A knowledge-based design for a computerized compact clinic for a family physician

Biomedical equipment can be designed in many ways. By using advanced programming techniques, it is possible to design a new piece of medical equipment and to integrate it with other equipment designed in a similar fashion. Family physician practices require many individual pieces of basic equipment such as EKG recorders, and pain-relieving nerve stimulators for their day-to-day applications. Each is purchased and subsequently maintained separately. At the same time, most physician's offices have ready access to a personal computer, that is primarily used for scheduling appointments, accounting, and storage of patient records. In this paper a design is presented for combining that PC, along with advanced programming techniques, and basic medical equipment requirements to create a simplified, integrated piece of biomedical equipment. The proposed computerized compact clinic will have software and associated hardware components that can be used in both outpatient and inpatient applications in a small clinic. Knowledge-based techniques will enhance the accuracy of the measured parameters and reduce the manual setup time. The ultimate goal is to create an integrated system that can measure and monitor a patient's condition, and/or be used in therapeutic applications.