Computers and the pediatric surgeon: a primer

Computers have become an integral part of surgical practice. To use and maintain computers effectively, the surgeon must have a basic knowledge of the inner workings of the computer. It also is helpful to understand how the systems have evolved. Medical computing started in the financial department of large hospitals. From there it expanded to clinical data systems. Coincident with the development of clinical data systems was the introduction of the IBM personal computer in 1981 and the development of the Internet. All these events led to the use of the personal computer as a communication tool. This will shape much of how we use computers in the coming millennium. The computer is made up of several component parts. The brain of the computer is the central processing unit (CPU), which performs all of the calculations in the computer. The CPU works in concert with the random access memory (RAM) and hardware peripherals to perform tasks as directed by a program. To use this increasingly complex tool effectively, the pediatric surgeon must have a basic knowledge of information systems. It is through this knowledge that information systems may be used to enhance the efficiency of pediatric surgical practice.