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DISC Demos Medical Records
WLAN
Last semester, a team of Virtual
Corporation students demonstrated the first working prototype
of a Virginia Tech wireless medical information system.
The system enables users to access medical records on an interactive,
JAVA data base, with a data rate of 1.6 MBS using wireless modems
that have a range of 300 feet. The prototype was designed to
be used at Tech's Schiffert Student Health Center, where student
medical records are currently paper-based.
"Using our Java Client/Server application doctors can use
wireless handheld computers to access real-time information about
their patients," said Wesley Rios, (CpE, '00), who served
as director of the wireless team last semester. "This will
increase productivity and quality of patient care by eliminating
patient treatment delays, redundant paperwork, and potential
transcription errors," he added.
"By using RF technology to rapidly send and receive data
over the airwaves, our WLAN enables portable and mobile PC users
to seamlessly access a network from anywhere within the building.
Each doctor or nurse can roam freely and still be fully connected
to all the resources of a wired network," he explained.
The software, WLAN, and database were designed and developed
by a multidisciplinary team of students in the Distributed
Information Systems Corporation (DISC), a division of Tech's
Virtual Corporation program. DISC is dedicated to developing
solutions in the field of medical informatics.
"As a student-run corporation, we are always looking for
ways to enhance our learning curve," said T. Korey Leslie
(MGT, '00), the current president of DISC. "Schiffert Health
Center gave us that chance when they opened their doors to our
testing. Thanks in part to their support, DISC has been able
to move forward to the development of a fully functional product."
The wireless team included Jason Glovier (CpE, '00), Bart Matinpour
(EE, '00), Marcus Menezes (ISE, '00), and Douglas Roark (CpE,
'02). The team worked with the Mobile
and Portable Radio Research Group (MPRG) and the Center
for Wireless Telecommunications (CWT) to set up the WLAN.
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