated by the efforts of the pioneers: practice manager. Next to it might be Homer Warner's computerized diag- office computer. found a detailed article about a language nosis system, Octo Barnett's medical Since 1983, M,D. Computing has such as LISP and how it could be ap- information system, Howard Bleich's explored and explained all of these as- plied to medical problems, or a tutorial pects. Our magazine's major focus is on about real-time monitoring of a patient's automated acid/base consultant" and Warner Slack's history-taking program computer systems that serve the health physiological state, along with book re- were foretastes of what was to come. provider in the home or office environ- views and departments reporting on At first, however, physicians and hos- ment. M. D, Computing has also ex- pertinent computer news. pital personnel resisted the computer amined more general computer appli- In several cases, a distinct theme because it was too slow, too fragile, too cations in medical care.

Digital Homecare is a collection of services to deliver, maintain and improve care in the home environment using the latest ICT technology and devices. It is important to recognize the wide range of issues that are covered by digital homecare. This book shows a good selection of related issues, be it experience, technologies, managerial issues or standardization. A very diverse "audience"; elderly, people with chronic conditions, disabled, to name the most important groups, benefits from digital homecare, within the comfort and protection of their own homes.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Augmented Cognition, FAC 2011, held in Orlando, FL, USA in July 2011, within the framework of the 14th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCII 2011, with 11 other thematically similar conferences. The 75 full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from numerous submissions. The papers are organized in topical parts on theories, models, and technologies for augmented cognition; neuroscience and brain monitoring; augmented cognition, social computing, and collaboration; augmented cognition for learning; augmented cognition and interaction; and augmented cognition in complex environments.

In this introductory textbook to epidemiology, students will discover the knowledge and skills required for managing population-based health care under health reform. Fundamental epidemiological techniques are presented teaching students to assess the health status of populations served; determine appropriate interventions based upon knowledge of factors which affect health status; and evaluate the impact of health care systems, programs, technologies, and policies on the health status of populations. Each chapter includes case studies and discussion questions.

In March 2000 leading scientists gathered at the Centro Seminariale Monte Verita, Ascona, Switzerland, for the Third International Symposium on "Fractals 2000 in Biology and Medicine." This interdisciplinary conference was held over a four-day period and provided stimulating contributions from the very topical field Fractals in Biology and Medicine. This Volume III in the MBI series highlights the growing power and efficacy of the fractal geometry in understanding how to analyze living phenomena and complex shapes. Many biological objects, previously considered as hopelessly far from any quantitative description, are now being investigated by means of fractal methods. Researchers currently used fractals both as theoretical tools, to shed light on living systems self-organization and evolution, and as useful techniques, capable of quantitatively analyzing physiological and pathological cell states, shapes and ultrastructures. The book should be of interest to researchers and students from Molecular and C"

One of the characteristics of the final decade of this century is the treatment of information as a commodity. As the world becomes increasingly dominated by information and its technology, in all its facets, librarians must learn to integrate all the new developments into daily practice. 'It is to the extent to which we shall succeed in developing powerful information networks through efficient information transfer that we shall succeed in contributing to the betterment of health throughout our nations'. It is this challenge which medical librarians from some 34 countries set for themselves in convening the Third European Conference of Medical Libraries in Montpellier, France, in September 1992. All aspects of medical information were addressed - the technical aspects of transfer, ethical and legal issues, costs, benefits, rights and responsibilities, quality assurance, guidance systems, communications technology, education and training both of information professionals and end-users were discussed and debated in depth in Montpellier. This volume presents an accurate account of a conference which has made a significant contribution to the development of medical librarianship in Europe and the wider world.

The 1994 conference of the European Association for Health Information and Libraries drew together an exceptional group of invited speakers and contributed papers. Speakers came from every part of Europe, from N. America, and even from Australia, and almost all the papers presented are collected in this volume. They represent an important summary of the state of the art in libraries and information services in the medical and health areas and are a rich source of advice, assistance and information for everyone working in related fields. Most of the themes concentrate on the important growth areas of the profession: computer-based information services, networking (especially the Internet), and CD-ROMs. More general topics are not ignored, and the book contains many interesting contributions on identifying the needs of library users and evaluating how well these are being met. There is also an important section on the history of medicine.

Case-based reasoning (CBR) is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) technique to support the capability of reasoning and learning in advanced decision support systems. CBR exploits the specific knowledge collected on previously encountered and solved situations, which are known as cases. In this book, we have collected a selection of papers on very recent CBR applications. These, after an in-depth analysis of their specific application domain needs, propose proper methodological solutions and give encouraging evaluation results, which have in some cases led to the commercialization step. The collected contributions demonstrate the capability of CBR to solve or handle issues which would be too difficult to manage with other classical AI methods and techniques, such as rules or models. The heterogeneity of the involved application domains indicates the flexibility of CBR, and its applicability in all those fields where experiential knowledge is (readily) available.

The NATO workshop on Disordered Systems and Biological Organization was attended, in march 1985, by 65 scientists representing a large variety of fields: Mathematics, Computer Science, Physics and Biology. It was the purpose of this interdisciplinary workshop to shed light on the conceptual connections existing between fields of research apparently as different as: automata theory, combinatorial optimization, spin glasses and modeling of biological systems, all of them concerned with the global organization of complex systems, locally interconnected. Common to many contributions to this volume is the underlying analogy between biological systems and spin glasses: they share the same properties of stability and diversity. This is the case for instance of primary sequences of biopo Iymers I ike proteins and nucleic acids considered as the result of mutation-selection processes [P. W. Anderson, 1983] or of evolving biological species [G. Weisbuch, 1984]. Some of the most striking aspects of our cognitive apparatus, involved In learning and recognttlon [J. Hopfield, 19821, can also be described in terms of stability and diversity in a suitable configuration space. These interpretations and preoccupations merge with those of theoretical biologists like S. Kauffman [1969] (genetic networks) and of mathematicians of automata theory: the dynamics of networks of automata can be interpreted in terms of organization of a system in multiple possible attractors. The present introduction outlInes the relationships between the contributions presented at the workshop and brIefly discusses each paper in its particular scientific context.

In the current era of health care reform, the pressures to truly manage patient care and to build effective integrated delivery systems are generating intense interest in patient care information systems. Health care institutions cannot provide seamlees access to care without seamless access to information, and they cannot manage and improve care without improved information management. Patient Care Information Systems examines how to design and implement these systems so they successfully meet the needs of physicians, nurses, and other health care providers. In one convenient reference, the authors summarize and synthesize previously disparate research and case experiences on these systems and suggest future directions based on the evolving demands of administrators and caregivers.

This volume contains the proceedings of the NATO Advanced Study Institute on "Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) in Medicine" held in Evian, France, October 14- 26, 1990. The program committee of the institute consisted of H.K. Huang (Director), Osman Ratib, Albert Bakker, and Gerd Witte. This institute brought together approximately 90 participants from 15 countries. These proceedings are the accumulation of eight years of research and development results in PACS by various dedicated groups throughout the world. The purpose of this institute was to review the most recent technology available for PACS and some clinical results. The readers should notice the remarkable advances in this field by comparing the contents in these proceedings with those in a previous institute on "Pictorial Information Systems in Medicine" held August 27 - September 7, 1984 in Braunlage/Harz, Federal Republic of Germany, and published as Vol. 19 in this series. The institute was organized according to four categories: PACS components and system integration, PACS and related research in various countries and manufacturing companies, clinical experience and research support, and participants' scientific communications. In PACS components, we included image acquisition, workstations, data storage and networking. In system integration, topics on interfaces between Hospital Information System (HIS), Radiology Information System (RIS) and PACS, clinical reports, the ACR/NEMA standard, databases, reliability, and system integration were discussed. This lecture series emphasized the technical detail and "how to" aspects.

This volume contains papers presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) on "Sensors and Sensory Systems for Advanced Robots", which was held in Maratea, Italy, during the week Apri I 28 - May 3, 1986. Participants in the ARW, who came from eleven NATO and two non-NATO countries, represented an i nternat i ona I assortment of d i st i ngu i shed research centers in industry, government and academia. Purpose of the Workshop was to rev i ew the state of the art of sensing for advanced robots, to discuss basic concepts and new ideas on the use of sensors for robot control and to provide recommendations for future research in this area, There IS an almost unanimous consensus among invest i gators in the fie I d of robot i cs that the add i t i on of sensory capabi I ities represents the "natural" evolution of present industrial robots, as wei I as the necessary premise to the development of advanced robots for nonindustrial app I i cat ions. However, a number of conceptua I and techn i ca I problems sti I I challenge the practical implementation and widespread appl ication of sensor-based robot control techn i ques. Cruc i a I among those prob I ems is the ava i lab iii ty of adequate sensors.