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Chapter 5 Computer Software and Systems

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Software

Is the general term applied to the instructions that direct the computer’s hardware to perform work.

Its consist of instructions communicated electronically to the hardware.

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Types of Software

System Software – boots up the computer system; controls input, output and storage; and controls the operations of the application software; consist of programs that controls the

operation of the computer and its devices.

Application Software– includes the various programs that users require to perform day-to-day tasks.

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Types of System Software

Operating System – a set of programs containing instructions that coordinate all the activities among computer hardware resources.

“A computer cannot function without an operating system”.

Utilities/Utility Program – software that performs specific task, usually related to managing your computer, its devices, or its programs.

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User Interface

Is a part of the software with which you interact; it controls how data and instructions are entered and how information is presented on the screen.

Types of User Interface Command Line Interface Graphical User Interface (GUI)

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Types of user interface

Command Line Interface - you type keywords or press special keys from the keyboard to enter data and instructions.

Command language – are set of commands you use to interact with the computer.

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Types of user interface

Graphical User Interface – allows you to use menus and visual images such as icons.

Icons are small images that represents a program, instructions or information.

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Language Translation Utilities

Translation programs are needed to convert instructions written in English-like language into binary. These translation programs are called assemblers, compilers or interpreters.

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Application Software

Types of Application Software Word processor Spreadsheet DBMS (Database

Management System) Graphics Educational Games Accounting Package

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Programming Language

Is a means of communicating with the computer.

Is a set of words, symbols, and codes that enables a programmer to communicate a solution algorithm to computer.

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Generations and level of programming language

The term “level” refers to how close the language is to the actual machine.

First level includes the first two generations of programming language:

Machine language and assembly language

Second level includes high-level procedural and nonprocedural language

Third level (fifth generation) is natural language.

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Machine Language

Is the true language of the computer.

Its consists only of binary numbers 1’s and 0’s, representing the on and off electrical impulses.

Byte is consist of 8 bits.

For example no.3 has an 8 bits of 00000011

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Assembler Language

Its far more English-like language. Assemble language instructions have a one-to-one

correspondence with a machine language instructions.Sample Code:

PRINT_LOOP:CALL WRITE_CHARINC DLLOOP PRINT_LOOPMOV AH,4CHINT 21H;21H

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Third Generation Language

Procedural language – requires the programmer to specify both what the computer is to do and the procedure on how to do it.

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Fourth Generation Language

Specialized application programs that require more involvement of the user in directing the program to do necessary work.

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Fifth Generation Language

Are also called natural language.

The user tells the machine what to do in the user’s own natural language or through use of a set of very English-like commands.

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Software Packages

Package Software is designed to meet the needs of a wide variety of users, not just a single user or company.

Is sometimes called commercial-off-the-shelf software.

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Software Useful to Nurses

It includes : Admission, discharge and transfer (ADT) systems Medication administration record (MAR) software Charting Software Computerize acuity system Hospital email system Chat rooms Electronic bulletin boards Listservs

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Computer Programming

Refers to the process of writing a computer program, which is a series of instructions written in proper sequence to solve a specific problem.

Program encompasses the program instructions and is generally written by a computer programmer.

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Steps in writing a computer program

Problem definition Program design Writing the code and program

documentation Alpha Testing Beta Testing and program documentation

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System Elements

Six elements : Interdependent parts Input to the system System processes Output of the system System control feedback

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System Elements

Interdependent parts. The most defining attribute of a system is that its parts interact to conduct some process. Without interaction, the system process could not occur. In the production of the system’s process, the parts are interdependent.

Input is any factor from the external environment that is taken into the system. Input in a computer system may serve to initiate system functioning.

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Process is the activity of the system. The system performs process on its inputs to procedure outputs, or create some sort of results.

Output is any product or waste produced as a result of system process.

Control refers to any component or activity that serves to prevent or correct problems or errors in the system’s input, process or output.

Feedback is the output from one part of a system process that serves as input to another part of a system process.

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System Elements

Information System

Is the collection and integration of various pieces of hardware and software and the human resources that meet the data collection, storage, processing and report generation needs of an organization.

Are found almost everywhere in health care, including hospitals, clinics, community health agencies, research facilities, and educational institutions.

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Information Systems

Management Information System (MIS) Bibliographic Retrieval System Stand-alone system Transaction system Physiologic monitoring system Decision support system Expert system Artificial Intelligence System Natural Language System

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MIS

Provides managers information about their business operations.

Is defined as an organized system for managing the flow of information in an organization in a timely manner.

Have programs that support strategic planning, management control and operation support.

Strategic planning refers to the policy decisions made by the top-level team of administrators.

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Bibliographic Retrieval Systems

Is a retrieval system that generally refers to bibliographic data, document information or literature.

Primarily used to store and retrieve data and not to conduct any computations per se.

Is designed to provide bibliographic data on journal articles, books, monographs and textual report.

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Stand-alone systems

Is a special purpose system.

Is developed for a single application or set of functions .

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Transaction Systems

Is used to process predefined transactions and produce predefined reports.

It is designed for repeated operations using a fixed list.

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Physiologic Monitoring System

Are widely used in hospital patient care units, in surgery, and more and more commonly, in private homes.

Are being used more frequently to measure and monitor continuous automatic physiologic findings such as heart rate.

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Decision Support System

Is a computer system that supports some aspects of the human decision-making process.

It works with the user to support, but not replace, human judgment in a decision-making situation.

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Expert System

Is a computer system containing the information and decision-making strategies of an expert to assist non-experts in decision-making.

Is designed for a user to simulate the cause and effect reasoning that a expert would use if confronted with the same situation in real live environment.

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Artificial Intelligence System

Is a system that attempts to a model human reasoning processes.

A true AI system can also track the accuracy of its predictions and judgments and alter its decision-making rules, based on new knowledge it generates for itself.

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Natural Language System

Is a system that can understand and process commands given in the user’s own natural, spoken language.

It requires the computer to understand a wide range of words, speech styles, syntax and sentence structure.

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Hospital Information System

Sometimes called medical information system (MIS) or patient care system (PCS)

It provides support for a wide variety of both administrative and clinical functions.

Its purpose is to manage information needed to facilitate daily hospital operations by all health care personnel.

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HIS Configurations

HIS can use several computer system configurations.

The most common uses mainframe computer with hardwired terminals or workstations.

Another configurations employs a LAN.

Many hospitals configuration include the dedicated IS for special purposes, such as nurse staffing, pharmacy or laboratory sysyems.

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Program modules available in an HIS

Include a wide variety of administrative applications (modules) as:

Admission and discharge Patient tracking Finance Payroll Billing Budgeting support Inventory Management reporting programs

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Semiclinical modules

These both support administrative and clinical operations.

ADT Monitors and sometimes controls the flow of

patients in a hospital from admission to discharge.

Automatically prepare the midnight census and activity reports.

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Order-entry-result-reporting module

Means that the staff can enter laboratory, pharmacy, and radiology orders online.

Results reporting means that the lab, pharmacy and radiology can enter the results into the computer system and have those results available to the nursing unit.

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Clinical Support Modules

Charting systems

Point-of-service (POS) systems

Laboratory, Pharmacy and Radiology Modules

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Charting Systems

Include : Medication administration reports Admission assessment Shift assessments Special assessments (neurologic assessment

and labor records) Vital sign records Wound care Hygienic care records

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Point-of-service (POS) system

Also known as point-of-care system. Uses a hand-held or bedside PC to ensure

that data are entered at the point at which they are collected.

Designed to save time by recording critical clinical data such as patient assessment, drug administration, vital signs.

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Laboratory, Pharmacy & Radiology Modules

Are needed by all hospitals. Laboratory system includes:

Laboratory test request Generates the specimen labels Track the specimen Generates the result Communicates the findings to patient medical record.

Pharmacy systems track medication orders and changes in orders.

Drug interaction warning programs Dosage calculators

Radiology systems are usually separate products develop by companies that specialize in diagnostic computer imaging systems.

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