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Hillen, Florian S. M. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Does management matter in scientific laboratories? : evidence from Harvard Medical School." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/117888.
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Thesis: S.M. in Technology and Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Engineering, Institute for Data, Systems, and Society, Technology and Policy Program, 2018.Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2018.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 89-91).
The high quality of modern medical care is built upon the creation of scientific knowledge generated from medical research. While the role of management practices has been rigorously explored across various industries, little is known about management in medical research. I collected data surveying principal investigators of medical research laboratories at the Harvard Medical School to examine the relationship of management practices and research outputs. I find that principal investigators with more effective management practices are associated with higher-impact research (measured by citations). This effect is stronger and more significant in younger compared to older laboratories and remains robust after using different controls. This study helps to increase the understanding of management in a scientific setting and should start a new discussion about the relevance of management in medical research.
by Florian Hillen.
S.M. in Technology and Policy
S.M.
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Jalkanen, Ville. "Resonance sensor technology for detection of prostate cancer." Licentiate thesis, Umeå : Tillämpad fysik och elektronik, Umeå univ, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-896.
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Latorre, Malcolm. "The Physical Axon : Modeling, Simulation and Electrode Evaluation." Doctoral thesis, Linköpings universitet, Avdelningen för medicinsk teknik, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-138587.
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Electrodes are used in medicine for detection of biological signals and for stimulating tissue, e.g. in deep brain stimulation (DBS). For both applications, an understanding of the functioning of the electrode, and its interface and interaction with the target tissue involved is necessary. To date, there is no standardized method for medical electrode evaluation that allows transferability of acquired data. In this thesis, a physical axon (Paxon) potential generator was developed as a device to facilitate standardized comparisons of different electrodes. The Paxon generates repeatable, tuneable and physiological-like action potentials from a peripheral nerve. It consists of a testbed comprising 40 software controlled 20 μm gold wires embedded in resin, each wire mimicking a node of Ranvier. ECG surface Ag-AgCl electrodes were systematically tested with the Paxon. The results showed small variations in orientation (rotation) and position (relative to axon position) which directly impact the acquired signal. Other electrode types including DBS electrodes can also be evaluated with the Paxon. A theoretical comparison of a single cable neuronal model with an alternative established double cable neuron model was completed. The output with regards to DBS was implemented to comparing the models. These models were configured to investigate electrode stimulation activity, and in turn to assess the activation distance by DBS for changes in axon diameter (1.5-10 μm), pulse shape (rectangular biphasic and rectangular, triangular and sinus monophasic) and drive strength (1-5 V or mA). As both models present similar activation distances, sensitivity to input shape and computational time, the neuron model selection for DBS could be based on model complexity and axon diameter flexibility. An application of the in-house neuron model for multiple DBS lead designs, in a patient-specific simulation study, was completed. Assessments based on the electric field along multiple sample planes of axons support previous findings that a fixed electric field isolevel is sufficient for assessments of tissue activation distances for a predefined axon diameter and pulse width in DBS.Elektroder används inom sjukvården, både för att mäta biologiska signaler, t.ex. hjärtats aktivitet med EKG, eller för att stimulera vävnad, t.ex. vid djup hjärnstimulering (DBS). För båda användningsområdena är det viktigt med en grundläggande förståelse av elektrodens interaktion med vävnaden. Det finns ingen standardiserad metod för att utvärdera medicinsk elektroders dataöverföringsfunktion. I den här avhandlingen presenteras en metod för att underlätta elektrodtestning. En hårdvarumodell av ett axon (Paxon) har utvecklats. Paxon kan programmeras för att efterlikna repeterbara aktionspotentialer från en perifer nerv. Längs axonet finns 40 noder, vilka var och en består av en tunn (20 μm) guldtråd inbäddad i harts och därefter kopplad till elektronik. Denna testbädd har använts för att undersöka EKG elektroders egenskaper. EKG elektroderna visade på variationer i orientering och position i relation till Paxon. Detta har en direkt inverkan på den registrerade signalen. Även andra elektrotyper kan testas i Paxon, t.ex. DBS elektroder. En teoretisk jämförelse mellan två neuronmodeller med olika komplexitet, anpassade för användning vid DBS studier, har utförts. Modellerna konfigurerades för att studera inverkan på aktiveringsavstånd från olika axondiametrar, stimulationspuls och stimulationsstyrka. Då båda modellerna visade likvärdiga aktiveringsavstånd och beräkningstid så förordas den enklare neuronmodellen för DBS simuleringar. En enklare modell kan lättare introduceras i klinisk verksamhet. Simuleringarna stöder tidigare resultat som visat att det elektriska fältet är en bra parameter för presentation av resultat vid simulering av DBS. Metoden exemplifieras vid simulering av aktiveringsavstånd och elektriska fältets utbredning för olika typer av DBS elektroder i en patient-specifik studie.
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Boltshauser, Rasmus. "Development of a Novel Device for Optimal Sample Blood Volume Collection from Patients with Sepsis." Thesis, KTH, Medicinteknik och hälsosystem, 2020. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-279133.
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When performing sepsis diagnosis, the most important preanalytical variable is blood volume. Too little blood increases the risk for false negatives whereas overfilling causes increased risk for false positives. Even though this fact is known, there are case studies showing that in a majority of tests, the taken blood sample volume is not the recommended amount. As previously tried methods have been limited in their ability to tackle the problem this study aimed at creating a technical device to aid healthcare providers with blood volume sample collection. As a base, the double diamond approach by the Design Council was used. This design approach splits up the design process in four distinctly different phases (discover, define, develop, and deliver) all using their own methods to aid the creative process. After completing the discover and define phase it was determined that a non-contact capacitance liquid level sensor could operate as an ideal blood volume sample device. During the development and delivery phase prototypes were created and evaluated. The final results of this work could not give conclusive evidence concerning if a non-contact liquid level sensor could operate as an ideal blood volume collection device. The methodological approach used in this thesis can be used as inspiration for a designer to create a device for a similar or different purpose. Moreover, information from this thesis can also work as reference material to develop a device to perform ideal blood volume sample collection. Such a device would have the potential to be an essential part of the everyday workflow in sample collection from patients with sepsis worldwide and would aid in ensures effective and fast diagnostics.
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Linko, Solveig. "Measurement tools for quality assurance in medical laboratories." Helsinki : University of Helsinki, 2003. http://ethesis.helsinki.fi/julkaisut/laa/kliin/vk/linko/.
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Punter, Villagrasa Jaime. "Bioimpedance monitoring system for pervasive biomedical applications." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/396086.
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Nowadays, Point-of-Care (PoC) are making a shifting of the classical medical procedures and treatment protocols, enhancing the performance of medical surveillance in all the world. It is a reliable and very cost-effective solution, specially in mid to low income countries and areas where access to specialized clinical laboratories is very restricted. However, there are several operational challenges and technical issues that must be addressed when aiming for a clinical system based on PoC devices health surveillance, decentralized patient self-testing and centralized data management for devices, pathologies treatment and patient monitoring improvement. The aim of this research is to design, fabricate and test a novel device / technology for PoC instantaneous screening and monitoring of cellular species, to address these issues and add new functionalities to existing devices to create Lab-on-a-Chip devices. The technique used to cellular monitoring is based on direct measurement from samples by means of its inherent electrical impedance, in order to overcome the operational challenges present on the actual PoC devices on the market.
The state of the art of PoC devices have been analysed to study their strengths and weakness, and determine the necessary improvements. This is, the development of instrumentation electronics, sensing systems as well as design protocols for truly PoC devices, relying on straight forward standards for economic, low power consumption, versatile, safe and reliable devices. The development of such technologies and devices is entailed to the evolution of these systems as implantable LOC devices for in vivo continuous monitoring of the patients. In this case, the development of simplified low-power electronics and sensing systems, leads to its miniaturization and integration in a single microchip with multiple functionalities. A discrete bench-top system for IA have been designed, fabricated and tested. The design and validation of different instrumentation electronics and sensing systems is presented, as well as design protocols for truly PoC devices. The device has been designed to perform an Impedance Spectrometry (IS) experiment in order to validate the whole device electronics as well as to characterize the sensing system and its interface accurately.
A first approach to a portable and compact device for PoC early instantaneous detection of anaemia, relying on hematocrit (HCT) screening, is described. This device has been designed to work directly with fresh whole blood samples. An experimental set-up and protocol of operation have been defined for instant impedance detection to determine the system detection accuracy, sensitivity and coefficient of variation. As you will notice, the device has been developed using prototyping tools from National Instruments for fast development and validation, as well as application functionalities.
Moreover, the possibilities of the integration of this technology within other devices, for increased functionalities, have been validated. The experiments were carried out with different instrumentations front-end as well as different sensing systems typologies, and the same back-end electronics for signal processing and system control. The analysed samples and its environment were dramatically different: laboratory sample formed by E. coli 5K strains working as a monitoring functionality of a DEP-enhanced concentrator for automated detection and concentration of bacteriological species.
Finally, it has been developed a specific PoC device for HCT detection and validated through a clinical assessment with whole blood samples. The design is based in the previously presented device’s electronic instrumentation and sensing system with the addition of an economic and low power back-end solution. A clinical study has been performed and the results obtained during the experimental procedures are shown, analysed and discussed. We summarize the conclusions obtained after this research and recommend future developments that could be done to develop truly last generation PoC devices and integrated LOC single-chip devices.L’objectiu de la tesi és la realització d’equipaments electrònics per aplicacions biomèdiques de caràcter Poin-of-Care en entorns d’investigació, control i tractament clínic. Aquest projecte es troba en el marc de les activitats de recerca del grup, on el desenvolupament d’electròniques d’interface amb el mon biomèdic i la recerca de noves tecnologies i aplicacions d’instrumentació són unes de les principals tasques que porten a terme. Donades aquestes consideracions, a l’últim any s’ha definit un camí dintre dels sistemes d’instrumentació PoC orientats al control d’agents biològics cel·lulars amb tècniques d’anàlisi d’impedància. Aquests dispositius estan basats en dos conceptes claus: el disseny d’instrumentació electrònica senzilla, econòmica i de baix consum, així com sistemes de sensat versàtils i d’un sol us. D’aquesta manera, és possible desenvolupar equipaments versàtils, portables i de baix cost que poden aportar gran rendiment en diferents camps de la biomedicina. Amb aquestes premisses, s’ha desenvolupat un equipament d’anàlisi d’impedància independent del sistema de sensat, el que comporta la possibilitat d’utilitzar multitud de tipus de sistemes de sensat. Aquest equipament, consta d’una senzilla instrumentació electrònica basada en un sistema de sensat preparat per diferents tipus de sensors, tot controlat per un microprocessador encarregat del control automatitzat del hardware, post-processat de dades i comunicació amb un ordinador remot. El sistema és capaç de treballar en un rang de freqüències molt ampli, amb diferent tipus de potència de senyal i diferent tipus d’anàlisi i representació, com ara Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) amb representació amb diagrames de Bode i Nyquist, o la selecció de punts de freqüencials concrets per un tipus d’anàlisi més específic per a un experiment biomèdic més concret, senzill i ràpid. Es tracta d’un equipament econòmic, fiable i senzill per l’anàlisi d’hematòcrit, que aporta avenços com la gran capacitat d’integració en ambients clínics, la possibilitat de fer un control medico sanitari instantani i reportar telemàticament els resultats o la possibilitat d’implementar un sistema de control mèdic integrat i automatitzat.
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Etcheverry, Cabrera Sebastian. "Advanced all-fiber optofluidic devices." Doctoral thesis, KTH, Laserfysik, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-215938.
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Significant technological advances of the last years have been possible by developments in Optofluidics, which is a field that deals with the integration of optics and microfluidics into single devices. The work described in this thesis is based on five scientific publications related to the use of fiber optic technology to build integrated optofluidic devices. The first three publications are within the field of life-science and point towards in-vivo and point-of-care applications, whereas the last two publications cover the study and the use of plasmonic nanoparticles for electrical modulation of light. Aiming at developing useful tools for in-vivo biological applications, the first publication consists of designing and testing a functional optical fiber for real-time monitoring and selective collection of fluorescent microparticles. This probe relies on a microstructured optical fiber with a hole along its cladding, which is used to selectively aspirate individual particles of interest once their fluorescence signal is detected. On the same line of research, the second publication contemplates the fabrication of a fiber probe that traps single microparticles and allows for remote detection of their optical properties. This probe is also based on a microstructured fiber that enables particle trapping by fluidic forces. The third publication addresses the development of an all-fiber miniaturized flow cytometer for point-of-care applications. This system can analyze, with excellent accuracy and sensitivity, up to 2500 cells per second by measuring their fluorescence and scattering signal. A novel microfluidic technique, called Elasto-inertial microfluidics, is employed for aligning the cells into a single-stream to optimize detection and throughput. The fourth publication involves the experimental and theoretical study of the electrical-induced alignment of plasmonic gold nanorods in suspension and its applicability to control light transmission. This study is done by using an all-fiber optofluidic device, based on a liquid-core fiber, which facilitates the interaction of light, electric fields, and liquid suspensions. Results show that nanorods can be aligned in microseconds, providing a much better performance than liquid-crystal devices. Finally, the fifth publication consists of an upgrade of the previous device by integrating four electrodes in the cladding of the liquid-core fiber. This improvement enables nanosecond response time and the possibility of digitally switching nanorods between two orthogonal aligned states, overcoming the limitation of slow thermal relaxation. The work presented here shows that optofluidics based on optical fibers is a robust and convenient platform, as well as a promising direction for the developing of novel instruments in fields such as life-science, non-linear optics, plasmonic, and sensing.QC 20171018
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Forsgren, Mikael. "The Non-Invasive Liver Biopsy : Determining Hepatic Function in Diffuse and Focal LiverDisease." Doctoral thesis, Linköpings universitet, Avdelningen för radiologiska vetenskaper, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-136545.
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The liver is one of the largest organs within the human body and it handles many vital tasks such as nutrient processing, toxin removal, and synthesis of important proteins. The number of people suffering from chronic liver disease is on the rise, likely due to the present ‘western’ lifestyle. As disease develops in the liver there are pathophysiological manifestations within the liver parenchyma that are both common and important to monitor. These manifestations include inflammation, fatty infiltration (steatosis), excessive scar tissue formation (fibrosis and cirrhosis), and iron loading. Importantly, as the disease progresses there is concurrent loss of liver function. Furthermore, postoperative liver function insufficiency is an important concern when planning surgical treatment of the liver, because it is associated with both morbidity and mortality. Liver function can also be hampered due to drug-induced injuries, an important aspect to consider in drug-development. Currently, an invasive liver needle biopsy is required to determine the aetiology and to stage or grade the pathophysiological manifestations. There are important limitations with the biopsy, which include, risk of serious complications, mortality, morbidity, inter- and intra-observer variability, sampling error, and sampling variability. Cleary, it would be beneficial to be able investigate the pathophysiological manifestations accurately, non-invasively, and on regional level. Current available laboratory liver function blood panels are typically insufficient and often only indicate damage at a late stage. Thus, it would be beneficial to have access to biomarkers that are both sensitive and responds to early changes in liver function in both clinical settings and for the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory agencies. The main aim of this thesis was to develop and evaluate methods that can be used for a ‘non-invasive liver biopsy’ using magnetic resonance (MR). We also aimed to develop sensitive methods for measure liver function based on gadoxetate-enhanced MR imaging (MRI). The presented work is primarily based on a prospective study on c. 100 patients suffering from chronic liver disease of varying aetiologies recruited due to elevated liver enzyme levels, without clear signs of decompensated cirrhosis. Our results show that the commonly used liver fat cut-off for diagnosing steatosis should be lowered from 5% to 3% when using MR proton-density fat fraction (PDFF). We also show that MR elastography (MRE) is superior in staging fibrosis. Finally we presented a framework for quantifying liver function based on gadoxetate-enhanced MRI. The method is based on clinical images and a clinical approved contrast agent (gadoxetate). The framework consists of; state-of the-art image reconstruction and correction methods, a mathematical model, and a precise model parametrization method. The model was developed and validated on healthy subjects. Thereafter the model was found applicable on the chronic liver disease cohort as well as validated using gadoxetate levels in biopsy samples and blood samples. The liver function parameters correlated with clinical markers for liver function and liver fibrosis (used as a surrogate marker for liver function). In summary, it should be possible to perform a non-invasive liver biopsy using: MRI-PDFF for liver fat and iron loading, MRE for liver fibrosis and possibly also inflammation, and measure liver function using the presented framework for analysing gadoxetate-enhanced MRI. With the exception of an MREtransducer no additional hardware is required on the MR scanner. The liver function method is likely to be useful both in a clinical setting and in pharmaceutical trials.
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Harvey, Janet. "Behind the medical mask : medical technology and medical power." Thesis, University of Warwick, 1992. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/36139/.
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This thesis explores the role of technology as a resource in the structure of medical domination of birth and death, stressing technology's pivotal position at the intersection of control and uncertainty. Based in Intensive Care and Obstetrics (between which the health status of patients diverges sharply), it notes the convergence of technology used and examines the contest for control within the labour process. This includes using technology to facilitate a 'standardized' birth or death; a more retrospectively defensible event. In general, the 'burden of proof' is concluded to lie with those wishing not to intervene rather than the reverse. Given the (cognitively male) biomedical model, mind-body dualism is an assumption embedded in medical technology: this is especially significant in childbirth, where it fractures the woman's ontological experience of giving birth. Its positivistic and pathological emphasis is associated with a reification of processes and a commodification of their 'solution': which becomes located in technology. It is argued that commodification in health provision will increase with the further application of market principles to the NHS. It is concluded that 'uncertainty', endemic to medicine and a possible challenge to control, is proactively manipulated and pressed into the service of medical domination. Technology is used to mask uncertainty and aid the medical profession's control of patients/relatives, and subordinate work groups. A technological fix may be viewed as the opposite to re-discovering societal dreams and myths, however, more paradoxically, it is concluded that dreams and myths have become attached to technology. Thus, the symbolic role of technology is: to provide hope of continued survival (or cure), the veiling of existential uncertainty and the offer of 'absolution' - should all efforts fail (a freedom from guilt in the assurance that "everything possible was tried"). Its 'heroic' project is viewed as an existentially 'masculine' health provision and 'feminized' health care is posited as an alternative.
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Galoro, César Alex de Oliveira. "A aplicação da técnica de referenciação (benchmarking) em serviços de medicina laboratorial." Universidade de São Paulo, 2008. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/5/5144/tde-19112008-171740/.
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A prática da Medicina Laboratorial vem mudando em conseqüência do desenvolvimento tecnológico e regulamentações dos Sistemas de Saúde levando à implantação de Sistemas de Qualidade e monitoramento de indicadores. A aplicabilidade e os potenciais benefícios do Benchmarking como instrumento de análise da qualidade foram testados em um grupo de oito laboratórios hospitalares através do recebimento, análise e devolução aos participantes de Relatórios de Acompanhamento relativos a indicadores diversos dos anos de 2005 e 2006. O método 6 foi utilizado, quando aplicável, para avaliar a qualidade dos processos. Foram colhidos dados de indicadores de produção, produtividade, absenteísmo segurança no trabalho, recoletas e tempo para liberação de laudos. O Benchmarking é uma ferramenta útil e aplicável para a gestão de qualidade nos laboratórios clínicos, principalmente quando associado a instrumento independente de avaliação de qualidade de processos, porém é necessária a definição de mecanismos que garantam a confiabilidade dos dados primários utilizados nos programasLaboratory Medicine practice is changing as a result of technological development and regulations pressures, letting to the implementation of quality systems and monitoring indicators. This study tested Benchmarking applicability and benefits as a tool for quality analysis in brazilian laboratory medicine services. The study was performed with eight hospital laboratories through the receipt, analysis and return to the participants of Monitoring Reports, relating to several quality indicators for the years 2005 and 2006. 6 Sigma criteria was applied as independent assessment of process quality. Data obtained shows indicators of total production, productivity, absenteeism, safety at work, redraws and turn-around-times. Benchmarking showed to be a useful and feasible tool for quality management in Brazilian clinical laboratories, particularly when associated to independent tools for evaluating the quality of laboratorial processes
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Moraba, MM, and JSJ Odendaal. "Methodology of presenting analytical quality assurance courses for medical technologists." Medical Technology SA, 2005. http://encore.tut.ac.za/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external?sp=1000983.
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A survey on the quality of service provided by state laboratories in the Limpopo Province was conducted during the period 2000
2002. The focus was on accuracy and precision. The service quality evaluation was based on standard deviation index, % deviation
and % clinically rejectable results. The scores obtained were evaluated in terms of internationally pre determined cut off limits.
Education and training were cited by 97% of the interviewees as the major contributory factors to the poor performance.
Subsequent to the discussion, a course in quality assurance was designed, presented and evaluated, as above. Although the post
intervention performance results did not meet the international performance standard at the given time yet; they were much closer to
norm and significantly better than the pre course performance results.
The conclusion is that newly designed course will contribute in reaching the international cut off standard for clinical laborato
ries.
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Moral, Zamora Beatriz del. "Bioimpedance & dielectrophoresis instrumentation equipments for living cells manipulation and monitoring." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Barcelona, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/395178.
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Since the first microfluidic device was developed in the early 1950s, when the basics for today’s inkjet technology were set, thousands of publications have appeared related to the topic. The increasing interest on these technologies is caused by its ability to be scaled and its rapid development, which allows manipulating and detecting small quantities of analites even at the cellular scale. The integration of microfluidic technologies with specific sensors and actuators at minute scales in order to achieve a set of automated laboratory operations and perform a particular solution for a specific application, generally on the life sciences and chemistry fields, was defined as Lab-on-a-chip (LoC). LoC devices have the potential to become a powerful technology for some fields, such as health, food security or environmental control. Their low cost and portability make them also suitable to improve medical diagnosis and research in developing countries. Moreover, these systems permit also to explore new methods for manipulation and characterization of cells by means of electrical cell properties, by using techniques such as dielectrophoresis (DEP) or impedance spectroscopy (IS). In fact, the dielectrophoretic force allows manipulating cells, taking advantage of their electrical properties, by applying an electric field. Likewise, impedance allows measuring electrical properties of materials and, used wisely, inform about characteristics such as presence, composition or size of cells or other biological materials.
This work aims, in its final stage, to exploit the combined potential of both techniques, DEP and IS, in a compact system for bioanalytical bench-top applications. The creation of the complete device has been a long procedure alternating theoretical calculations and experimental tests. It has included different steps such as the design of the need electronic equipment stages, the study of different microfluidic designs, an accurate bacteria concentration and manipulation protocol definition, and the study of the viability of the bacteria populations recovered with our device. These studies have made possible to finally obtain an automated bacteria concentrator for microbiology, food, water and environmental control applications while performing impedance cell analysis to monitor bacteria accumulation during the process. The system has been adjusted and proved for the real case of Escherichia Coli (E. coli) concentration and analysis. E. coli presents pathogenic variants that cause morbidity and mortality worldwide being therefore a topic of interest. E. coli is one of the main antimicrobials resistant pathogens in healthcare-associated infections reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network, being the primary cause of widespread pathologies such as significant diarrheal and extra-intestinal diseases or urinary tract infections. Furthermore, E. coli can be found as a bacterial food contamination and causes avian coli-bacillosis, one of the major bacterial diseases in the poultry industry and the most common avian disease communicable to humans. Currently, bacterium presence detection involve long time culture processes only to obtain a valid sample which could be properly detected. DEP concentration is a strong selective manipulation method which allows reducing sample preparation time. Moreover, by taking profit of IS, E. coli could be rapidly detected in the same equipment. For that reason, it is thought the proposed devices will be a useful tool for some current microbiology laboratories.
Hence the mainly aims of the present thesis are: (I) to prove the feasibility of custom DEP generator for controlling bacteria and find the best signal to accomplish this, (II) to look for the best microfluidic chip option for bacteria preconcentration purposes on bioanalytical applications, (III) to test the feasibility of a custom IS device and (IV) to use the previous studies to design a complete electronic equipment, taken profit of combination of both techniques to have an autonomous system (V) To demonstrate the proof of concept of the full device with the real case of E. coli concentration.El objetivo de esta tesis es el diseño de una instrumentación capaz de manipular y caracterizar células, a fin de realizar análisis más exhaustivos de elementos biológicos y acelerar procesos de detección de patógenos para aplicaciones de diagnóstico o de control de calidad de alimentos. El dispositivo se centra en dos tipos de técnicas eléctricas para la manipulación y detección de células: La dielectroforesis (DEP) y la medición de la bioimpedancia. La DEP permite manipular material biológico por medio de campos eléctricos, aprovechando las propiedades eléctricas de la célula y el medio en que se encuentra. La manipulación es por tanto ajustable, mediante el control de estas propiedades, así como a través de la geometría de los electrodos usados, la frecuencia y el módulo de la tensión aplicada. Por otro lado, la IS permite caracterizar material biológico mediante su comportamiento eléctrico en frecuencia. La medida se realiza a través de la aplicación de una corriente alterna controlada y la monitorización del efecto sobre el tejido mediante potencial eléctrico. Los dispositivos de IS son fácilmente integrables con técnicas dielectroforéticas de manipulación, fusionando manipulación con detección. En esta tesis, la combinación de estas técnicas permite la concentración de pequeños patógenos en grandes volúmenes de muestras y su posterior detección. Para ello, se crean diversos módulos de instrumentación electrónica. Algunos, están dedicados a generar señales alternas desfasadas a frecuencias óptimas para la manipulación de patógenos (módulo DEP). Otros, combinan módulos de generación, lectura y tratamiento digital, para la monitorización del comportamiento eléctrico de células (IS). Los módulos diseñados son validados en un entorno real controlado para concentrar y detectar la bacteria Escherichia Coli en grandes volúmenes de agua. Como resultado, se obtiene una electrónica modular válida, autónoma, portátil y de bajo coste, capaz de disminuir tiempos de preparación y detección de muestras en laboratorio.
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Moore-Cribb, Patricia. "A study of multiskilling needs of clinical laboratories within northeast Wisconsin." Online version, 1998. http://www.uwstout.edu/lib/thesis/1998/1998moorecribbp.pdf.
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Chang, Tien-yew Josiah. "Clinical trial laboratory services : industry demands and cost variation /." View the Table of Contents & Abstract, 2001. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/4268552.
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Ngcwangu, Sakiwo. "Investigating a business model for implementing pathology services within the public sector." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1013368.
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As the business evolves, organisations are faced with challenges as today’s customers have changed, and demand a value for the products and services purchased. Customer satisfaction is a key factor to business excellence. The health sector and its service providers are faced with such demands, having to ensure customer satisfaction with limited resources. The aim of the study was to investigate a business model that could be implemented within the public sector to render pathology services. Particular reference was given to the National Health Laboratory Service as a provider of choice for rendering medical laboratory services within public health institutions and related departments. The data has been collected using a self constructed questionnaire which has been distributed to the NHLS centers within the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality. 45 percent of the employees, in the region took part in the survey. The study tested the perceptions of the respondents with respect to the business model, specifically the determinants of a business model and its effects. The results of the empirical study revealed that a relationship exists between the business model, its determinants and customer satisfaction. Correlation analysis was done between the business model, customer relation management, continuous improvement, talent management, business process reengineering and customer satisfaction. Conclusions and recommendations have been drawn from the study. The NHLS needs to change its approach to business, invest in people education, training and development, improve its communication strategies with customers and realign its processes in order to maintain business excellence and provide a better service within the public sector
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Persson, Anders. "Platform development of body area network for gait symmetry analysis using IMU and UWB technology." Thesis, Mälardalens högskola, Akademin för innovation, design och teknik, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:mdh:diva-39498.
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Having a device with the capability of measure motions from gait produced by a human being, could be of most importance in medicine and sports. Physicians or researchers could measure and analyse key features of a person's gait for the purpose of rehabilitation or science, regarding neurological disabilities. Also in sports, professionals and hobbyists could use such a device for improving their technique or prevent injuries when performing. In this master thesis, I present the research of what technology is capable of today, regarding gait analysis devices. The research that was done has then help the development of a suggested standalone hardware sensor node for a Body Area Network, that can support research in gait analysis. Furthermore, several algorithms like for instance UWB Real-Time Location and Dead Reckoning IMU/AHRS algorithms, have been implemented and tested for the purpose of measuring motions and be able to run on the sensor node device. The work in this thesis shows that a IMU sensor have great potentials for generating high rate motion data while performing on a small mobile device. The UWB technology on the other hand, indicates a disappointment in performance regarding the intended application but can still be useful for wireless communication between sensor nodes. The report also points out the importance of using a high performance micro controller for achieving high accuracy in measurements.
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Kovach, Alison A. "Challenges of Medical Laboratory Science and Medical Laboratory Technology Program Directors." Youngstown State University / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1433424508.
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Meiklejohn, Barbara A. "Ektachem evaluation /." Online version of thesis, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/1850/9634.
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Lundström, Claes. "Segmentation of Medical Image Volumes." Thesis, Linköping University, Linköping University, Computer Vision, 1997. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-54357.
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Segmentation is a process that separates objects in an image. In medical images, particularly image volumes, the field of application is wide. For example 3D visualisations of the anatomy could benefit enormously from segmentation. The aim of this thesis is to construct a segmentation tool.
The project consist three main parts. First, a survey of the actual need of segmentation in medical image volumes was carried out. Then a unique three-step model for a segmentation tool was implemented, tested and evaluated.
The first step of the segmentation tool is a seed-growing method that uses the intensity and an orientation tensor estimate to decide which voxels that are part of the project. The second step uses an active contour, a deformable “balloon”. The contour is shrunk to fit the segmented border from the first step, yielding a surface suitable for visualisation. The last step consists of letting the contour reshape according to the orientation tensor estimate.
The use evaluation establishes the usefulness of the tool. The model is flexible and well adapted to the users’ requests. For unclear objects the segmentation may fail, but the cause is mostly poor image quality. Even though much work remains to be done on the second and third part of the tool, the results are most promising.
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Kirby, Beverly A. "The future of clinical laboratory science a Delphi study /." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 2007. https://eidr.wvu.edu/etd/documentdata.eTD?documentid=5424.
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Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2007.Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 418 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 146-158).
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Cote, Dalton James. "Web-based technology to support medical education." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape17/PQDD_0001/MQ34881.pdf.
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Rudin, Robert (Robert Samuel). "Making medical records more resilient." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/41567.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2007.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 72-77).
Hurricane Katrina showed that the current methods for handling medical records are minimally resilient to large scale disasters. This research presents a preliminary model for measuring the resilience of medical records systems against public policy goals and uses the model to illuminate the current state of medical record resilience. From this analysis, three recommendations for how to make medical records more resilient are presented. The recommendations are: 1) Federal and state governments should use the preliminary resilience model introduced here as the basis for compliance requirements for electronic medical record technical architectures. 2) Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIOs) should consider offering services in disaster management to healthcare organizations. This will help RHIOs create sustainable business models. 3) Storage companies should consider developing distributed storage solutions based on Distributed Hash Table (DHT) technology for medical record storage. Distributed storage would alleviate public concerns over privacy with centralized storage of medical records. Empirical evidence is presented demonstrating the performance of DHT technology using a prototype medical record system.
by Robert Rudin.
S.M.
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Treber, Jaret Scott. "From Lancents to Laboratories: Medical Schools, Physicians, and Healthcare in the United States from 1870 to 1940." Diss., Tucson, Arizona : University of Arizona, 2005. http://etd.library.arizona.edu/etd/GetFileServlet?file=file:///data1/pdf/etd/azu%5Fetd%5F1281%5F1%5Fm.pdf&type=application/pdf.
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Domańska, Jeżyna. "Rethinking interfaces to medical records." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för informationsteknologi, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-372066.
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Lang, Alexandra R. "Medical device design for adolescents." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2012. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/12501/.
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Adolescents have been identified as users of medical devices who are currently overlooked in the design and development of these products. This research presents a set of studies that investigate the non-clinical user requirements of adolescent medical device users. Interviews with a range of healthcare professionals provided guidance into chronic conditions and devices which are relevant to adolescent populations. Workshops involving healthy adolescents in schools were carried out to elicit adolescent perspectives of current medical device design. The results of this study showed that the range of medical devices presented did not satisfy adolescent user requirements and provided insight into factors which are important to this specific user group. The workshop also identified the acapella® physiotherapy device, used for chest and airway clearance in the treatment of cystic fibrosis, as a suitable case study for further evaluation with real adolescent users. Case study interviews were carried out with adolescents with cystic fibrosis: the users of the acapella®. The interviews identified a range of unmet requirements and expanded on the results from the workshops. In addition to the more general design factors, users of the acapella® highlighted the effect of device use on clinical effectiveness. The data from the workshops and case study interviews was used in a co-design project with an adolescent user of the device. A design specification was interpreted from the data to produce a visual representation of the adolescent requirements. The research has produced two outputs. The first is the development of a prototype tool for eliciting adolescent design priorities for medical devices - The Adolescent Medical Device Assessment Tool (AMDAT) The second deliverable is a set of guidelines which detail the specific requirements and goals of adolescent users of medical devices - Adolescent Medical Device Requirements. This guidance aims to facilitate the consideration of adolescent user requirements in the design and development of new medical devices. The research investigation has contributed new understanding to the fields of human factors and adolescent healthcare. The findings from these studies demonstrate how adolescent populations can be successfully engaged in research tasks. This research investigation has shown that adolescents have specific needs of medical devices and that meeting these needs through user-centred methods may lead to better adherence of use and improved health outcomes.
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Johnson, Jonathan. "Managing technology feasibility within the medical device industry." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2013. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.648198.
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Murphy, Frederick. "Understanding the humanistic interaction with medical imaging technology." Thesis, Bangor University, 2003. https://research.bangor.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/understanding-the-humanistic-interaction-with-medical-imaging-technology(6d8cb645-beb0-41a7-a06d-1c5f248e055f).html.
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This study set out to discover the nature of the interactions that occur between the radiographer, patient and high technology imaging equipment. The investigation focussed upon two radiology departments where patients had just had either a CT or MR scan. No attempt was made to generalise the findings, since it was the existence of the phenomena, rather than the frequency of events elsewhere, that was under scrutiny. A thorough literature review revealed a distinct lack of previous research in this area, with only quantitative methodological approaches having been employed. This study was a purely inductive qualitative investigation, that sought to explore feelings, meanings and roles within the context of the imaging departments. A thematic content analysis of 49 semi-structured patient interviews revealed a varying degree of satisfaction, fear and misunderstanding. These data were complemented with 8 interviews of self-selecting radiographers, who had experienced a CT or MR scan, and 8 interviews of radiographers who predominately worked in these high technology areas. Following data analysis, specific typologies were derived from the concepts to formulate a model of the humanistic interaction with medical imaging technology. Discussion of the findings related to the technological and humanistic literature, and the alternative micro-sociological perspectives of Symbolic Interactionism and Critical Dramaturgy, gave a more creative explanation of the unique theory. The final section of the discussion considered the potential for future research and a reflexive analysis of the study. In conclusion, the model is considered to be a valid conceptual representation of the interactions within the context of the naturalistic setting. The theory developed provides enlightening insights with respect to roles and rituals performed in the radiology department.
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Zajac, Jakub. "Assessment of Ventricular Function in Normal and Failing Hearts Using 4D Flow CMR." Doctoral thesis, Linköpings universitet, Avdelningen för kardiovaskulär medicin, 2017. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-141006.
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Heart failure is a common disorder and a major cause of illness and death in the population, creating an enormous health-care burden. It is a complex condition, representing the end-point of many cardiovascular diseases. In general heart failure progresses slowly over time and once it is diagnosed it has a poor prognosis which is comparable with that of many types of cancer. The heart has an ability to adapt in response to long lasting increases in hemodynamic demand; the heart conforms its shape and size in order to maintain adequate cardiac output. This process is called remodeling and can be triggered by pathologies such as hypertension or valvular disease. When the myocardial remodeling is maintained chronically it becomes maladaptive and is associated with an increased risk of heart failure. In many cases, heart failure is associated with left bundle branch block (LBBB). This electrical disturbance leads to dyssynchronous left ventricular (LV) contraction and relaxation which may contribute to cardiac dysfunction and ultimately heart failure. Mechanical dyssynchrony can be treated with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). However, many heart failure patients do not demonstrate clinical improvement despite CRT. Blood flow plays an important role in the normal development of the fetal heart. However, flow-induced forces may also induce changes in the heart cells that could lead to pathological remodeling in the adult heart. Until recently, measurement tools have been inadequate in describing the complex three-dimensional and time-varying characteristics of blood flow within the beating heart. 4D (3D + time) flow cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) enables acquisition of three-dimensional, three-directional, time-resolved velocity data from which visualization and quantification of the blood flow patterns over a complete cardiac cycle can be performed. In this thesis, novel 4D Flow CMR based methods are used to study the intraventricular blood flow in healthy subjects and heart failure patients with and without ventricular dyssynchrony in order to gain new knowledge of the ventricular function. Different flow components were assessed in normal heart ventricles. It was found that inflowing blood that passes directly to outflow during the same heartbeat (the Direct Flow component) was larger and possessed more kinetic energy (KE) than other flow components. Diastolic flow through the normal heart appears to create favorable conditions for effective systolic ejection. This organized blood flow pattern within the normal LV is altered in heart failure patients and is associated with decreased preservation of KE which might be unfavorable for efficient LV ejection. Inefficient flow of blood through the heart may influence diastolic wall stress, and thus contribute to pathological myocardial remodeling. In dyssynchronous LVs of heart failure patients with LBBB, Direct Flow showed even more reduced preservation of KE compared to similarly remodeled LVs without LBBB. Furthermore, in LBBB patients, LV filling hemodynamic forces, acting on the myocardium, were more orthogonal to the main flow direction compared to patients without LBBB. Deviation of LV flow forces and reduction of KE preservation and may reflect impairment of LV diastolic function and less efficient ensuing ejection related to dyssynchrony in these failing ventricles. Blood flow patterns were also studied with respect to fluctuations of the velocity of the flow (turbulent flow) in normal and failing LVs. In failing hearts, turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) was higher during diastole than in healthy subjects. TKE is a cause of energy loss and can thus be seen as a measure of flow inefficiency. Elucidating the transit of multidimensional blood flow through the heart chambers is fundamental in understanding the physiology of the heart and to detect abnormalities in cardiac function. The 4D Flow CMR parameters presented in this thesis can be utilized to detect altered intracardiac blood flow and may be used as markers of deteriorating cardiac function, pathological remodeling and mechanical dyssynchrony in heart failure.
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Phipps, Amber Rose. "Strategies to Retain Employees in Clinical Laboratories." ScholarWorks, 2016. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/2752.
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With 30 million citizens gaining access to U.S. healthcare through the Affordable Care Act by 2016, healthcare managers need preanalytic employees to ensure quality healthcare services can be provided. The purpose of this qualitative single case study explored strategies used to retain preanalytic employees. The target population consisted of 10 clinical laboratory managers in a single community-based clinical laboratory in the mid-southern United States, selected because of prior success in improved employee retention strategies. The conceptual framework grounding this study was the theory of work adjustment. Data triangulation occurred from using semistructured interviews and company documents. All interpretations from the data were subjected to member checking to ensure the trustworthiness of findings. Using the modified van Kaam method for data analysis, 3 themes included increasing employee training to enhance their roles as stakeholders, provide employee recognition and reward programs, and emphasizing to managers the importance of quality patient care. The application of the findings may contribute to social change by providing healthcare managers with new insights and strategies to retain preanalytic employees, reduce organizational costs associated with recruiting, replacing, and training of new employees, and potentially trained staff that provide quality healthcare services to community citizens.
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Törne, Karin. "Biocompatible X-ray opaque polymers for medical devices." Thesis, KTH, Skolan för informations- och kommunikationsteknik (ICT), 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-44036.
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During coronary catheterization X-ray imaging is used to image coronary artery system. After the procedure X-ray imaging may be used to locate devices purposely left in the patient. The objective of this thesis was to investigate the possibility of improving X-ray opacity to medical devices made by St Jude Medical Systems AB. Two different routes were explored, inorganic-organic hybrid materials and functionalization of polymers with iodine. Sol-Gel synthesis was used to synthesize nanocomposite hybrid materials with TiO2 and Ta2O5. Iodine was incorporated by the use of an iodine containing initiator and by end group functionalization with triiodobenzoic acid. The materials were evaluated by X-ray imaging, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), Thermal Gravimetric Analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The optical and mechanical properties were evaluated by visual inspection and by handling of the materials. Hybrid materials with Polydimetylsiloxane (PDMS) or Poly ester copolymers and Ta2O5 were found to have promising mechanical properties and degree of X-ray opacity. Iodinated polyesters with ~18 wt% iodine also demonstrated sufficient properties to promote further investigation. Some of the work done and obtained results has been excluded from this report due to patent applications.
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Akinyemi, Akinola Olanrewaju. "Atlas-based segmentation of medical images." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2011. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/2623/.
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Atlas-Based Segmentation of medical images is an image analysis task which involves labelling a desired anatomy or set of anatomy from images generated by medical imaging modalities. The overall goal of atlas-based segmentation is to assist radiologists in the detection and diagnosis of diseases. By extracting the relevant anatomy from medical images and presenting it in an appropriate view, their work-flow can be optimised. This portfolio-style thesis discusses the research projects carried out in order to evaluate the applicability of atlas-based methods to a variety of medical imaging problems. The thesis describes how atlas-based methods have been applied to heart segmentation, to extract the heart for further cardiac analysis from cardiac CT images, to kidney segmentation, to prepare the kidney for automated perfusion measurements, and to coronary vessel tracking, in order to improve on the quality of tracking algorithms. This thesis demonstrates how state of the art atlas-based segmentation techniques can be applied successfully to a range of clinical problems in different imaging modalities. Each application has been tested using not only standard experimentation principles, but also by clinically-trained personnel to evaluate its efficacy. The success of these methods is such that some of the described applications have since been deployed in commercial products. While exploring these applications, several techniques based on published literature were explored and tailored to suit each individual application. This thesis describes in detail the methods used for each application in turn, recognising the state of the art, and outlines the author's contribution in every application.
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Padera, Robert Francis 1969. "Mass transport in implantable medical devices." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1998. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/9919.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Whitaker College of Health Sciences and Technology, 1998.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-104).
by Robert Francis Padera, Jr.
Ph.D.
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Intrator, Kira (Kira Rachel). "Mobile medical disaster relief technology : enhancing communication, medical logistics, data creation, and crisis mapping for vulnerable communities." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/73816.
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Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-116).
This thesis explores the field of disaster relief and recovery, and the application of emerging technologies that are both used by, and use the data generated by communities affected by natural disaster. This thesis analyzes humanitarian disaster relief logistics conducted in Haiti following the devastation of the January 2010 earthquake, and melds this analysis with disaster relief technology design, thus applying a need-based approach to the creation of a new disaster relief technology - Mobile Medical Emergency Responders (MMER). The first section of the thesis establishes a foundation for both the global and localized need for a telephony system such as the one I am designing - MMER. It does so by examining issues such as disaster relief coordination and information management challenges in Haiti, with the concurrent need for direct communication between volunteers and affected communities. It uncovers the challenges of disaster relief logistics and the medical supply chain, and the way in which MMER's crisis mapping component responds directly to these vulnerabilities. Low physician density and pitiful health care access is underscored, further supporting the need for the direct medical guidance and knowledge provided through MMER to its caller. Fundamentally, the global issue of illiteracy is stressed, in addition to the dearth of disaster relief technology to address this gap. This need is addressed by the unique position of MMER as a voice-enabled system. After both the context and need for MMER are established, the specification of the technology that could respond to these challenges is created and presented in MMER's system design. The concept of MMER is critiqued and vetted by disaster relief professionals, its design further revised, and a site selection analysis is carried out through geospatial exclusion to determine which region is best suited for the launch and use of MMER. Finally, a usability pilot survey is assembled in order to obtain a deeper understanding of the regional and local cultural context in which MMER would be implemented, and to analyze the interviewees' current access and use of mobile phones and medical services. A humanitarian disaster relief tool, MMER would be low (to no) cost for its immediate users. Catering to illiterate, disaster-affected communities, MMER would make it possible to unite affected communities and their self-reported needs directly to global volunteers and medical expertise, and to provide isolated communities in developing countries access to healthcare information through landlines and mobile phones.
by Kira Intrator.
M.C.P.
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Griot, Clémence. "Internationalization of French firms within the medical technology industry." Thesis, Halmstad University, School of Business and Engineering (SET), 2010. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-5119.
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French SMEs within the medical technology industry follow an internationalization pattern which cannot completely be explained by traditional internationalization models. Going abroad is not a strategy to overcome challenges inherent to the medical technology industry. Instead, it is the positive consequence of their merge with internationalized firms, or an opportunity offered by their network.
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Harris, Emma Jane. "Application of a novel CCD technology to medical imaging." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2002. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1317861/.
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This thesis describes an evaluation of a novel low light level charge couple device (L3CCD) technology. Two L3CCDs have been fully evaluated in terms of their signal and noise properties. The primary aim of this work is to identify the device characteristics that affect the overall performance. Conclusions have been made to this end and a prediction of the optimal performance in terms of the device sensitivity is made. Comparisons with other detectors suitable for use in medical imaging have shown that the L3CCD surpasses other detectors in specific performance characteristics and is comparable in others. The competitive performance of the L3CCD confirms that it may afford benefits in those areas in which the L3CCD has superior performance compared to other detectors. Two diagnostic imaging techniques which were identified as applications of L3CCD technology have been investigated. Linear systems analysis has been used to predict the performance of two L3CCD based imaging systems for use in fluoroscopic imaging. Comparison of the predicted performance of the two system with systems in clinical use show that an L3CCD coupled to an x-ray phosphor via a tapered fibre optic is a competitive alternative to present fluoroscopic imaging systems. Experimental validation of the model has confirmed this conclusion. An L3 detector has been designed, built and evaluated for diffraction enhanced breast imaging. To demonstrate the use of the L3 detector for diffraction enhanced breast imaging it has been used to acquire diffraction images of human breast tissue with cancerous inclusions. Measurements of scatter contrast confirm improvements in scatter contrast compared to transmission contrast. The successful demonstration of the L3CCDs ability to collect diagnostic information has shown that the L3CCD is suitable for diffraction enhanced breast imaging.
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Kinley, Chad A. "Healthcare Technology: A Strategic Approach to Medical Device Management." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2012. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1434.
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The constant evolution of medical technology has increased the demand for managing medical devices to ensure safety and effectiveness. In this paper I will investigate how biomedical engineering has addressed the issue of equipment management and identifies strategies to successfully maintain an inventory of medical devices. Through research, on-the-job experience, and in-depth discussions with various biomedical engineering managers, I have been able to document possible equipment strategies and best practices for managing medical devices. There is really no "one size fits all" to medical equipment management due to the various clinical environments, but there are many aspects that remain necessary to ensure proper equipment safety and function while meeting or exceeding various regulatory requirements.
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Kowitlawakul, Yanika. "Technology acceptance model predicting nurses' acceptance of telemedicine technology (eICU®) /." Fairfax, VA : George Mason University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1920/3058.
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Thesis (Ph.D.)--George Mason University, 2008.Vita: p. 116. Thesis director: Jean Burley Moore. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing. Title from PDF t.p. (viewed July 3, 2008). Includes bibliographical references (p. 108-115). Also issued in print.
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Xu, Shuai. "PROMOTING BREAKTHROUGH MEDICAL INNOVATION: INSIGHTS FROM AN ANALYSIS OF RECENT TRANSFORMATIVE DRUGS, BIOLOGICS AND MEDICAL DEVICES." Thesis, Harvard University, 2014. http://etds.lib.harvard.edu/hms/admin/view/54.
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Given the recent concern from multiple healthcare stakeholders that the pipeline of medical innovation is slowing, this thesis provides insights on how to spur breakthrough medical innovation in present day. The findings and recommendations are derived from one of the largest collections of interview transcripts from biomedical innovators (n=143) responsible for developing critical devices, drugs and diagnostics used in medicine today. An exemplary case (coronary artery stent) was selected for an in-depth analysis, which included a detailed recounting of stent development and an exhaustive analysis of the patent literature. External factors either catalyzed (e.g., supportive institutions, strong underlying science and collaboration) or hindered (e.g., technology transfer challenges, lack of funding and onerous conflict of interest rules) the development process. Strategies aimed towards promoting transformative medical innovation should focus on institutional-level policies targeting early stages of innovation. This includes providing individuals with unique expertise with the capacity to pursue innovative work. Technology transfer processes should be simplified to enable collaboration for individuals between institutions with disparate expertise. Policymakers should continue to support basic science research, which underlies future innovations. In contrast, policies that increase reimbursement or reduce taxes for industry or extend patent terms are less likely to impact transformative innovation.
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De, Waal-Miller Cornelia. "Determination of reference ranges for selected clinical laboratory tests for a medical laboratory in Namibia using pre-tested data." Thesis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1507.
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Thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree
Master of Technology: Biomedical Technology
in the Faculty of Health and Wellness Sciences
at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology
2015Aim: The aim of the study was to compile pre-tested laboratory results stored in the laboratory database of the Namibia Institute of Pathology (NIP). The study also aimed to assess the usefulness and validity of using retrospective laboratory results of different patients in varying degrees of health and which were produced using various methods in different laboratories in Namibia. Methods: 254,271 test results (female: 134,261, male = 117,091, unknown gender= 2,919) consisting of Haemoglobin, serum Urea, serum Creatinine, plasma Glucose (fasting and random), serum Cholesterol, serum Triglycerides and serum Uric Acid was extracted from NIP Laboratory Information System over a period of four years and of the 13 different regions of Namibia were analyzed.. Each data set was sorted in ascending order and outliers were eliminated using SPSS Box plot function. Data available for analysis were Haemoglobin: 18,999 (male = 7,716, female = 11,283, serum Urea: 8,111 (male = 3,836, female=4.275), serum Creatinine: 8,794 (male=4,099, female= 4,506), plasma Glucose: 78,106 (fasting=32,591, random=45,515), serum Cholesterol: 48,354 (male=24,815, female=23,539), Serum Triglycerides: 22,138 (male=9,291, female=12,847) serum Uric Acid: 37,389 (male=18,972, female=18,427). Results of tests were also analysed according to the 13 regions in Namibia. Outliers were removed using the Box plot function of SPSS and statistics were calculated for each of the parameters. Tables and histogram as well as percentile ranges (2.5th -97.5th and 5th -95th) were determined for each parameter. Results: Non-parametric percentile ranges were as follows: Haemoglobin (2.5-97.5: M=6.64-16.9, F=7.81-15.2 and 5-95: M=7.39-16.3, F=8.48-14.7) g/L, Urea (2.5-97.5: 1.3- 9.1, 5-95:1.6-8.4) mmol/L, Creatinine (2.5-97.5: M=37-141, F=33-103 and 5-95: M=43- 133, F=39-117) μmol/L, Glucose (2.5-97.5: fasting=3.4-9.5, random=3.7-7.1 and 5-95: fasting=3.9-9.1, random 4-6.9) mmol/L, Cholesterol (2.5-97.5: M=2.6-6.9, F=2.8-7.0 and 5- 95: M=2.9-6.1, F=3.1-6.2) mmol/L, Triglyceride (2.5-97.5: 0.39-2.72 and 5-95: 0.46-2.5) mmol/L and Uric Acid (2.5-97.5: M=0.21-0.62, F=0.17-0.51 and 5-95: M=0.24-0.58, F=0.19-0.48) mmol/L. Conclusion: A statistically significant difference between the mean values of the study and the mean values of NIP reference range was detected and differences between these values and reference values in the region were observed. More work needs to be done to improve the data extraction process, data selection criteria and improvement of statistical analysis. If these can be addressed, it can be stated that using patient laboratory data values is a relatively easy and cost effective method of establishing laboratory and population specific reference values if skewness and kurtosis of the distribution are not too large.
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Stephen, Reejis 1977. "Context identification in electronic medical records." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/28760.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, 2004.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 66-67).
In order to automate data extraction from electronic medical documents, it is important to identify the correct context of the extracted information. Context in medical documents is provided by the layout of documents, which are partitioned into sections by virtue of a medical culture instilled through common practice and the training of physicians. Unfortunately, formatting and labeling is inconsistently adhered to in practice and human experts are usually required to identify sections in medical documents. A series of experiments tested the hypothesis that section identification independent of the label on sections could be achieved by using a neural network to elucidate relationships between features of sections (like size, position from start of the document) and the content characteristic of certain sections (subject-specific strings). Results showed that certain sections can be reliably identified using two different methods, and described the costs involved. The stratification of documents by document type (such as History and Physical Examination Documents or Discharge Summaries), patient diagnoses and department influenced the accuracy of identification. Future improvements suggested by the results in order to fully outline the approach were described.
by Reejis Stephen.
S.M.
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Nair, Ganesh R. "Acquisition of medical device start-ups." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/37978.
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Thesis (S.M.)--Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (leaf [39]).
Introduction: In the medical device space, a large proportion of the breakthrough inventions are developed by small firms that use private equity to bring their technologies from concept to varying stages of development. Medical Device companies spend a large proportion (11.4 % in 2002) of their sales on R&D, second only to Pharmaceutical companies. Smaller companies, in the meanwhile, spent 343 % of their sales in the same year'. [The Lewin Group (AdvaMed), 2004]. Private Equity financing is a critical factor that enables small start-ups to develop new technologies without a viable revenue stream to support the necessary R&D expenditure. In the medical device space, it has been noted that Venture Capital firms (VC's) use high risk capital to invest in early stage companies, and look for "exits" through either an Initial Public Offering (IPO) or through the sale of the start-up to an established firm. Corporations are also involved in varying degrees in early venture investments, through what is sometimes called Corporate Venture Capital (CVC), mainly for strategic reasons. Through CVC investments, some corporations hope, that as an insider, they would be able to judge better whether a particular company is a good target for acquisition. In this paper I review the exits through acquisition, from the perspective of venture backed start-ups, and hypothesize that factors related to the nature of investors, the type of investment, the impact of capital markets and the Intellectual Property of the company are associated with a higher exit valuation.
Ganesh R. Nair.
S.M.
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Song, Lihong. "Medical concept embedding with ontological representations." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2019. https://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_oa/703.
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Learning representations of medical concepts from the Electronic Health Records (EHRs) has been shown effective for predictive analytics in healthcare. The learned representations are expected to preserve the semantic meanings of different medical concepts, which can be treated as features and thus benefit a variety of applications. Medical ontologies have also been explored to be integrated with the EHR data to further enhance the accuracy of various prediction tasks in healthcare. Most of the existing works assume that medical concepts under the same ontological category should share similar representations, which however does not always hold. In particular, the categorizations in the categorical medical ontologies were established with various factors being considered. Medical concepts even under the same ontological category may not follow similar occurrence patterns in the EHR data, leading to contradicting objectives for the representation learning. In addition, these existing works merely utilize the categorical ontologies. Actually, it has been noticed that ontologies containing multiple types of relations are also available. However, studies rarely make use of the diverse types of medical ontologies. In this thesis research, we propose three novel representation learning models for integrating the EHR data and medical ontologies for predictive analytics. To improve the interpretability and alleviate the conflicting objective issue between the EHR data and medical ontologies, we propose techniques to learn medical concepts embeddings with multiple ontological representations. To reduce the reliance on labeled data, we treat the co-occurrence statistics of clinical events as additional training signals, which help us learn good representations even with few labeled data. To leverage the various domain knowledge, we also consider multiple medical ontologies (CCS, ATC and SNOMED-CT) and propose corresponding attention mechanisms so as to take the best advantage of the medical ontologies with better interpretability. Our proposed models can achieve the final medical concept representations which align better with the EHR data. We conduct extensive experiments, and our empirical results prove the effectiveness of the proposed methods. Keywords: Bio/Medicine, Healthcare-AI, Electronic Health Record, Representation Learning, Machine Learning Applications
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Doshi, Peter Nikolai. "Influenza : a study of contemporary medical politics." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/69811.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D. in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS))--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 271-312).
Over the past decade, the prevention and control of seasonal and pandemic influenza has grown to be one of the largest and most visible public health policies. This dissertation considers contemporary influenza policy as a case study in what I call medical politics, in which a disease that for most people is rather unremarkable has become the focus of intense (and costly) public health campaigns based on a shaky scientific basis. The dissertation seeks to explain how this could happen. The first two chapters show how influenza and its pandemics are marketed through an appeal to numerous scientific claims. Drawing on governmental marketing materials, statements by officials, and policy documents, I try to let officials speak for themselves and, as much as possible, refrain from analysis. Chapter 3 tells the story of the 2009 novel influenza H1N1 outbreak, showing how official understandings about influenza were called into question by an outbreak far milder than experts had predicted, and discusses investigations which highlighted the role of industry in shaping influenza policy. Chapter 4 analyzes official scientific claims regarding influenza, and argues that degree to which influenza is a serious public health problem is actually unclear. Furthermore, influenza vaccine effectiveness has been vastly overstated, predictive models of pandemic influenza are demonstrably flawed, and officials conflate true influenza with influenza-like illness (ILl), an often overlooked but critical distinction which allows officials to mislead the public into holding false assumptions about the potential benefits of influenza vaccine. Chapter 5 highlights the centrality of "virus-centric thinking" and the ethic of "saving lives" in public health practice as important factors that help explain how such a situation can exist and persist in light of the evidence. Chapter 6 addresses the policy implications of the dissertation's findings.
by Peter N. Doshi.
Ph.D.in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS
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Sivard, Seth A. "Digital radiography in the education of radiologic technology students." The Ohio State University, 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1409229904.
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Katungire, Tsitsi. "An exploratory study of factors affecting the availability of laboratory consumables at state-owned medical laboratories in Harare Province, Zimbabwe." University of the Western Cape, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/5367.
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Magister Public Health - MPHThe Zimbabwean government recognizes the critical role laboratories play in ensuring the health of the nation. Well-resourced and functioning laboratories are the sine qua non of effective diagnosis, treatment and clinical monitoring of medical problems such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. In Zimbabwe, frequent unavailability of essential laboratory reagents and consumables have been reported but less well-reported are the factors associated with these "stockouts" at medical laboratories. Applying qualitative research methodologies, this study sought to explore the bottlenecks to the availability of laboratory consumables at state-owned medical laboratories in Harare Province. Semi-structured interviews were used to elicit stakeholders' perspectives and experiences with regard to the availability of laboratory consumables. These were complemented by observation of procurement, supply and distribution processes and individual follow-up interviews in 7 facilities where medical laboratory scientists were purposively selected. Rigour was ensured through data-source triangulation, provision of thick descriptions of the setting, maintaining an audit trail and transcribing data verbatim. Data analysis identified recurring themes and key suggestions made by respondents. A complex web of economic, human resources and supply chain factors affect laboratory commodity availability in Harare. Salient factors negatively affecting commodity availability included inadequate funding, human resources, poor communication and coordination among stakeholders, lack of transport, long lead times and limited inventory management skills. A comprehensive approach to resolving the challenge is warranted through advocating for more funding, complementing donor efforts on staff retention, improved coordination and collaboration among stakeholders and re-designing the laboratory supply chain. Further research would assist in determining ways of efficiently utilizing the limited available resources.
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Easterly, Anita. "Does the Program of Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences in Medical Sciences atThe University of Toledo Enhance Training for Medical School? A Quantitative Study ofPre-Clinical Medical Students’ Academic Preparation and Perceptions." University of Toledo / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=toledo1575384107073827.
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Wolf, Daniel W. (Daniel William). "Impact of the Massachusetts Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Manufacturer Code of Conduct on medical device physician-industry collaboration." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/58093.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (S.M.)--Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, 2010.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-102).
The Massachusetts Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Manufacturer Code of Conduct (PCOC) or 105 CMR 970.000 was enacted by the Massachusetts state legislature and adopted by the Department of Public Health (DPH) in July 2009 under Chapter 305 of the Acts of 2008, An Act To Promote Cost Containment, Transparency and Efficiency in the Delivery of Quality Health Care. The state law requires pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers to comply with a marketing code of conduct, obey specific compliance activities, and disclose payments to Massachusetts-licensed healthcare providers with a value of $50 or more in connection with sales and marketing activities. This thesis qualitatively assessed the impact of 105 CMR 970.000 on physician-industry collaboration related to technology development and physician education in the Massachusetts medical device industry, as depicted by academic physicians and representatives of medical device companies during the first quarter of calendar year 2010. A pilot study comprising interviews and surveys of stakeholders in the Massachusetts medical device industry was conducted to summarize the initial impressions of the impact of 105 CMR 970.000 on medical device physician-industry collaboration, with the intention of creating a roadmap for future analysis. Informal interviews (36) included individuals at medical device manufacturers, distributors, academic medical centers, venture capital firms, law firms, consulting firms, MassMedic, and the DPH. Formal surveys (40) included academic physicians and medical device company representatives selling to Massachusetts licensed physicians. The hypothesis was confirmed that 105 CMR 970.000 has impaired medical device physician-industry collaboration related to technology development and physician education in Massachusetts. Our results may have state and federal regulatory implications for the medical device industry and can serve as a guide for future analysis.
by Daniel W. Wolf.
S.M.
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Cederblad, Gustav. "Finding Synonyms in Medical Texts : Creating a system for automatic synonym extraction from medical texts." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för datavetenskap, 2018. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-149643.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis describes the work of creating an automatic system for identifying synonyms and semantically related words in medical texts. Before this work, as a part of the project E-care@home, medical texts have been classified as either lay or specialized by both a lay annotator and an expert annotator. The lay annotator, in this case, is a person without any medical knowledge, whereas the expert annotator has professional knowledge in medicine. Using these texts made it possible to create co-occurrences matrices from which the related words could be identified. Fifteen medical terms were chosen as system input. The Dice similarity of these words in a context window of ten words around them was calculated. As output, five candidate related terms for each medical term was returned. Only unigrams were considered. The candidate related terms were evaluated using a questionnaire, where 223 healthcare professionals rated the similarity using a scale from one to five. A Fleiss kappa test showed that the agreement among these raters was 0.28, which is a fair agreement. The evaluation further showed that there was a significant correlation between the human ratings and the relatedness score (Dice similarity). That is, words with higher Dice similarity tended to get a higher human rating. However, the Dice similarity interval in which the words got the highest average human rating was 0.35-0.39. This result means that there is much room for improving the system. Further developments of the system should remove the unigram limitation and expand the corpus the provide a more accurate and reliable result.
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Alexander, Diane Elizabeth. "Technical Communication, Medical Writing and I.T. Converge: An Internship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1292436407.
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Byrd, Linda W. Kavookjian Jan. "An examination of information technology and its perceived quality issues in single system hospitals in the United States." Auburn, Ala., 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10415/1987.
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