CS492/692 - Winter 2010 - Assignment 4

The Impact of Computerization on Modern Medicine

Description

This assignment will be done in groups of 4. The groups will be formed by the instructor and the TA, in an effort to balance stronger and weaker students for each team. The assignment is due on Wednesday March 10 at 9:30am (class time). It is worth 10 marks and should be approximately 2500 words in length.

Choose a particular aspect of modern medicine that has been revolutionized by computerization (e.g. patient record keeping, online medical journals and encyclopedia, robot-guided surgery procedures, wireless sensing in hospitals, expert systems for medical diagnosis, etc.). Complete a write-up that indicates: a) a summary of the aspect of medicine that is the focus of your study b) commentary on the benefits from computerization, for this aspect of medicine, for both patients and medical practitioners c) commentary on the drawbacks introduced for both patients and practitioners d) recommendations on what to do, for the future. For this last piece, include both: i) how to promote "healthy" social implications and ii) an original idea for how to make use of computer technology for your chosen medical application in a way that has not currently been introduced.

All projects should include a blend of research and opinion. References should be cited.

Purpose

This group assignment provides students with experience in open-ended thinking, of value as well towards their individual assignment 5 which also provides a choice of topic, for the students. It allows a multi-faceted exploration of a very topical application area where computerization is a central element and social implications are of great concern.