Ever since the early 1960s, the medical ical records. Expert assistance in di- issue might contain a review of an office agnosis and treatment selection will be world has awaited the promise of com- practice management system-of in- as close as the nearest telephone, which terest to the physician, nurse, and office puterization. Many of us were fasci- will provide an immediate link to the nated by the efforts of the pioneers: practice manager. Next to it might be Homer Warner's computerized diag- office computer. found a detailed article about a language nosis system, Octo Barnett's medical Since 1983, M,D. Computing has such as LISP and how it could be ap- information system, Howard Bleich's explored and explained all of these as- plied to medical problems, or a tutorial pects. Our magazine's major focus is on about real-time monitoring of a patient's automated acid/base consultant" and Warner Slack's history-taking program computer systems that serve the health physiological state, along with book re- were foretastes of what was to come. provider in the home or office environ- views and departments reporting on At first, however, physicians and hos- ment. M.
D, Computing has also ex- pertinent computer news. pital personnel resisted the computer amined more general computer appli- In several cases, a distinct theme because it was too slow, too fragile, too cations in medical care.