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6.7 Notes

Computers are widely used in medicine for storing patient records, processing prescriptions, and more. They help healthcare professionals provide efficient care and stay up to date on medical advances. 3D printers also have many medical applications like creating customized prosthetics, tissues, and organs. They allow for personalized medical devices and drugs tailored to each patient's specific needs. 3D bioprinting holds promise for printing living tissues and cells to replace damaged body parts.

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118 views

6.7 Notes

Computers are widely used in medicine for storing patient records, processing prescriptions, and more. They help healthcare professionals provide efficient care and stay up to date on medical advances. 3D printers also have many medical applications like creating customized prosthetics, tissues, and organs. They allow for personalized medical devices and drugs tailored to each patient's specific needs. 3D bioprinting holds promise for printing living tissues and cells to replace damaged body parts.

Uploaded by

zufaroaa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Topic 6

ICT Applications
6.7 Computers in Medicine

Objective: To be able to explain the uses of computers in medicine.


Topic Success Criteria/PLC
Skill R/A/G
❏ I can describe the characteristics and uses of computers in
medicine and understand the uses of expert systems for a variety
of different applications.
Computers in Medicine
Expert and Information Systems in Medicine:

● The study and practice of medicine is an enormous subject and is continually evolving.
● Computer technology is important in helping health professionals provide as reliable and
efficient a service as possible and also in keeping them aware of medical advances.
● Patient records:
○ Your doctor and the team of healthcare professionals who care for you all keep records
about your health and any treatment and the care you receive from them.
○ For example, when someone is admitted into hospital, their details are entered into the
patient record system. Once this information is on record, whenever that patient is
admitted in the future, their records can be found very quickly.
○ The typical information held on record for a patient could include:
■ Name, address and next of kin
■ History of contact with the hospital, clinic or surgery
■ Notes and reports about health, treatment and care given
■ Results of x-rays and laboratory tests
■ Relevant information from other healthcare professionals
■ Relatives or people who care for the patient
Computers in Medicine
Expert and Information Systems in Medicine:

○ Patient records are now stored digitally on computer and online. This makes it easier for
various professionals who have been given access rights to view them if there is an
emergency.
● Pharmacy records:
○ It is important that pharmacy records are kept so that doctors and medical workers can
check the medicines that a patient has been taking and ensure there are no errors in the
prescribing of their medication.
○ All prescriptions used to be written on special forms by a doctor, given to the patient and
taken to the pharmacy.
○ In many countries, most prescriptions are now signed, sent and processed electronically.
○ Patients can choose a pharmacy to which prescriptions are sent to and can collect their
medicines or have them delivered without having to hand in a paper prescription.
○ As all prescriptions are electronic, details of the latest ones issues can easily be added to
the patient’s records automatically.
○ Previously, data had to be entered into the computer manually. Before that all paper
records had to be stored in boxes for a number of years.
Computers in Medicine
Expert and Information Systems in Medicine:

● Security of patient records and systems:


○ There are concerns about the implications of security, access and use of electronic
patient information. Some of the concerns are:
■ Hacking, which can lead to the altering of patient data or destruction of the systems
■ Misuse of health information records by authorised users of the systems
■ Long term data management concerns about keeping data secure in the future
■ The possibility of intrusion into personal health care matters by the police, insurers,
social workers, other government or corporate institutions.
○ There are rules, laws and systems n place to prevent the threats given above.
Computers in Medicine
3D printers for medical aids:

● Most hearing aids are already created using 3D printers and scientists have also worked out the
theory of how to print blood vessels and skin and even embryonic stem cells.
● A major advance that led to 3D bioprinting was the development of biomaterials.
● Biomaterials are cells and other components to print living tissues that function as the original
tissue would.
● The categories of health care where 3D printing can be applied are for artificial body parts
(prosthetics), medical devices and human tissues.
● In medicine, 3D printers are having most success with prosthetics such as dental work and
hearing aids.
● These may all be made from either plastic of pliable materials. They need to be made for a
specific patient, so each will be individual, rather than mass produced.
● Medical 3D printing is expanding quickly in areas such as the creation of tissues and organs,
customised prosthetics, implants,, anatomical models and more.
Computers in Medicine
3D printers for medical aids:

● The benefits of 3D printing for medical tools and equipment including:


○ Customising and personalising medical products, drugs and equipment
○ Reducing costs
○ Increasing productivity
○ Extending the power of information in design and manufacturing
○ Enhanced teamwork
● Unlike inkjet printers, 3D printers have an additional axis called the z-axis.
● They have a mechanism called an elevator that moves a platform up and down to achieve
printing on the z-axis.
● The cartridges of 3D printers are also filled with substances other than ink.
● If the cartridge were filled with plastic, it would output a 3D plastic appliance according to the
instructions given.
● If the cartridge were filled with cells, then it would output a mass of cells.
● In a similar way that an inkjet printer uses cartridges filled with different colours, s 3D printer can
have cartridges filled with different types of materials.
Computers in Medicine
3D printers for medical aids:

● Prosthetics:
○ If a drawing is carried out using computer aided design (CAD) software, which allows the
creation, modification and analysis of a design and the cartridges are filled with the
correct substances, then it is possible to print items such as prosthetic hands, arms and
legs.
○ Prosthetics can be printed for a specific surgery. This will make the prosthetic more
effective than if it had been mass produced and 3D printing will be able to respond
quickly to the problem inseam of waiting for a device to manufactured.
● Tissue engineering and artificial blood vessels:
○ Different tissues can be combined to produce organs such as blood vessels.
○ Artificial blood vessels can be produced using a 3D printer loaded with two different bio
inks, smooth muscle cells and endothelial or lining cells.
○ Tissue engineering is also known as bioprinting. Bioprinting works similarly to traditional 3D
printing methods where a digital model will be printed layer on layer, until the physical
object is complete.
Computers in Medicine
3D printers for medical aids:

● Customised medicines:
○ Customised or personalised medicines are tailor made or adapted for each patient with
their individual needs and characteristics.
○ 3D printed drugs have been developed to adapt to each patient’s needs and could
change treatments in a radical way in the long term.
○ In the future, patients with multiple chronic conditions will no longer have to take
numerous drugs several times a day, instead they can take one tablet containing all the
required medications at the right dose thanks to 3D printing.

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