Which is an advantage of electronic patient records?

They can be accessed quickly by authorised staff. Records can be found in seconds.

Why must patient records be kept secure?

They are sensitive personal data. Only authorised people should see them.

What is a prosthetic?

an artificial body part, such as a limb. 3D printers can make one to fit a patient exactly.

Which is a use of 3D printing in medicine?

making customised medicines. The dose can be made exactly right for one patient.

What do pharmacy records store?

the medicines prescribed to each patient. They help prevent harmful combinations of drugs.

Computers in medicine · Cambridge IGCSE Information & Communication Technology

In plain words

Hospitals run on information: who the patient is, what is wrong, what they have been given. Computers hold that information, and are now starting to manufacture treatments as well.

5 things to know

Patient records are kept in a database: personal details, medical history, test results, allergies and treatments. Any authorised doctor can see them quickly, they cannot be mislaid like paper notes, and they are easy to read.
Pharmacy records hold the medicines prescribed to each patient, so that prescriptions can be checked and repeated, and dangerous combinations spotted.
Medical records are sensitive personal data, so they must be kept secure and seen only by authorised staff.
3D printers are used in medicine to print prosthetics made to fit one patient, artificial blood vessels, and tissue grown from a patient's own cells (tissue engineering).
They can also print customised medicines, with the exact dose a patient needs.

Worked example

A patient arrives unconscious at a hospital in another city. How do computerised patient records help?

The doctors can look up the patient's records straight away, from any hospital.
They can see allergies and current medicines, and so avoid giving a harmful treatment.
Paper notes kept at the patient's own doctor's surgery would not be available.

Tips and tricks

"Faster access", "available in more than one place" and "easier to read than handwriting" are the standard advantages of electronic records.
Learn the four uses of 3D printing in medicine: prosthetics, tissue engineering, artificial blood vessels and customised medicines.

5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Computers in medicine: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

Which is an advantage of electronic patient records?
- They can be read only in one building.
- They can be accessed quickly by authorised staff. (the answer)
- They are never backed up.
- They need no security.
Records can be found in seconds.
Why must patient records be kept secure?
- They are very large.
- They are sensitive personal data. (the answer)
- They are printed in colour.
- They are stored on tape.
Only authorised people should see them.
What is a prosthetic?
- a type of medicine
- an artificial body part, such as a limb (the answer)
- a patient record
- a blood test
3D printers can make one to fit a patient exactly.
Which is a use of 3D printing in medicine?
- storing patient records
- making customised medicines (the answer)
- booking appointments
- sending prescriptions by email
The dose can be made exactly right for one patient.
What do pharmacy records store?
- the hospital's staff rota
- the medicines prescribed to each patient (the answer)
- the cost of the building
- patients' fingerprints
They help prevent harmful combinations of drugs.

5 questions

Tap an answer and you’ll see straight away whether it’s right, and why.

Worksheet

2 questions, 5 marks. Write your answers on paper, then check them.

Computers in medicine

Cambridge IGCSE Information & Communication Technology 0417 · 5 marks · papermunch.org

Name ______________________________ Date ______________

Give three advantages of storing patient records on a computer system instead of on paper.[3]
Show answerHide answer
They can be found much more quickly. They can be seen by doctors in different places. They are easier to read than handwritten notes. (Also: they are less likely to be lost.)
I got this one
Describe two uses of 3D printers in medicine.[2]
Show answerHide answer
Printing prosthetic limbs made to fit a particular patient. Printing customised medicines with the exact dose needed. (Also: artificial blood vessels, tissue engineering.)
I got this one

Answers: Computers in medicine

1. They can be found much more quickly. They can be seen by doctors in different places. They are easier to read than handwritten notes. (Also: they are less likely to be lost.)
2. Printing prosthetic limbs made to fit a particular patient. Printing customised medicines with the exact dose needed. (Also: artificial blood vessels, tissue engineering.)