14 January 2003

Er this from Scripting News but how come I'm getting no header - and how come item duplicated above my edit area? I'm planning the blogging website for Harvard in my head, and thought of a question I'd like to ask Harvard students and faculty. Would you like to participate in a project to create knowledge? I would have liked that question when I was a student. Of course! Yes yes yes. That's why I came to college. But there were so few ways for students to participate when I was a student. I wonder if it's like that at Harvard. I think about the Yahoo guys at Stanford and how inspired they were. What if a university like Harvard, not just a few students, got busy mapping the world of knowledge on the Internet. Each student would take responsibility for some period of time for some aspect of world knowledge. When they graduate they pass it on, or even better, take the responsibility with them, into life. Does any of this make sense? I'm beta testing ideas here as I go. [Scripting News] 10:55:45 PM     Peer-to-peer - so whats the big deal? http://www.nwfusion.com/research/2003/0106peer.html ... flexible and efficient alternatives to bandwidth-intensive, server-based technologies ... without having to run to the IT department ... when a user changes a shared file, only the changes are transmitted across the workgroup, rather than the whole file, which conserves bandwidth. 6:56:38 PM     Peer-to-peer healthcare The Western Isles Health Board (WIHB) is the visionary NHS customer which commissioned Mysterian to build Radiology Manager. They have told us they're keen to see more publicity on our activities together so I'm more than happy to oblige! I love the headings on their web site home page, not just for their exemplary use of Gaelic: Bòrd SSN nan Eilean Siar One happy healthy islands community As we've mentioned before, New Year's Day and the holiday period in general was momentous for Mysterian and the WIHB.  The screenshot below crystallises why this was so.  As 2002 came to a close various patients at Ospadal nan Eilean (the Western Isles Hospital) were CT scanned and their records entered into Radiology Manager (anonymized below). These patient records were in general non-urgent. Radiological analysis was carried out by a radiologist (also anonymized below) using Radiology Manager from his home in Edinburgh. And with that the era of peer-to-peer healthcare began.  At least, we think its a world first. Tell us if you know different. Why does this matter? Why couldn't this have been done equally well using the Web? Well - security of records was so much easier Groove presence, chat and alerts were fundamental to the collaboration automatic image synchronization meant that radiologist and radiographer views stayed in sync the user interface is so much richer than that of the Web browser 2:54:12 PM     [Forrest Duncan's Radio Weblog] Forrest says.. As it turns out, we believe healthcare is a natural for peer to peer applications in many areas, whilst retaining other applications within a server based model.  Actually, I wish we could replace the p2p acronym.  I would prefer to have the applications we develop and the Groove platform described as 'group collaboration software' or watever. We find that in the main any endusers cannot really get the Napster picture out of their head.  No bad thing, but Napster only one application of p2p. However, this may be being pedantic. Well I like p2p myself as it stands in clear architectural contrast to 'client-server'.  It also connotes use of 'the grid'. Healthcare provision, (generally from cradle to grave) is a collaborative process.  The key person of course is the patient.  During the patient's healthcare history, there will be various healthcare personnel that cross the patients path.  Mostly, it will probably only be a GP and Dentist, but on many occasions, especially during hospitalisation, many more will be involved.  We all recognise this.  But what is happening here?  In commercial terms, there is an adhoc team being formed to complete a specific project.  After the event, most will not need this information again.  They move on to the next 'project'.  The patient (the client) of course needs the information as does the Project Mgr (GP).   The patient is at the edge of the health system, so why is her information not stored there too? (with backup/archive services available of course). Absolutely right. As you've also pointed out why can't I carry my patient record around on Flash memory stick and insert it at the network edge as and when required? Its my record baby and if I happen to fly to Brazil say, I have no expectation that healthcare systems there and in UK are integrated at all. Groove enables me to take my records offline and bring them back up for new medical collaboration eg treat my hay fever allergies in Brazil. Is it too late though?  Will the centre want to cede control?  Ah-ha, that's a good, but different question. Well its a dialectic dude, as our old pal Malky might say. 1:22:17 PM     Interesting healthcare Weblog - Marcus Pierson MD Clinical Microsystems resources on line--for clinical workplace improvement. Bill Mahoney sends us a very useful web link: http://clinicalmicrosystem.org/  These folks give us much useful information on clinical work place improvements. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation supports their efforts. There is a strong team involved in the work and tools make available from this site. OD specialists and Process Engineers/Facilitators will find it useful as will folks in clinical work units. [Marc's Weblog] 1:09:57 PM     Peer-to-peer healthcare One thing we'd like to do with Radiology Manager is use it as a vehicle to articulate why peer-to-peer is significant for healthcare. It basically revolves around various key concepts: the team real-time communication asynchronous distributed computation the relative uselessness of search when it comes to harnessing expertise eg answering questions such as 'who are the top 3 experts in the world on glomangioma and are they on line right now?'   We'll try and develop our thoughts further ... 11:58:05 AM     This just in from Forrest D via Instant Message Computing Grid for breast cancer screening and diagnosis http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/po/021014.shtml Oxford has joined with IBM and the UK Government to build a sophisticated computing Grid that will enable early screening and diagnosis of breast cancer, and provide medical professionals with greater information to help treat the disease. The partnership involves a three-way collaboration between IBM, the Computer Science and Engineering departments at Oxford, and Mirada Solutions, the University spin-out company which has developed the intellectual property for the Standard Mammographic Form (SMF) that will be used in the project. The £4.2 million project, called 'eDiamond', is part of the UK government's eScience initiative. Key to the project is the facility to standardize digital mammogram images, a capability which will help radiologists to compare and evaluate mammography scans stored on eDiamond accurately, no matter where or when they were created. 11:47:31 AM

© Copyright 2003 Neil Finlayson. Last update: 04/02/2003; 12:38:49.