tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82115446046301554792024-03-13T11:11:43.594-05:00openSurgicalopenSurgical covers how the open source movement and the Web 2.0 are affecting the field of surgery.Randy Kimballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852643076545282635noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211544604630155479.post-21328320927151573112007-02-25T22:21:00.000-05:002007-02-25T22:53:17.524-05:00Open Source Medical Spellchecking- OpenMedSpelThis comes via <a href="http://www.linuxmednews.com/">LinuxMedNews</a>. <a href="http://www.e-medtools.com/openmedspel.html">OpenMedSpel</a> is an open source medical spelling list that can be added to a word processor's dictionary (or any other dictionary) to include common medical terms when spell checking. This not only allows you to check all of those funky medical terms for spelling, but also gets rid of that annoying tendency the spell checker has of marking all medical terms as misspelled.<br /><br />Theoretically OpenMedSpel could be added to any dictionary that allows importing. I myself have only tried it on <a href="http://www.openoffice.org/">OpenOffice</a> [an open source equivalent to Microsoft Office], and so far it works fine. Installation instructions for OpenOffice are included <a href="http://www.e-medtools.com/openofficemedspel.html">here</a>, which is the method I used. Alternatively one could also install the new dictionary in OpenOffice by going to File > Wizards > Install New Dictionaries and following the instructions there.<br /><br />Download it, try it out, and let us know what you think. Also, if you get OpenMedSpel to work in another program, let the developers know so they can feature it on their page.Randy Kimballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852643076545282635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211544604630155479.post-19738234349787780342007-02-15T10:30:00.000-05:002007-02-25T22:52:54.837-05:00Evidence Based Fun- NeverballThere have been numerous <a href="http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,66086,00.html">news articles</a> written on how playing video games can improve a surgeon's laparoscopic skills. These articles are based on the research of <a href="http://www.rosseramti.com/">Dr. James Rosser</a> et al., which I do not believe is published but is the subject of a conference presentation [<a href="http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/FACULTY/dgentile/MMVRC_Jan_20_MediaVersion.pdf">pdf file</a>]. The game used in this study is called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Monkey_Ball">Super Monkey Ball</a> by Sega. For a free open source alternative, try a game called <a href="http://icculus.org/neverball/">Neverball</a>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">From their website: " Tilt the floor to roll a ball through an obstacle course before time runs out. Neverball is part puzzle game, part action game, and entirely a test of skill."<br /></div><br />Interested? To improve your laparoscopic skills, try this:<br /><br />1) <a href="http://icculus.org/neverball/#download">Download</a> Neverball from their homepage [available for Windows/Mac/Linux].<br />2) Play for >3hrs per week.<br />3) Enjoy having a 27% increase in speed and 37% fewer errors when performing laparoscopic drills. [Your mileage may vary]Randy Kimballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852643076545282635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211544604630155479.post-25526374761308622452007-02-14T16:02:00.000-05:002007-02-14T21:09:33.613-05:00Learn about central lines on YoutubeStumbled across these videos on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/">Youtube</a> today. This guy walks you through choosing a central line, prepping and tossing one in. The last video is on special situations and things to watch out for. Good stuff.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KHM-IVF5Ek" target="_blank">Part 1</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUzMvLYyERI" target="_blank">Part 2</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUx-jLjGTl0" target="_blank">Part 3</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge2iQxWjH4w" target="_blank">Part 4</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPnyXlhMpvA" target="_blank">Part 5</a>Randy Kimballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852643076545282635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8211544604630155479.post-52866596545568433192007-02-12T13:22:00.001-05:002007-02-12T23:11:15.931-05:00WelcomeWelcome to openSurgical.<br /><br />This blog seeks to follow how the open source movement and the Web 2.0 are impacting the field of surgery. I will follow news stories, examine web media and review software in an attempt to examine how technology is changing the practice of surgery.<br /><br />Contact me at opensurgical@gmail.com to email in stories to be posted and make suggestions. In addition, feel free to comment on the posts and start a discussion.<br /><br />Above all openSurgical is open to everyone, surgeon or not. Everyone has something to contribute and something to learn.<br /><br />-Randy KimballRandy Kimballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09852643076545282635noreply@blogger.com0