Data Entry Devices Research Articles

Observing and Improving Hand Hygiene Compliance Implementation and Refinement of an Electronic-Assisted Direct-Observer Hand Hygiene Audit Program

We implemented a direct-observer hand hygiene audit program that used trained observers, wireless data entry devices, and an intranet portal. We improved the reliability and utility of the data by standardizing audit processes, regularly retraining auditors, developing an audit guidance tool, and reporting weighted composite hand hygiene compliance scores.

Point-of-Care Technology Supports Bedside Documentation

As the conversion to an electronic health record intensifies, the question of which data-entry device works best in what environment and situation is paramount. Specifically, what is the best mix of equipment to purchase and install on clinical units based on staff preferences and budget constraints? The authors discuss their evaluation of stationary personal computers, workshops on wheels, and handheld tablets related to timeliness of data entry and their use of focus groups to ascertain the pros/cons of data-entry devices and staff preferences. An assessment of the implications for costs related to the timeliness of data entry is also presented.

Comparison of the Quality and Timeliness of Vital Signs Data Using Three Different Data-Entry Devices

Comparison of the Quality and Timeliness of Vital Signs Data Using Three Different Data-Entry Devices

Comparison of the Quality and Timeliness of Vital Signs Data Using Three Different Data-Entry Devices

It is important to evaluate the impact of clinical information systems on the quality and timeliness of documentation in the patient's record to ensure the systems are improving clinical care processes and providing value to the organization. An observational study was conducted to measure the accuracy and timeliness of vital signs data during three different stages of clinical documentation system implementation at a large academic medical center: (1) a paper medical record system, (2) a clinical documentation system with "computers on wheels" workstation outside the patient's room, and (3) a clinical documentation system with a Tablet PC affixed to the vital signs monitor. Patient observations (n = 270) were completed as patient care technicians made routine vital sign rounds. Equipping patient care technicians with a Tablet PC affixed to the vital signs monitor significantly improved (P < .05) the accuracy and timeliness of vital signs. In addition, a number of unintended consequences were discovered that proved helpful to the nurse managers and nursing informatics leadership team in providing support of the new system. Findings from this study emphasize the importance of ensuring that staff has the appropriate devices needed to effectively document patient care at the bedside.

Automatic generation of XML-based editors for autonomic systems

Nowadays, autonomic systems are emerging as a promising computing approach which manages itself without external interactions in the case of context changing. Several works have dealt with the design and implementation of autonomic systems. However, few approaches pay attention to the autonomic behaviour of data-entry forms or graphical interfaces in autonomic architecture. In this work, we will introduce a generic autonomic system that is based on context and data-entry devices and generates DTDs which describe the relevant context and data-entries. We propose a DTD compiler based on attributed context-free grammar which automatically generates web forms or editors to capture data with respect to the predefined DTD. This contribution introduces a high-level grammar that supports all possible DTD interpretation by other languages like VB or Ajax or Java.

A class of M-ary asymmetric symbol error correcting codes for data entry devices

Nonbinary M-ary symbols such as alphanumeric characters are commonly used in data entry devices, e.g., keyboards and character recognition devices. The M-ary symbols processed by these devices are sometimes mistaken for other symbols due to errors such as mistyping in keyboards or misreading in character recognition systems. These errors are generally asymmetric, not symmetric. For example, the symbols corresponding to adjacent keys in a keyboard have a high error probability due to mistapping. Similarly, in character recognition systems, two symbols having similar shape have high error probability to be misrecognized. These asymmetric errors can be corrected or detected by using M-ary asymmetric symbol error control codes. We propose a new class of M-ary single asymmetric symbol error correcting codes by using a new class of rings obtained from a direct product of Galois fields. Asymmetric symbol errors are expressed by an error directionality graph, based on which the error correction capability of the codes is determined. The code is defined by a parity check matrix over the ring and functions which map a set of M-ary symbols into the ring. One of the functions is derived from the graph coloring problem of the error directionality graph. The proposed codes have greater information symbol length than the existing M-ary single symmetric symbol error correcting codes.

Software for the basketball player’s evaluation in real time

During training and competition, head coaches must take technical and tactical decisions, basing them on his intuition and experience without the support of objective data. For this reason, it is important to develop indicators for the registration, analysis and evaluation of quantitative and qualitative elements in the practice of sports. The computer application that we present here is an attempt to advance in the development of these instruments, allowing for the compilation, analysis and evaluation of the players’ actions in real time. Our aim is to try to help head coaches to take inter-active decisions, by providing them with information on variables that traditionally have depended on mere subjectivity (technical and tactical actions that conventional statistics do not collect, sequence and effectiveness of the game systems, etc), making possible the quantification and analysis in real time. In order to develop the program, we have objectively established several indicators which allow the information demanded by head coaches during the training or competition to be collected in real time. Once the indicators were validated we proceeded to design and create the instruments (hardware and software) for compiling the information, analyzing it and passing it on to the head coach during the training session or competition.The recording of players’ actions during the development of a basketball game, for example, entails several problems, mainly due to the speed at which the various actions to be recorded occur. In order to solve this, several different people must be involved in the collection of information, each one of them specialized in a different phase of the game, for example one in offence and one in defence, each of them assigned to one team, and all of them must co-operate to collect all the information without any being lost.The entry of a larger number of variables to analyse, both quantitatively and qualitatively, together with their quantification, enables us assess the players in a more accurate way which is more attuned to reality. With this program, it is also possible to view the game events in a different way: according to a player, a team, actions and in real time. All the data obtained will be stored for a later analysis.Future works are aimed at the improvement of devices related to teams. In particular, improvements will be aimed at making the program easier to transport and operate for use inside sport centres by removing the need for cable connection of the equipment. Likewise, the data entry devices are one of the applications which we could be optimized and which we will keep on working on.

Usability and Performance Testing of Hand-held Data-entry Devices for Navy Shipboard Damage Control and Fire-fighting Environments

Portable, hand-held, data-entry devices were evaluated for intended use by shipboard engineering repair team personnel for improving on-scene casualty reporting of damage control and fire-fighting efforts. Current on-scene reporting methods use pre-formatted damage control messages, hand carried from the scene of the casualty to the repair lockers, and often rely on two-way radios for rapid transmission of critical casualty information. During the initial reporting period, this process is often confusing, time-late, and sometimes ambiguous or error-prone. Five off-the-shelf data entry devices were tested for usability and performance for data input and display of casualty information in a laboratory setting at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, with follow-on field testing done by damage control and fire-fighting personnel assigned to Fleet Training Center, San Diego and Detachment Treasure Island and the Afloat Training Group, Pacific. Demonstration of these devices, lessons learned on usability testing and building of cooperative research networks between users and the training community will be described.

Transaction controls: Steps to take after the equipment has been secured

No one can question the importance of limiting access to computer equipment in establishing a security system. However, with the door to the equipment locked, any potential perpetrator will naturally look for alternative ways of gaining access to the system. This paper looks at ways fraudulent data entry can be accomplished when physical access to data entry devices is denied and offers suggestions for securing those “windows” to the system.

Caculator Watches as Data Entry Devices: The Fundamental Things Apply as Time Goes by

Performance comparisons were made among three “calculator watch” devices that employed different technologies for data input. These included hardware keys, software keys, and figural recognition. Although the figural recognition device supposedly required the least training to operate, other factors reduced its utility considerably. Specifically, entry rates were slower for this device and error rates higher than for the other two types of devices. Data entry rates were also compared to those possible for other modes of entry, including unconstrained methods.

A General-Purpose Sequencer for MIDI Synthesizers

During the past year, most synthesizer manufacturers have adopted the MIDI specification for communication between computers and synthesizers, and a variety of MIDI-equipped synthesizers in the $500-$2000 price range have appeared on the market. This makes computer control of electronic musical instruments potentially accessible to a broad group of musicians. The utility of computer control depends primarily on the quality of the available software. The most fundamental software tool for control of synthesizers is the sequencer. There are sequencers on the market, using computers such as the Apple II and the Commodore 64. These sequencers are useful, but they do not supply the general tools for musical manipulation that even a small computer such as the Commodore 64 is capable of. I suggest that there are three basic properties that a computer-based sequencer should have. It should allow the use of the computer keyboard and other data-entry devices as instruments of real-time control of the musical structure, just as a synthesizer's keyboard and wheel controls provide real-time control of individual musical notes. It should also allow the user to build a musical structure out of

Development of the Letter-Shape Keyboard: A New Approach to the Design of Data Entry Devices

Development of a four key typewriter for Hebrew characters is described. It capitalizes on the visual imagery capabilities of human operators. Parallel and sequential key strokes are employed as graphic elements to reproduce the shape of printed letters. Preliminary experiments show that letter-shape code is acquired with little training and is highly resistant to forgetting. Single hand blind typing at a relatively fast rate is achieved after few hours of training. No difference is revealed between right and left hand operation. Only small and non reliable decrements in data entry rates were observed when system was operated during a simulated flight mission in a F-4 simulator.

Projections of data processing memory usage

An overview of the demand for various types of memory used with computer systems is presented. The types of memory and the major memory applications are discussed and analyzed for trends which will affect the amount and type of memory required for future computer systems. General business and scientific computers are by far the largest users of memory. This trend will continue with the advent of centralization of files, teleprocessing, and the use of virtual memory techniques to reduce the cost of memory and provide for machine-controlled memory management. The amount of on-line or direct-access memory available to users will continue to increase permitting extremely large files, program libraries, and information libraries which will be accessed by remote terminals and CPU's. Additional large demands for memory are developing in minicomputer-and microcomputer-based systems for industrial, business, and scientific uses as well as in intelligent terminal and data entry devices. These smaller processors, while contributing to the trend toward distributed processing, will also serve as the controllers for distributed file storage. The recent developments in the field of "mini" storage devices will be extended to provide even lower cost storage for use with small systems.

Keyboard entry

Many recent studies of keyboard entry are summarized with particular emphasis on performance data and fundamental questions about the design of keyboards. The role of auditory and visual feedback and physiological measurements are reviewed. Typical speed and error rates are given for several types of situations and operators. Other methods of data entry are considered, as are source documents, ordering of keys, keyboard interlocks, and chord keyboards. These data should be of interest to anyone concerned with the design and use of keyboards or other data entry devices.

Air traffic control system—digital simulation facility

The Federal Aviation Administration, at its National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center, has recent ly completed a new air traffic control system Digital Simulation Facility. The facility allows for improved real-time systems simulation and is currently being used to support two important pro jects aimed at improving control and safety of air traffic: It is being used to evaluate the inter action between a proposed airborne collision avoidance system and the air traffic control system, and to validate the various levels of automation in the air-terminal automation development program. The facility was developed for simulating present and proposed air traffic control systems and has twelve digital displays, five used as pilot consoles and seven as controlleer consoles. Each is equip ped with data entry devices for communicating with the computer which controls the simulation. This article describes the operation of the system, the hardware which comprises it, and the software required to control the equipment, to simulate air craft flights, and to collect and reduce data. Advantages of the new simulation facility over prior ones are discussed, as are plans for its use and expansion. The new facility provides an environment for con ducting simulations required in developing improved air traffic control systems to meet the needs of our increasing air traffic.