Toxicology is a relatively new scientific discipline that affects all aspects of our lives and our environment. To learn more, visit one or all of the following online information resources brought to you by the National Library of Medicine in collaboration with other trusted providers.
ToxLearn - a Multi-module toxicology tutorial
http://toxlearn.nlm.nih.gov/
Tox Town - Environmental health concerns and chemicals where you live, work and play
http://toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/
TOXNET - Databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, environmental health, and toxic releases.
http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/
ToxMystery - Interactive learning site, designed to help kids age 7 to 10 find clues about toxic substances that can lurk in the home
http://toxmystery.nlm.nih.gov/
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Virtual Discharge Nurse: Always On Call
Timothy Bickmore, computer scientist at Northeastern University in Boston, is working to improve patients’ understanding of discharge instructions. He reports that approximately 20 percent of patients who are discharged from the hospital are readmitted within 30 days with problems that could be preventable.
He has developed a virtual patient advocate to help patients work through issues before they are discharged. A three-year clinical trial of the virtual nurse began at Boston Medical Center in fall 2008. The trial will ultimately enroll 750 patients; 220 have participated so far.
To develop the virtual nurse, Bickmore listened to doctors and nurses, then combined their verbal expressions and gestures into the animated character.
Typically, patients spend about 30 minutes with the virtual nurse, reviewing an “After-Hospital Care Plan” booklet they have been given. The touch screen computer can be wheeled to a patient's bed and is programmed with each patient's discharge instructions. Elizabeth, the virtual discharge nurse, can talk about the 1,500 most commonly prescribed medications and quizzes patients to make sure they understand.
Read more at: http://www.northeastern.edu/news/stories/2009/04/robonurse.html
Watch the video at: http://www.ivanhoe.com/science/story/2009/12/655a.html
He has developed a virtual patient advocate to help patients work through issues before they are discharged. A three-year clinical trial of the virtual nurse began at Boston Medical Center in fall 2008. The trial will ultimately enroll 750 patients; 220 have participated so far.
To develop the virtual nurse, Bickmore listened to doctors and nurses, then combined their verbal expressions and gestures into the animated character.
Typically, patients spend about 30 minutes with the virtual nurse, reviewing an “After-Hospital Care Plan” booklet they have been given. The touch screen computer can be wheeled to a patient's bed and is programmed with each patient's discharge instructions. Elizabeth, the virtual discharge nurse, can talk about the 1,500 most commonly prescribed medications and quizzes patients to make sure they understand.
Read more at: http://www.northeastern.edu/news/stories/2009/04/robonurse.html
Watch the video at: http://www.ivanhoe.com/science/story/2009/12/655a.html
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