Automatic Method for Processing Mass Data in Clinical Medicine (FOSDIC)

Abstract

1. The need for automatic data processing techniques in investigative medicine is briefly-stated and stresse’d.2. Among the more widely used methods for collection, storage and analysis of large scale data, the punch cards, although suitable for direct computer input, leave a limited input speed.3. A new system developed jointly by the Bureau of the Census and the National Bureau of Standards, called FOSDIC is described.4. FOSDIC is basically an analog scanner actuated by a digital computer. It automatically reads, recodes and transcribes the information on magnetic tape in binary language.5. FOSDIC. consists of four parts: a scanning unit, a program unit, a tape unit and a console.6. Printed documents of suitable size and format are used for data collection; they are microfilmed” and the information contained therein is automatically scanned and recorded on digital magnetic tape, suitable for direct input to a digital electronic computer.7. Some of the advantages offered by this system are stressed: they are speed and versatility in the scanning and transcribing process, flexibility in the size and format of the printed document and space saving in the storage of microfilmed documents.8. FOSDIC system is being used in several research projects in progress; in one project reduction of clinical information is the aim, in other ones correlation between analog records such as the electrocardiogram with clinical information is pursued. Since the clinical information is collected from more than one hospital, uniformity in the collected documents is an important factor.