ICT - THE IMPORTANT SOURCE IN MEDICAL SCIENCE.
- Introduction
Information and communication technology (ICT) has brought many changes in medical education and practice in the last couple of decades. Teaching and learning medicine particularly has gone under profound changes due to computer technologies, and medical schools around the world, particularly in industrialized countries, have invested heavily in new computer technologies or in the process of adapting to this technological revolution. In order to catch up with the rest of the world, developing countries need to research their options, design the necessary process, and implement essential changes in adapting to new computer technologies.
- ICT Helps To Improve Medical Science & Health Care
ICT is an established fact that information and communication technologies are the backbone of the current information system. Their scope is also extremely vast. Health care facilities have been largely benefited by the evolvement of ICT. Owing to information and communication technologies, the entire world has become a small global village with regard to medical and health care. Further, even within a particular state or country, data can easily be transmitted from one place to another within no time at all. This technology helps doctors, hospitals, the general public and all other medical care providers.
ICT has made e-health possible. This is the concept in which doctors get better access to patient information even if they live states apart. They also get a faster access to medical records, case studies and laboratory results. The technology also helps in better communication between doctors and pharmacists.
- ICT In Medicine
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Body scanners
A body scanner sends electromagnetic rays through a patient’s body and sensors detect how much different parts of the body absorb the rays.
A computer uses this data to build up an image of the inside of a patient’s body.
Body scanners allow doctors to find and treat conditions such as tumours in their early stages when the chances of treating them successfully are much greater.
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Patient monitoring
Computers are used in hospitals to monitor critically ill patients in intensive care units.
The patient has sensors attached to him which detect changes in heart rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, breathing and brain activity.If any of these fall below a preset level the computer sounds an alarm and alerts the medical staff.The data is also logged and used to analyse the changes in a patient’s condition over a period of time.
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Organ transplants
Computerised databases are used to help match patients who are waiting for organ transplants such as a new kidney, liver or heart, with suitable organs from donors.
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Patient records
Computerised databases are used by every hospital in the country to store information about patients.
Uses of these databases include: organising the transfer of patients between wards recording the history of a patient’s appointments with a consultant booking outpatient appointments booking ambulances ordering equipment.
Body scanners
A body scanner sends electromagnetic rays through a patient’s body and sensors detect how much different parts of the body absorb the rays.
A computer uses this data to build up an image of the inside of a patient’s body.
Body scanners allow doctors to find and treat conditions such as tumours in their early stages when the chances of treating them successfully are much greater.
Patient monitoring
Computers are used in hospitals to monitor critically ill patients in intensive care units.
The patient has sensors attached to him which detect changes in heart rate, pulse rate, blood pressure, breathing and brain activity.If any of these fall below a preset level the computer sounds an alarm and alerts the medical staff.The data is also logged and used to analyse the changes in a patient’s condition over a period of time.
Organ transplants
Computerised databases are used to help match patients who are waiting for organ transplants such as a new kidney, liver or heart, with suitable organs from donors.
Patient records
Computerised databases are used by every hospital in the country to store information about patients.
Uses of these databases include: organising the transfer of patients between wards recording the history of a patient’s appointments with a consultant booking outpatient appointments booking ambulances ordering equipment.
Conclusion
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ICT provides students with a broad perspective. This important topic was selected as the focus of this study. The study found that ICT can be a useful tool to address problems in medical education, but the lack of technology and resources is still a serious limitation. The noteworthy point is that even after three decades, the inadequacy of qualified technical staff has stood in the way of users' satisfaction. Further, there is ample evidence that most users are deprived of access to the vast medical literature available in electronic format. The Medical College library has not been able to use the services available at a national and international level. Another obvious finding is the absence of co-operation among the medical libraries in Orissa or at the national level, including the lack of even interlibrary loan. Attention to these broad areas of weakness will go a long way toward improving the use of ICT in the library.
ICT provides students with a broad perspective. This important topic was selected as the focus of this study. The study found that ICT can be a useful tool to address problems in medical education, but the lack of technology and resources is still a serious limitation. The noteworthy point is that even after three decades, the inadequacy of qualified technical staff has stood in the way of users' satisfaction. Further, there is ample evidence that most users are deprived of access to the vast medical literature available in electronic format. The Medical College library has not been able to use the services available at a national and international level. Another obvious finding is the absence of co-operation among the medical libraries in Orissa or at the national level, including the lack of even interlibrary loan. Attention to these broad areas of weakness will go a long way toward improving the use of ICT in the library.
