Joseph Adam

Virtual instrumentation and real-time executive dashboards. Solutions for health care systems.

Successful organizations have the ability to measure and act on key indicators and events in real time. By leveraging the power of virtual instrumentation and open architecture standards, multidimensional executive dashboards can empower health care organizations to make better and faster data-driven decisions. This article will highlight how user-defined virtual instruments and dashboards can connect to hospital information systems (e.g., admissions/discharge/transfer systems, patient monitoring networks) and use statistical process control to “visualize” information and make timely, data-driven decisions. The case studies described will illustrate enterprisewide solutions for: bed management and census control, operational management, data mining and business intelligence applications, and clinical applications (physiological data acquisition and wound measurement and analysis).

Validation of a vibrotactile stimulation system to treat apnea of prematurity

Apnea is a cessation of respiration. A system that uses vibrotactile stimulation to treat apnea in neonates was modified. Traditional (hand) stimulation, where the nurse stimulates the baby by hand contact, is compared to vibrotactile stimulation (VTS). Modifications and methods of conducting the clinical study are described.

The design, development and application of a virtual instrument system to assess vibrotactile stimulation to interrupt neonatal apnea

Premature infants are susceptible to apnea. Presently physical stimulation, administered to interrupt apneic episodes, is accomplished by hand contact, which is often delayed and presents infection risks. This study developed a software system to collect and analyze data to study the efficacy and safety of mechanical vibrotactile stimulation (VTS) as a means of interrupting an apneic episode. This software system was utilized to compare VTS (n=12) and hand stimulation (n=12). VTS and traditional hand stimulation were found to be equally effective in terminating apnea (9/12 (75%) vs. 10/12 (80%)). Mean time to resumption of breathing from onset of stimulation was similar (VTS 3.1/spl plusmn/2.6 seconds vs. hand 3.7/spl plusmn/4.1 seconds, p=0.67), as was total apnea duration (VTS 28.1/spl plusmn/12.1 seconds vs. hand 28.5/spl plusmn/5.2 seconds, p=0.93). The duration of VTS was half as long as hand stimulation (VTS 2.9/spl plusmn/1.7 seconds vs. hand 6.8/spl plusmn/5.4 seconds, p=0.05). No adverse effects of VTS were noted Overall, VTS was similar to hand stimulation in its ability to end apneic spells. Since the duration of VTS was half that of hand stimulation VTS seems more efficient in interrupting apnea.

Strategic Graphic Dashboards for improved technology management decisions

This paper discusses the ongoing application of Strategic Digital Dashboard (SGD) technologies to a growing number of important medical applications. The growing number of medical data warehouses and repositories in military and civilian healthcare applications have proved challenging for useful application due to the sheer size and complexity of the knowledge-base (HighTechMaui 2002, Stratton and Dick 2002). Advances in graphical software development tools like Lab View and others has allowed development of soft-configurable display systems that simplify human interpretation in several ways. SGD development in the JMAR project will be another step in the evolution of complex medical information systems that can improve military and civilian medical supply logistics.

Integration of heterogeneous medical supplies and computerized medical maintenance management (CMMS) databases and decision support systems

This paper discusses an ongoing medical informatics and business process reengineering research project. The Joint Medical Asset Repository (JMAR) is a relational database system created to integrate very diverse medical supply and medical maintenance management information from the US military services existing heterogeneous database systems. JMAR allows strategic and tactical decision making without the cost, complexity, risk and delay of forcing military service to convert to a standard platform.

A non-invasive cardiopulmonary measurement system

This paper describes a non-invasive method for the accurate determination of cardiac output and oxygen consumption, by using a rebreathing technique. Other pulmonary function testing parameters, such as lung capacities are also evaluated in the system.

Decision support applications using statistical process control (SPC) and virtual instrumentation (VI)

Statistical Process Control (SPC) principles incorporated into the Virtual Instrumentation (VI) application, using a programming environment called LabVIEW, made it possible to develop a statistical control system which has the capability of monitoring and analyzing the pre-defined biomedical engineering indicator processes.