Anastasia Ogele Idodo

Biomedical Informatics Applications - Assignment This assignment aims to improve your writing and critical thinking skills, both of which are essential in successful study and professional work practice. In addition, it aims to develop your knowledge of currently available biomedical informatics (BMI) applications and the impact of their adoption in real-world. This is an individual assignment. You will have to select one BMI application as the focus of your assignment. Conduct a literature search for a study that evaluated your chosen application in any country. Identify from the most recent literature one study based on completed trial. Objectively summarize and analyse the selected study and discuss in detail the application role and impact on healthcare related outcomes. Format the report according to the following outline: a. Subject and student’s name; b. Statement of the BMI application that the study tackled; c. Main body should answer the following questions: i. What are the aims/objectives addressed by the authors? ii. What are the study population? design? method? iii. Criticize the study design and method. iv. What is the intervention impact? Demonstrate the evidence of their effects. v. Lessons learned/limitations. vi. What is your evaluation of the intervention and the whole study procedures? what recommendations do you have to improve it (express your personal views regarding the identified intervention). d. Discuss, in your own words, what you have learned from this assignment, and what it teaches you about? What would you want to share from this assignment (either from the content of the identified study or from your own thinking prompted by your findings) with other students? e. References. Writing requirements ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ ✓ Use 12pt. font, single-spaced, one-inch margins all around, and subtitles with bolded fonts. Headings and titles facilitate organization and provide clarity for both author and reader. Ideas must be stated clearly, i.e., in a way that is clear to the reader. Ideas must be presented in an order that flows logically from one idea to the next, and that builds conceptually from simple ideas to more complex ones. Organizing and explaining ideas are essential components of thinking. Therefore, organization and explanation of ideas are essential components of content, and not just of writing. ✓ Grammatical errors that interfere with the reader's (my) understanding of the author's (your) intended message will be viewed as content problems. References At the end of the report, you must present a complete reference for your selected study, and any other work you cited in the body of your paper (if any). These references will allow the reader to go back to your sources, in the process of using your written work in the scholarly enterprise. An incomplete or inaccurate reference makes your work a weak link in the chain of scholarship. You are required to follow Harvard style and format using appropriate in-text and reference page citations. Do not use unsubstantiated Internet sources or Wikipedia. References should be listed alphabetically, by first author’s last name. See Harvard Referencing Guide: https://www.ukessays.com/referencing/harvard/ Submission You will turn in a written report, following the instructions, to the instructor on the scheduled due date. Assignments required to be submitted electronically via Blackboard will be due on or before 11:59 p.m. on their designated due date. Late assignments are accepted within one week of their due date: a. All late assignment will automatically incur a 50% deduction in points (No Exceptions). b. Every one-day delay will be marked with 1 Point. Assignments will not be accepted after a oneweek delay. Grading criteria This assignment worth 10 marks. The written report will be assessed using a checklist, which is uploaded in the Blackboard. STATEMENT OF THE BMI APPLICATION THAT THE STUDY TACKLED The statement of Biomedical Informatics (BMI) application that the study tackled is radiology imaging and reports constitute a significant amount of the evidence used in diagnosis and treatment assessment. Radiology test results are one of the most difficult portions of the clinical record for an average person to understand. WHAT ARE THE AIMS/OBJECTIVES ADDRESSED BY THE AUTHORS The aims and objectives addressed by the authors are to provide patients with a way to view and understand their imaging studies. The authors also sought to illustrate the feasibility of a patient portal that automatically structures and integrates radiology reports with corresponding imaging studies according to several information orientations tailored for the average person. WHAT ARE THE STUDY POPULATION? DESIGN? METHOD?  STUDY POPULATION The study population consisted of 277 patients with primary brain tumor. In total, 2883 brain MRI reports from the 277 patients (based on all brain MRI studies and the related radiology report, from all patients) were processed, resulting in the extraction of 448 unique concepts. The study also involved a population associated with a high degree of information needs and large amounts of initial and follow-up radiologic imaging STUDY DESIGN The type of study design applied in this study is Experimental study design study, particularly Randomized Controlled Trials. STUDY METHOD The research method used in the study is qualitative method as one of the goals of the study was to explore the patient’s experiences. CRITICIZE THE STUDY DESIGN AND METHOD  CRITICISM OF THE STUDY DESIGN One of the shortcomings associated with Experimental study design, which was applied in this study is that it is susceptible to human error due to its dependency on variable control which may not be properly implemented. Also, it is expensive to conduct and can be time wasting. Another downside is that ethical complications may arise, especially in medical research where a failed trial may lead to a patient’s death or detoriating health condition. Finally, to truly represent the opinion of the majority, it must be large enough to achieve statistical significance.  CRITICISM OF THE STUDY METHOD A shortcoming associated study method applied in this study, which is the qualitative research method focuses more on research data from perspectives and does not adequately provide for statistical representation. It is also largely dependent on the experience of the researchers involved in the process. The veracity of the data collated through the qualitative method cannot be ascertained and may lead to false conclusions. Also, since the qualitative method is largely based on individual perspectives, it is almost impossible to duplicate the outcomes. Finally, the results of the application of the qualitative result can be highly influenced by the researcher’s bias. WHAT IS THE INTERVENTION IMPACT? DEMONSTRATE THE EVIDENCE OF THEIR EFFECTS The intervention impact of the study is that it resulted in accurate dissemination of information to patients who reviewed their data via a portal and also improved their preparedness for future clinical appointments. It also enabled patients deal with the anxiety associated with diagnoses when they receive information on disease progression and treatment. The evidence of the effect can be seen in the increase of access to information for cancer patients, including their medical records. It has been proven to increase satisfaction with treatment choices, increase confidence in care providers, and improve adherence to medical advice. It also permits patients to consolidate information that has historically been dispersed across sources, an important concern in medical imaging. LESSONS LEARNED/LIMITATIONS The lessons learned/limitations identified in the study are; 1. The problems of using cTAKES’ annotators without customization are evident in the performance metrics. Common errors included the selection of findings that were not negated, but were also not present in the image, thus suggesting the need for training contextual sequence models of both words and reports over time. 2. The challenge of few standards for reporting in the domain of neuroradiology which may lead to a patient observing inconsistencies in the coverage of concepts across reports over time. 3. The researchers plan to explore the integration of domain-specific ontologies (eg, RadLex50) in future studies in order to improve the identification of findings and anatomical concepts, and creating a gold standard to evaluate the performance of the NLP module at identifying terms for explanation in the study viewer. 4. Another limitation that was identified is that despite the mechanisms for structuring and explaining, the application thrusts information onto the patient that may be beyond the average individual's comprehension. 5. Finally, misunderstandings may result in extra work for the physician, who would be left with the burden of answering questions that would have not otherwise arisen. It was suggested that the application be used as a tool during office visits, allowing for practitioners to be present while patients viewed the content in order to provide information support WHAT IS YOUR EVALUATION OF THE INTERVENTION AND THE WHOLE STUDY PROCEDURES? WHAT RECOMMENDATIONS DO YOU HAVE TO IMPROVE IT (EXPRESS YOUR PERSONAL VIEWS REGARDING THE IDENTIFIED INTERVENTION) My evaluation of the intervention is that it is a commendable effort in an attempt to improve the ability of health providers to effectively communicate diagnosis to patients especially as it relates to radiology imaging and reports. It also enhances the rights of patients to information and proper understanding of the status of their diagnosis and follow up on the progression of their treatment. I believe the study procedures used in the research was sufficient considering the fact that it is a novel attempt by the researchers. Although, the research was limited as the number of patients that were examined, it gave a glimpse into the effectiveness and benefits of the use of a portal in simplifying radiology imaging and reports to patients thereby enabling them understand the process better. My recommendation is that in the event that a further study is carried out in the future is that the study should cover a larger and diverse group of patients, particularly a less literate patient to test if the interface is simplified enough for understanding by an average patient. DISCUSS, IN YOUR OWN WORDS, WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED FROM THIS ASSIGNMENT, AND WHAT IT TEACHES YOU ABOUT? WHAT WOULD YOU WANT TO SHARE FROM THIS ASSIGNMENT (EITHER FROM THE CONTENT OF THE IDENTIFIED STUDY OR FROM YOUR OWN THINKING PROMPTED BY YOUR FINDINGS) WITH OTHER STUDENTS. I have learnt the importance of effectively simplifying the communication of diagnosis, particularly as it relates to radiology imaging and reports. The impact of a patients understanding of their radiology imaging and report cannot be overemphasized. It helps patient be better informed and personalizes the answers to their questions compared to generalized answers they may get from random websites on the internet. It also provides patients follow up on the progression of their sickness and understand better the doctor’s analysis of their ailment. It helps patients deal with the anxiety that comes along with diagnosis. What I want to share with other students from this assignment is that we should strive to carry out studies and be innovative in ways to improve and aid patients in understanding their diagnosis and medical reports to enable them make informed decision and build trust in health providers. REFERENCES Arnold C., McNamara M., El-Saden S., Chen S., Taira R., Bui A., (2013) Imaging informatics for consumer health: towards a radiology patient portal, J Am Med Inform Assoc. Volume 20(6): pp-, Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC-/ [ Accessed; 13 April 2020] Gaille B. (2018) 25 Advantages and Disadvantages of Qualitative Research. [online]. Available at: https://brandongaille.com/25-advantages-disadvantages-qualitative-research/ [ Accessed; 13 April 2020] Gaille L. (2020) 16 Advantages and Disadvantages of Experimental Research. [online]. Available at: https://vittana.org/16-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-experimental-research[ Accessed; 14 April 2020]