Ch. 12 Computers and Technology in Health Care - KEY TERMS
What is an adenosine stress test?
It is a cardiac test used for patients unable to exercise. The drug adenosine is administered to dilate blood vessels, simulating the effect of exercise on the heart to check for blood flow issues.
What is a dobutamine stress test?
It is a type of cardiac stress test where the drug dobutamine is administered to make the heart beat faster and harder, mimicking the effects of exercise to evaluate heart function.
What is an exercise stress test?
It is a cardiovascular test that monitors the heart's electrical activity, heart rate, and blood pressure while the patient walks on a treadmill or pedals a stationary bike.
What is a nuclear stress test?
It is a diagnostic test that uses a small amount of radioactive material (tracer) and an imaging machine to show how well blood flows to the heart muscle at rest and during stress.
What is an echocardiogram?
It is a painless test that uses high-frequency sound waves (ultrasound) to create moving pictures of the heart's chambers, valves, and surrounding blood vessels.
What is an electrocardiogram (ECG)?
It is a simple, non-invasive test that records the electrical activity of the heart to detect abnormal rhythms and heart muscle damage.
What is computerized tomography (CT)?
It is a medical imaging technique that uses computer-processed combinations of multiple X-ray measurements taken from different angles to produce detailed cross-sectional images of the body.
What is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)?
It is a non-invasive medical imaging technique that uses powerful magnetic fields and radio waves to generate highly detailed images of organs, soft tissues, and bone.
What is positron emission tomography (PET)?
It is a highly advanced imaging test that uses a radioactive drug (tracer) to reveal how tissues and organs are functioning at a cellular level, often used to detect cancer.
What is ultrasonography?
It is an imaging technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of internal body structures, such as organs, vessels, and developing fetuses.
What is radiation therapy?
It is a medical treatment that uses high doses of targeted radiation to kill cancer cells, shrink tumors, or relieve cancer symptoms.
What is robotic surgery?
These are minimally invasive surgical procedures performed using advanced robotic systems controlled by a surgeon, allowing for enhanced precision, flexibility, and control.
What is image-guided surgery (IGS)?
These are surgical procedures where the surgeon uses real-time tracked surgical instruments in conjunction with medical images (like CT or MRI scans) to precisely guide the operation.
What are lasers?
In medicine, these are devices that produce intense, narrow beams of light used for highly precise surgical cutting, tissue ablation, and specialized treatments.
What is computer literacy?
It is the knowledge and ability to use computers and related technology efficiently and effectively.
What is a database?
It is an organized collection of structured data or information, usually stored electronically, allowing for easy access, management, and updating.
What are fields?
In a database, a field is a single piece of specific data (like a patient's last name) that, when grouped with other fields, creates a record.
What is a record?
In database terminology, a record is a complete set of fields related to one specific entity (e.g., all the combined data fields for a single patient).
What is computer-aided design (CAD)?
It is the use of computer software to create, modify, analyze, or optimize physical designs, often used in healthcare to design prosthetics.
What are firewalls?
They are network security systems that monitor and control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules to protect against cyber threats.
What is an uninterrupted power supply (UPS)?
It is a backup power device that provides near-instantaneous emergency electrical power to critical equipment when the main power fails.
What is a mainframe computer?
These are large, highly powerful computers primarily used by large organizations for critical applications, bulk data processing, and enterprise resource planning.
What is a microcomputer?
It is a small, relatively inexpensive computer designed for individual use, featuring a microprocessor as its central processing unit (CPU).
What is a personal computer?
It is a multi-purpose microcomputer whose size, capabilities, and price make it feasible for individual, personal use.
What are networks?
A collection of computers and devices connected together to share resources, data, and applications.