This new 2003 version of the comprehensive electronic textbook of sleep medicine is available on four CD-ROM’s, or one DVD-ROM.

Michael Thorpy, M.D., the electronic textbook’s editor, and his associate editors frequently update the material, adding the latest sleep references and expanding chapters and topics.

FEATURES

The current version of SleepMultiMedia version 5.0 comprises of a vast array of sleep topics on obstructive sleep apnea, respiratory physiology, narcolepsy, insomnia, parasomnias, sleep physiology, chronophysiology, neurophysiology, polysomnography, pediatrics, restless legs syndrome, and women & sleep. Four exciting new chapters have been included in the new version; “Aging and Sleep”, “Epilepsy and Sleep”, “Hypersomnias” and “Case Histories”.

Additional topics include, “The Sleep Center Procedure Manual”,” The History of Sleep in Man,” “101 Questions about Sleep and Dreams,” “The Encyclopedia of Sleep and Sleep Disorders,” “Wake up America-Report of the National Committee on Sleep Disorders Research,” and “Nightwalker”, an interactive educational game.

A major feature of SleepMultiMedia is “The Sleep Scoring Manual,” which includes a complete multimedia manual based on the Rechtschaffen and Kales sleep scoring method. It contains interactive audio-visual instruction of polysomnograms–an excellent tool for physicians and technicians.

The Sleep Center Procedure Manual contains useful information for sleep laboratories and sleep centers on staffing procedures that includes everything from dress code, to CPAP administration and emergency procedures. The policies can be retrieved and modified according to the particular center’s requirements. This section is an invaluable resource for centers seeking accreditation as well as those already accredited.

SleepMultiMedia has been designed so that the user can view a page containing text and an illustration or graph of essential information on a topic. In addition, there is the enhanced ability to view the full abstract of the illustration, and multiple research references with abstracts on the particular topic. This allows the user to access to different levels of depth of clinical and research information on each topic. Also, users can now earn up to 88 CME category 1 credits by answering the program’s enhanced 880 self-test questions spread throughout its chapters.

Open collaboration over the internet is changing development methods

The government in the United Kingdom spent 7.1bn [pounds sterling] ($9.9bn) on information systems in 1998-9, of which 1bn [pounds sterling] was in health care. Yet information systems are difficult to commission, purchase, and evaluate, and the results not always good.[1]

As computer hardware becomes an ever cheaper commodity with ever increasing power, it is clear that software is the rate limiting step in system development. Software is slippery stuff: its possibilities seem almost limitless, but implementing a system competently is a difficult activity that commands premium rates of pay. A lot of its cost lies in planning, implementing, and monitoring and enforcing exchanges between the parties involved, who might be, for example, a hospital wanting to buy an information system and a system supplier. Such exchanges have high transaction costs.[2] The relationship between an information systems supplier and its clients has, according to transaction cost economists, the quality of “information impactedness”: a state in which one of the parties to an exchange is much better informed than the other, and the other cannot achieve information parity, except at great cost.

Even when a system is successfully commissioned, the costs can remain high. Once a customer is “locked into” proprietary software, its makers can demand premium prices, safe in the knowledge that the client would find it even more expensive to change.[3]

It is such forces that have led to the rise of free software–most notably the GNU/Linux operating system, which is freely available for download from the internet.[4] (An operating system, such as Microsoft Windows, is the essential software that runs a computer’s basic functions.) Free software differs from proprietary software in several important respects. Most importantly, its licence (the General Public License (GPL)) encourages free copying, distribution, and modification of the software.[5] There is only one catch: users must make any modifications that they make to the software available to others on the same basis that they received it. This virtuous cycle of development has, over the past decade, created a commonwealth of high quality software.

FiberSIM[R] v5.1 design environment for composite products enables CAD systems engineers to automate design processes early in product development. Merge Model feature automatically divides electronically generated model, and Symmetric Laminate Utility generates model. Automated Deposition Design automates creation of composite product geometry specific to manufacturing processes. Users can create composite design definition with associated citations/data necessary to drive downstream processes.

New specialized design tools automate early phases of product development and multi-stage manufacturing processes for efficient creation of large or complex composite parts

WALTHAM, Mass. (USA), March 20, 2006 - VISTAGY, Inc., the developer of engineering software that provides specialized design functionality to commercial CAD/PDM/PLM systems, today announced the release of FiberSIM[R] 5.1, the latest version of its design environment for composite products. FiberSIM 5.1 provides new specialized tools that enable engineers working in commercial CAD systems to automate design processes early in product development. This results in more efficient and accurate manufacture of complex or large composite parts, including products produced in multiple stages.

“With FiberSIM 5.1, we’ve reinforced our commitment to helping engineers capitalize on the vast potential of composite parts and development processes so they can create cutting-edge, innovative products,” said Bob Flory, vice president of product development at VISTAGY, Inc. “By automating many of the most repetitive or complex composites design tasks early in development, FiberSIM 5.1 enables engineers to select the optimum product design choices and manufacturing methods to reduce cycle time and costs. As a result, our customers will realize a significant competitive advantage with FiberSIM 5.1.”

All software developed at public’s expense should be licensed as open source

EDITOR–The open source model for software is so sensible that it is bizarre that closed source models have held sway for so long.[1] Unfortunately, the title of Carnall’s editorial gives the impression that open source software costs you nothing. This is not generally true. Open source software is “free as in speech, not as in beer.”[2]

Commercial companies can make money out of open source software by charging for services such as distribution, warranties, support, installation, and tailoring. But these fees are likely to have some relation to the work involved. The up-front licence fees charged for closed source software are out of line with the cost structure. In no other industry are the products deliberately kept secret when that secrecy cannot be justified by safety or security concerns.

An obvious route forward for the public sector would be to state that all software developed at the public’s expense be licensed as open source, although the General Public License may not be the optimum licence.[3] Licensing the software as open source provides optimum protection for the taxpayer; crown copyright, as it is currently used, does not do this. The gift culture ethos of the open source movement should fit in well with that of the NHS. As Carnall has argued elsewhere, “Open source is the future: all we have to do is build it”

Healthcare organizations employ many technologies to reduce medical errors and improve patient safety. In hospitals, for example, bar coding lowers the risk of medication errors. In many physician group practices, electronic medical record systems display drug interaction alerts in computerized order entry. Recently, some exciting new technologies have been developed to protect patients from another source of medical error: the “learning curve.”

Learning any new skill means making mistakes, a normal part of the learning process. Learning medical procedures traditionally has meant making mistakes on real patients. Hands-on, experiential learning is indispensable for healthcare professionals during their training, but mistakes can put patients at risk–at times, at serious risk.

Who would want to be the first patient undergoing a colonoscopy at the hands of a new gastroenterology resident? The physician faculty supervising that resident is responsible for calibrating a cautious balance. Intervene too early and take control of the procedure too quickly, and the resident’s learning experience is diminished. Wait too long before taking the hand piece away from the resident, and the patient may experience undue discomfort, or worse, a potentially serious complication. What if that resident had the opportunity to safely learn, practice and repeat the procedure over and over, as often as necessary–so that he could learn from his mistakes and correct them, fine-tune his technique, and master clinical protocols designed to optimize outcomes–before performing a colonoscopy on an actual patient? Today, medical simulation technology makes this a “virtual” reality.

Practice Makes Perfect

In medical simulation, computer-controlled systems and devices advance medical education while protecting patient safety by enabling medical students, residents and practicing clinicians to learn treatment protocols and master procedure skills before using them on actual patients. Simulation technology offers remarkable visual, physical, physiological and tactile realism. It is especially effective in developing skills in procedures that require eye-hand coordination and ambidextrous maneuvers.

Dragon Naturally Speaking Medical Suite 4.0 DRAGON SYSTEMS, INC, 320 NEVADA STREET, NEWTON, MA 02160. PHONE: (617) 965-5200. FAX: (617) 527-0372.
PRICE: $999.00

HOW SUPPLIED: 2 CD-ROM COLLECTION WITH THE FIRST CONTAINING THE NATURALLY SPEAKING PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM AND THE SECOND CONTAINING THE ADDITIONAL MEDICAL COMPONENT.

HARDWARE/SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS: 300 MHZ INTEL PENTIUM WITH MMX OR EQUIVALENT, RUNNING WINDOWS 95 OR 98 OR NT 4.0, 128 MB RAM, 200 MB OF HARD DRIVE SPACE, CREATIVE LABS SOUNDBLASTER-16 OR COMPATIBLE SOUND CARD SUPPORTING 16-BIT RECORDING, A CD-ROM FOR INSTALLATION, AND SPEAKERS.

CUSTOMER SUPPORT: AVAILABLE AT THE WEB SITE AND BY PHONE.

ORDERING INFORMATION: ORDER ON-LINE OR THROUGH A LIST OF RESELLERS.

DEMONSTRATION DISKS: NO.

MONEY BACK GUARANTEE: 30 DAYS, THROUGH A TOLL-FREE TELEPHONE CALL FOR A RETURN AUTHORIZATION NUMBER.

RATING: GOOD.

Among the up-and-coming technologies, one that holds promise for physicians who dictate their medical records is voice recognition technology (VRT). VRT involves computerized direct voice-to-text transcription, an alternative that avoids keyboard entry by the physician or transcriptionist. The software electronically interprets the sounds from the user’s speech (digitized voice print-like images), compares these sounds with a database of sounds it knows to represent specific words or phrases, and then transcribes them to the closest match. During the 1990s, VRT emerged into the mainstream consumer market. Since then, there have been continuous improvements in accuracy and ease of use of VRT. As a result, VRT programs have won a host of technology awards. The goal of this review was to determine if one highly acclaimed program, Dragon Naturally Speaking Medical Suite 4.0 (Naturally Speaking), had made sufficient gains to efficiently substitute for a human transcriptionist.

Total Practice Partner version 8.1 is an integrated electronic health record and practice management system that includes Practice Partner Patient Records, Order Entry, Medical Billing and Appointment Scheduler. It runs on a single database, enabling features such as common registration, shared internal messaging, electronic encounter form generation, and other information-sharing among the applications. Version 8.1 also provides: health maintenance protocols that create reminders based on diagnoses and medications; interfaces with MidMark Diagnostics’ IQMark Digital Spirometer and Welch Allyn vital signs monitors; integrated voice recognition; an enhanced progress notes editor; advanced E&M coding assistance; exporting of patient data to PDAs; order rules; recurrent orders; a collections module; to-do lists; integrated claims scrubbing; electronic remittance advice; protocol scheduling; and on-call provider tracking. Physician Micro Systems Inc.

VisageRT(TM) offers accelerated visualization and reconstruction of medical image data. Volume-rendering components include multi-planar reformatting and thick slab rendering, maximum intensity projection, shaded volume rendering, and perspective viewing. Multi-resolution representation for large data ensures smooth interaction with 3D images. Image reconstruction components support Fourier techniques, Pi methods, algebraic reconstruction, and expectation maximization.

Volume Rendering and Image Reconstruction Solutions Improve Time to Market and Increase 3D Imaging Quality for Life Sciences

CHELMSFORD, Mass., Nov. 11 - Mercury Computer Systems (NASDAQ:MRCY) announced the VisageRT(TM) family of software components for accelerated, embedded visualization and reconstruction of medical image data. Designed for seamless integration into existing system frameworks of life sciences OEM customers, VisageRT software leverages the power of mainstream processors and accelerators to deliver increased performance and enhanced image quality, and is an integral offering in Mercury’s portfolio of advanced 3D imaging and visualization solutions.

“With the VisageRT offering, we enable our customers to keep pace with the tremendous amount of data that is created by today’s diagnostic and interventional imaging devices such as CT, MR, digital X-ray, SPECT, PET, and ultrasound,” said Marcelo G. Lima, vice president of Life Sciences, Imaging and Visualization Solutions, Mercury Computer Systems. “By building upon off- the-shelf software and hardware components, time to market and engineering cost for our customers are drastically reduced. Furthermore, VisageRT-based solutions scale from software-only to multiple GPU- or FPGA-based solutions, to provide the optimal balance of value and performance.”

Blue Iris MD Expansion Pack v2.0 lets physicians access patient data in hospital setting to create, manage, and electronically sign clinical documentation. Users can retrieve various aspects of patient history from any or all previous hospital visits, all in electronic progress note format. Software also has exam template creation features within electronic progress note and physical exam templates that can be categorized into logical groupings.

New Features Such as Electronic Signature Capabilities and Performance Enhancements Enable Physicians to Efficiently Create, Store and Manage Clinical Documentation

MENLO PARK, Calif., Feb. 9 — MITEM Corporation, a developer of integration software solutions and clinical applications for health care, today announced the release of the Blue Iris MD Expansion Pack 2.0. The MD Expansion Pack is designed for use by physicians in a hospital setting who access patient data to create, manage and electronically sign clinical documentation. The MD Expansion Pack presents patient data in an electronic progress note format.

A significant feature of the MD Expansion Pack 2.0 release is the ability to retrieve a comprehensive patient history from MEDITECH MAGIC. Now, physicians can retrieve, via a rich internet application, lab orders, medications, nursing notes, consultation reports and admission and discharge summaries from any or all previous hospital visits. With just a few mouse clicks, wide-ranging historical patient data can be viewed and placed into a current progress note, giving the attending physician a more in-depth view of a patient’s medical record. Physicians consider the patient history retrieval feature an important addition to the MD Expansion Pack’s 24 hour data range view because it enables them to make better medical decisions at the point of care.

This release also provides physicians with advanced exam template creation features within the electronic progress note. Physical exam templates can now be categorized into logical groupings, enabling physicians to create templates for certain types of diseases such as pneumonia or for particular cardiac conditions. In addition, the MD Expansion Pack 2.0 allows providers to set a preference to automatically pull forward information from past progress notes into the current one.

Designed to aid in document management and ECM projects, fi-4120C2 and fi-4220C2 scanners integrate hard-card scanning capability for insurance or identification cards as well as duplex and color scanning capabilities. Software Architects Disk Drive TuneUp!(TM) for Windows provides Write-Once-Read-Many archive solution that enables users to permanently write files to magneto-optical (MO) disk, preventing accidental deletion or alteration.

Fujitsu Computer Products of America, Inc., a leader in removable storage solutions and document imaging scanners and services, today announced that it will showcase several of its award winning scanning solutions and the latest in Magneto-Optical (MO) removable storage technology at the Annual HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) Conference & Exhibition, February 13-17, 2005 in Dallas, Texas.

Fujitsu will demonstrate the capabilities of several of its scanners including the fi-4120C2, fi-4220C2, fi-5650C and fi-4530C. The recently announced Fujitsu fi-4120C2 and fi-4220C2 scanners bring the perfect balance of speed and versatility to distributed and front-office scanning environments. They play a key role in effective document management and ECM projects by integrating the latest innovative scanning features and applications, including hard-card scanning capability for insurance or identification cards, as well as duplex and color scanning capabilities.