Digitised ICP over three decades.

I describe a personal journey of experience in applying computer technology to the intracranial pressure signal for the 30 years from 1968 to 1998. After experimenting with off-line applications, I used a desk-top computer to automate infusion tests for the measurement of outflow resistance. For 10 years from 1975, we programmed a minicomputer to control ICP automatically with mannitol infusion and integrate nursing data from a dedicated bedside terminal. In 1986, we were introduced to and subsequently used PC software, which was developed in Warsaw. I briefly review the trends in the applications of computers during that period as recorded in the first ten ICP conference books.

A curious jumble: the Canadian approach to online consumer health information.

As part of a larger e-health strategy, Canadian governments have invested millions in online health information services for the lay public. These services are intended to reduce demands on the primary health care system by encouraging greater individual responsibility for health and are often promoted using the language of personal empowerment. In this paper, we describe how lay searchers generally look for online health information and discuss the disempowering challenges they are likely to face in (a) locating Canadian government-sponsored health information sites and (b) finding useful information on these sites to address everyday health concerns. We conclude with several recommendations for policy changes.

Toxicology information systems: a historical perspective.

Toxicology information systems have evolved swiftly from early, library-based bibliographic tools to advanced packages utilizing sophisticated computer and telecommunication technologies. These systems have evolved concurrently with the rapid expansion of the science of toxicology itself. Bibliographic files such as TOXLINE represent first attempts to handle the toxicology literature through on-line retrieval. Subsequent approaches applied the use of computers to provide literature-derived data, as in TDB or RTECS, or to capture data directly in the laboratory. Societal concerns about hazardous substances, manifested in legislation and regulations, have been responsible for the creation of many computerized systems. Advanced, integrated information management systems are being explored as a method of accessing a large number of independently maintained toxicology databases. Changes in information technologies such as the trend toward microcomputers and novel high-density storage devices will affect the future of toxicology information systems as will impending developments in toxicology itself related to biotechnology, analytical methodology, and alternatives to whole animal testing.