===================================================================== AMERICAN VETERINARY COMPUTER SOCIETY NEWSLETTER July-August, 1995 ===================================================================== Robert Featherston (Tulsa, OK) - President; James T. Case (UC-Davis) - Secretary Treasurer; Ronald D. Smith (Illinois) - Newsletter Editor. ===================================================================== IN THIS ISSUE SOCIETY NEWS Informatics Symposium a Success! Minutes of the July 9, 1995 AVCS Annual Meeting - Pittsburgh, PA Richard B. Talbot Precepteeship(s) in Informatics How to Contact AVCS CORRESPONDENCE Request for Abstract Citations - Swine Health and Production List A Veterinary Presence in the Computer-Based Patient Record Institute? A SURVEY OF ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS AT NORTH AMERICAN VETERINARY COLLEGES - FEBRUARY-MARCH 1995 PRODUCT AVAILABILITY/REVIEWS/COMPARISONS EPIZOO - Veterinary Public Health & Animal Disease Control Software NLM Seeks Beta Testers for Internet Grateful Med INTERNET RESOURCES BEEF-L (Beef Specialists List) has a New Address FOODLINK (Food Safety Issues List) has a New Address WALTHAM and VIN at Your School New Veterinary Professional List The AMIA WWW Server Pathology Continuing Medical Education (CME) on the World Wide Web Emerging Infectious Diseases Electronic Journal from CDC HL7 (Health Level Seven) Electronic Data Exchange Listserv CAB International Now On the WWW Merck WWW Site EPIWORLD -- Computer Applications in Epidemiology NEWS AND COMMENTARY Informatics Committee of AVMA Forms Subcommittee on Standards MEETINGS AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES Internet Medicine, Chicago, IL 1995 European Conference on Health Informatics, Paris, France Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care (SCAMC), New Orleans CLOSING BITS ===================================================================== SOCIETY NEWS ===================================================================== Informatics Symposium a Success! By RD Smith, Newsletter Editor The Richard B. Talbot Informatics Symposium on Patient-Based Information Systems was held Sunday, July 9, 1995 at the 132nd Annual Meeting of the AVMA in Pittsburgh, PA. It was jointly sponsored by the American Veterinary Computer Society and the American Academy of Veterinary Informatics and was organized by Drs. Bob Featherston and Noell Moseley. Topics included "Patient-Based Medical Records for Clinical Practice" (Franklin C. Pollari); "Experience with Clinical Data Collection" (Elizabeth Lund); "Standards for Data Collection" (James T. Case); and "The Internet: The Future of Communications and Information Exchange" (Kenneth R. Boschert). Formal presentations were followed by a panel discussion on "Perspectives on Patient-Based Information Systems" chaired by AVCS President Robert H. Featherston. Attendance at the AVCS Symposium was excellent and became standing-room only as the Symposium progressed. Tapes of all sessions are available from Insta Tape, Inc; P.O. Box 1729; Monrovia, CA 91017-5729; Phone: 800/NOW-TAPE (call only Monday - Wednesday). Total attendance at this year's AVMA Convention was 4,978, including 2,326 veterinarians. Next year's AVMA Convention will be held July 20- 24, 1996 in Louisville, Kentucky. ===================================================================== Minutes of the July 9, 1995 AVCS Annual Meeting - Pittsburgh, PA By James T. Case, AVCS Secretary/Treasurer The meeting was called to order by Dr. Bob Featherston at 12:30pm in the Washington Room of the Doubletree Hotel, Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Featherston asked all attending to introduce thenselves and their interests. There were 29 AVCS members and guests attending. The minutes from the 1994 meeting were accepted unanimously. Secretary/Treasurer, Dr. Jim Case read the membership and financial reports. Dr. Boschert moved to accept the reports, Dr. Moseley seconded. Motion passed unanimously. OLD BUSINESS Dr. Ron Smith, AVCS newletter editor opened discussion concerning the current general distribution of the AVCS newsletter. He discussed how the newsletter format needs to be upgraded and that he would like to place it on the World Wide Web. The newsletter is currently posted on NoAH, VIN, and the NetVet Web server. The question was raised as to whether unrestricted access to the electronic newsletter should be continued. The newsletter is the primary benefit of the AVCS membership. Arguments in favor of a general distribution is that it gives greater exposure of the AVCS; arguments against this form of distribution include the possibility that it detracts from dues which might be collected by the Society. Discussion ensued. General consensus of those attending is to continue the current distribution methods as well as production of an enhanced version to be made available on NetVet. No motion was made and no vote taken. Dr. Featherston introduced Dr. Richard Hidalgo, chair of the AVMA Informatics Committee and Dr. Harmon Rogers, chair of the AAHA Informatics Committee. Dr. Case presented a summary report of the strategic planning meeting held in conjunction with SCAMC in November, 1994. A number of recommendations resulting from that meeting were presented for further discussion under new business. Dr. Boschert reported on the AAVI annual meeting. Dr. Boschert is the outgoing preseident of the of the AAVI. Dr. Ron Smith, president-elect, took over responsibility following the meeting. Dr. Jim Case was elected President-elect, 1996-97. NEW BUSINESS The following recommendations from the AVCS strategic planning meeting were discussed. Rename the AVCS Dr. Case presented the recommendation that the name of the AVCS be changed to better reflect the changes in information technology and the role of informatics and computing in veterinary medicine. A number of potential names were submitted for discussion. Members present selected two names to be put to a vote by the general membership (in addition to keeping the old name). These were: "Society for Veterinary Informatics and Computing" and, "Association for Veterinary Informatics". This will be included on the ballot for officers. Change of Membership Categories The current membership categories in the AVCS distinguish members by affiliation, but not in dues. The strategic planning group recognized that nonveterinarians could contribute greatly in the Society, but were currently not given voting priveledges. The aim in restructuring the membership categories would be to broaden the membership to include nonveterinarians involved in the veteirnary informatics field as well as encourage corporate membership. The proposed membership categories are: Full - would include anyone intersted in veterinary informatics. Includes newsletter and voting rights. Also allows membership on standing committees and special interest/working groups. Dues: $35 Associate - Anyone who supports the goals of the society. Receives newsletter, no voting rights, no membership on committees or special interest groups. Limited to two years. Dues: $20 Corporate - Corporations that support the goals of the Society. Includes newsletter, representation on standing committees, special interest groups and one vote. Dues: $100 Student - Includes newsletter, membership on standing committees and special interest groups. No voting rights. Dues: $20 After discussion it was agreed to present the changes to the general membership for a vote. This will be included on the upcoming ballot. Bob Feathrston discussed the Richard B. Talbot Scholarship Endowment (see below) OTHER Nominations for Officers - Recommendation from the nominating committee (Dr. Steve Waldhalm, chair) were as follows: President: Dr. Noell Moseley, TN President-Elect: Dr. Charles Cohen, CT; Dr. Harmon Rogers, WA Secretary-Treasurer: Dr. Jim Case, CA Nominations were opened to the floor. No additional names were presented and nominations closed on a motion by Dr. Hidalgo, seconded by Dr. Mills. The current slate of candidates differs from previous elections due to the untimely death of Dr. Richard Talbot. As President-Elect, Dr. Featherston filled Dr. Talbot's remaining term as President and began his current term which runs through June 1996. The new officers terms will begin July 1, 1996. The meeting was adjourned at 2pm. (Comment from Dr. Case: With regard to the ballot that had already been distributed by the time this issue of the Newsletter went out, a YES/NO option on the item for changing the makeup of the executive board was omitted. A follow-up vote on this particular item may be necessary.) ===================================================================== Richard B. Talbot Precepteeship(s) in Informatics Robert Featherston <74232.16@compuserve.com> An endowment of $30,000 will provide an annual scholarship of up to $1,500 for a senior veterinary student to spend up to six weeks working with a preceptor in informatics. The AVMA Committee on Informatics will approve the programs in informatics from which accepted students might apply for support. Students who verify their participation in such programs will be eligible to apply for support from funds available in this fund. Dr. Richard Talbot contributed to the veterinary profession in many ways during his professional career. He remained active in organized veterinary medicine through the AVMA, AAVMC, and a number of computer groups. Earlier in his career, he served on the AVMA Council on Education and his most recent AVMA activities included serving as the founding chairman of the AVMA Committee on Informatics and as the AVMA Secretariat for the veterinary portion of SNOMED. This fund would provide ongoing recognition of Dr. Talbot's continuing support for veterinary medical education and his deep interest in veterinary medical informatics. This support for senior students would assist them in exploring and experiencing the use, value, and potential for information management and informatics in the veterinary profession. Until the goal of $30,000 is achieved, no more than one scholarship of up to $1,500 will be awarded each year. If funds in this account decrease below the amount of one scholarship, the remainder will be transferred to another scholarship fund. The Foundation Directors, at their discretion, may alter the allocation and/or use of this fund if such is deemed appropriate. Memorial contributions made to the AVM Foundation in honor of Dr. Talbot will be placed in this fund. American Veterinary Medical Foundation; 1931 N. Meacham Rd., Suite 100; Schaumburg, IL 60173-4360; voice: 800/248-2862, 708/925-8070; fax: 708/925-1329 ===================================================================== How to Contact AVCS Applications for membership, accompanied by a check for $20 ($30 outside of North America) payable to the AVCS, should be sent to Dr. James T. Case; AVCS Secretary Treasurer; School of Veterinary Medicine; University of California; P.O. Box 1770; Davis, CA 95617 (Phone: 916/752-4408; FAX: 916/752-5680; e-mail: jcase@gypsy.ucdavis.edu). Dr. Case is responsible for distribution of the hardcopy version of the AVCS Newsletter. Newsletter items can be sent to Dr. Ronald D. Smith, AVCS Newsletter Editor; UI College of Veterinary Medicine; 2001 South Lincoln; Urbana, IL 61801. Telephone: 217/333-2449; FAX: 217/333-4628; AOL: RDSmith; Internet: rd-smith@uiuc.edu If you would like to be on the AVCS Newsletter electronic distribution list, send an e-mail message to the Newsletter Editor. Although the electronic version is only an ASCII (text) file, it's faster, searchable, easier to store and retrieve, and environmentally friendly. Current and past issues of the Newsletter can be searched, read and downloaded from the NETVET Gopher server . They can also be downloaded from the Associations and Foundations Library of America Online's Veterinary Information Network. ===================================================================== CORRESPONDENCE ===================================================================== Request for Abstract Citations - Swine Health and Production List From: Peter Bahnson I am providing a list of "interesting" abstracts for publication in "Swine Health and Production", a publication sponsored by the Association of American Swine Practitioners. If you a aware of citations and / or abstracts that might be of "interest" to the readers of this journal, please forward an electronic copy to my personal address . An "interesting" abstract should contain some, but not necessarily all of the following characteristics: recent publication, scientific or practical merit, and novel ideas. Topics may include veterinary medicine, nutrition, husbandry, physiology, etc. Any subject that potentially can impact pig production, pig science, or pig medicine may be relevant. Abstracts to be included are also normally those that are not likely to be in the common USA literature. Thanks! Peter Bahnson, DVM, PhD; Research Associate; University of Minnesota; College of Veterinary Medicine; Dept. Clinical and Population Medicine; 1988 Fitch Ave # 385; St Paul MN 55108 ===================================================================== A Veterinary Presence in the Computer-Based Patient Record Institute? Posted to: VETINFO Veterinary Informatics Discussion List on Mon, 26 Jun 1995 By: Franklin L Pollari I just wanted to bring up 2 items that relate to the standards development discussion. I. The latest JAVMA announced the new veterinary Secretariat for SNOMED International is Dr. Jeffrey Wilcke, Blacksburg, Va. The article also stated that a small animal microglossary (16,300 terms) and a large animal microglossary (19,300 additional? terms) were being developed but no mention of availability. II. The CPRI (the Computer-based Patient Record Institute) may be able to provide the type of information that...has been request(ed). An article titled "Overview of US standards activities in clinical vocabularies" was in their latest news letter (April,1995)[newsletter subscription $150/year]. The article included a brief synopsis of the standard development organizations (SDOs)(ACR-NEMA, HL7, ASC X-12, IEEE, and ASTM E31) and names and addresses for contact. It was interesting to note that ACR-NEMA is "extending DICOM standards to include all images, structured data entry with microglossary (using SNOMED) and developing semantic rules and constraints for SNOMED usage".[The radiology types seem to be pushing ahead] Another article was the abstract of the latest report from their Work Group on Codes & Structures. They had compared the content coverage of various clinical classification schemes (ICD-9- CM, ICD-10, SNOMED International, Read Coding Scheme, UMLS, CPT-4 and NANDA) for patient conditions and events taken from patient records (inpatient and outpatient settings). SNOMED seemed to fair well on this first phase of evaluation. I've talked with the Executive Director at CPRI and they are interested in having a veterinary presence in the organization. They sounded willing to let us find out how we could fit into their organization before asking for a commitment from us (as the Vet schools (AAVMC?) or as a consortium of veterinary organizations). I am not completely sure how much they would be able to help us but their contact with the various SDOs should help us to keep in synch with the rest of the world so we are not duplicating efforts. They have a broad membership which includes the AMA, several physician specialty groups, AHA, a University Hospital Consortium, several private Hospital systems, HMOs, computer companies and vendors of human clinical information systems. Their address is: Computer-based Patient Record Institute; 1000 East Woodfield Rd. Suite 102; Schaumburg, IL 60173. Telephone 708-706-6746 ===================================================================== A SURVEY OF ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS AT NORTH AMERICAN VETERINARY COLLEGES - FEBRUARY-MARCH 1995 Franklin Pollari, DVM, MPH, DVSc; Brenda Bonnett, DVM, PhD; Sheena Bamsey BSc Department of Population Medicine and Information Technology Services Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, N1G 2W1, Fax (519)763-8621, Phone (519)824-4120 X 4350 E-mail fpollari@OVCNet.UoGuelph.CA ===================================================================== The medical record is an important college-wide asset that will remain under-utilized as long as it is maintained on paper. It is central to patient care within our hospitals and is important as a research, teaching and evaluation tool. With the ever increasing demands placed on our colleges for educating veterinarians for the future and expanding veterinary medicine knowledge, we need to promote more efficient management of this resource, specifically, using modern computer technology. Experience in the human medical arena clearly indicates that developing a functional electronic medical record (EMR) system is a very complex process that requires extensive resources. The most advanced systems have been developing over 20 years with annual expenditures in the millions of dollars. The veterinary community in general does not have the luxury of such resources to independently develop EMR systems at each teaching facility. This survey was conducted, under the approval of the AAVMC, to 1) identify EMR development contacts at each college 2) determine the current state of the EMR at each site 3) determine development plans at each site and 4) identify areas of and means for collaboration. In the first phase of the survey, a letter was sent (January 4, 1995) to the office of the Dean at each of the 31 veterinary schools in North America. The letter requested the name(s) and e-mail address of personnel who would be most appropriate to answer questions about medical records and EMR development at that site. In the second phase, an e-mail survey was sent out between February 2 and 16 to the personnel who are involved in the development of electronic medical records at each site (as the contact names became available). This summary report presents responses from the surveys returned by March 21, 1995, from 30 of the North American veterinary colleges. Results are reported as the number or percentage at the college level. The respondents reflected the broad background of personnel involved in EMR development issues (computer/information technology sector, 80%; medical records personnel, 67%; hospital administration, 47%; teachers, 40%; researchers, 33%; clinicians, 30%; college administration 27%). None of the teaching hospitals had all medical record information recorded electronically. Most schools (93%) had at least some of the medical data stored electronically ( two schools had no medical data stored electronically). There was great diversity of the quantity of medical data stored electronically in the 28 systems: presenting problems (64%), diagnoses (96%), procedures (79%), problem lists (14%), history (7%), physical exam (7%), progress notes (7%), case summaries (36%). The majority of the sites had at least some laboratory data on- line (64%). Most (62%) of the current EMR systems were locally developed at the veterinary teaching hospitals. The others were acquired proprietary veterinary systems (25%; N = 7) or human systems (11%; N = 3). The proprietary systems included Vetstar (N = 3), VSI (N = 2), AVS (N = 1), and DVM Manager (N = 1). Even broadly categorizing these systems there are at least 19 different basic hardware/software platforms at these 28 sites. Respondents from nearly all (93%) of the schools were interested in developing more collaborative ventures with other sites. When asked what would facilitate collaboration, the majority of responses referred to two areas: 1) development of a forum for exchange of developments and 2) defining common needs for development across all schools. Several specifics were mentioned for developing a forum for sharing. A formal established group was suggested more frequently than an informal arrangement. This call for formal working groups likely stems from relative ineffectiveness of the current informal associations. While informal gatherings help share ideas, the momentum generated is often lost as soon as the participants return home and become buried by local issues. The respondents also indicated that support, both administrative and funding, would be required for effective collaboration. Other factors mentioned were, leadership, sponsorship, identifying contacts at each site, and affiliation of like sites. Without resource allocation and organization, collaborative issues will always be placed behind local matters. The common needs that were specified by the respondents included the very basics of what a medical record is or should be. The respondents called for a conceptual model of the EMR with standards defined for content, format, and functions. We cannot expect our technology experts to automate what we cannot define. The results of this survey can help us focus on areas to begin collboration. Additionally, with the database genereated from this survey, collaboration efforts can be coordinated by helping developers identify where developments are currently underway or where there is an expressed interest in a specific area of develpment. The veterinary community needs to use lessons learned from human hospital EMR developments and to work together to define our own specific requirements so we can efficiently develop systems to meet our teaching college needs. ----------------------------------- Editor's note: The complete EMR survey results can be found on the WWW at: http://netvet.wustl.edu/lists/vetinfo/emsurvey.htm ===================================================================== PRODUCT AVAILABILITY/REVIEWS/COMPARISONS ===================================================================== EPIZOO - Veterinary Public Health & Animal Disease Control Software From (WHOSIS Home Page): http://www.who.ch/whosis/vph/epizoo/epizoo.htm EPIZOO: A Computer Software Package to be Used in Veterinary Public Health and Animal Disease Control A computer software package, EPIZOO, has been developed specifically for analysis of information on animal health and diseases, including those transmissible to man. The software package includes indicators to analyse data on morbidity and mortality, geographical distribution, animal population characteristics, and dynamics of epizootics. It helps to prepare for investigations of animal population health and disease, to analyse diagnosis and consequences of illness, to design animal health programmes, to estimate costs and evaluate programmes. It also includes some sampling and other simple and practical statistical techniques. It is written to facilitate information management for problem-solving, modelling, simulation studies and training in veterinary epidemiology and for action-oriented epidemiological analyses and decision-making. The EPIZOO version 2.4 fits onto one 1.4 megabyte diskette and can be used on IBM compatible personal computers with the MS-DOS operating system. The software package, which was developed by Professor V. Kouba (B.P. 516, 17000 Prague 7, Czech Republic), is easy to use and does not require training or even a manual. How to get the software package Download this software (756 K, in English only) to unzip and run locally from the WWW page: http://www.who.ch/whosis/vph/epizoo/epizoo.htm by clicking on: epizoo.zip. The software package may also be obtained, free of charge, on 1 HD diskette from the address below. The request should be accompanied by a formatted 1.44 MB (3.5 inch) diskette. Dr F.-X. Meslin, Chief; Veterinary Public Health or Dr K. Stohr, CDS/VPH 20, Avenue Appia; CH-1211 GenE:ve 27; Switzerland Telephone: (+41 22) 791.25.75/25.77; Fax: (+41 22) 791.41.94 e-mail: meslinf@who.ch or stohrk@who.ch ===================================================================== NLM Seeks Beta Testers for Internet Grateful Med From: Internet Grateful Med Team The National Library of Medicine (NLM) created the Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (MEDLARS) to provide rapid online access to the NLM databases. MEDLINE, the most widely used of the more than 40 MEDLARS databases, contains 7 million references dating back to 1966. NLM has been providing online access to the information in these files for many years. Advances in software, hardware and communications now make it possible for NLM to provide new functionality to serve our more than 100,000 users. Internet Grateful Med (IGM) is a new NLM system for providing access to MEDLARS via the Internet and the World-Wide Web. The Internet Grateful Med prototype for assisted searching in MEDLINE has been alpha-tested inside NLM and is nearly ready for beta testing. The system applies multiple resources including the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Metathesaurus to help a user create, submit, and refine a search in MEDLINE. The Internet Grateful Med system works well with Netscape Navigator, the most prevalent of the many World-Wide Web browsers available. There are versions of Netscape Navigator for users having PCs running Microsoft Windows, Macintosh computers running System 7 or higher, and Unix workstations running the X Window System. We have also successfully used the X version of NCSA Mosaic for Unix workstations, and the Macintosh browser called MacWeb from EINet. The Windows and Macintosh versions of NCSA Mosaic do not yet work perfectly with Internet Grateful Med. A candidate for beta testing Internet Grateful Med must 1. Be a current user of Netscape Navigator Version 1.0 or higher, or of the X version of NCSA Mosaic for a Unix workstation, or of MacWeb 2. Have an Internet connection (either direct via an institutional local area network connected to the Internet, OR via modem dial-up to a SLIP or PPP account at an Internet access provider -- 9,600 baud minimum; 14,400 baud or faster for better performance) 3. Search MEDLINE at least once a week on average. Users of varying backgrounds and searching fluency are actively sought. The testing will begin in July, with groups of testers brought on line in phases during the Summer as we confirm our ability to serve them properly. We anticipate a beta-test period of several months leading to a production release of Internet Grateful Med by the end of 1995. User comments and feedback are extremely important to us as we work toward the production release. If you would like to participate in this testing process or have questions about this announcement, please send an email message to "access@nlm.nih.gov". Include your name, physical mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address. Though we cannot guarantee that all who express interest will be selected as testers, we look forward to working with several hundred persons as we improve the capabilities of the Internet Grateful Med prototype. The Internet Grateful Med (IGM) Beta Test Work Group; National Library of Medicine/NICHSR; 8600 Rockville Pike; Building 38, Room 1W22E, Mail Stop 20; Bethesda, MD 20894 (301) 496-9300 or 496-0176 (voice) (301) 496-0673 (direct fax) access@nlm.nih.gov ===================================================================== INTERNET RESOURCES ===================================================================== BEEF-L (Beef Specialists List) has a New Address From: Guy L. Pace BEEF-L is a mailing list and discussion group for beef specialists in university, government and commercial activities. BEEF-L was first established to serve as a communication medium for beef specialists in Cooperative Extension. However, the role and nature of the list has changed over the last few years. We wish to announce that BEEF-L has a new list address and listserver: The new listaddress is: beef-l@listproc.wsu.edu The new server address: listproc@listproc.wsu.edu The command to subscribe is: subscribe beef-l your name and should be sent as a message to "listproc@listproc.wsu.edu" and not to the list address. BEEF-L generates about 20 messages per week at present. BEEF-L is hosted by Washington State University, College of Agriculture and Home Economics and Cooperative Extension. Inquiries: pace@coopext.cahe.wsu.edu Owners: Guy L. Pace Computer Support Analyst II Tony Wright Computer Coordinator ===================================================================== FOODLINK (Food Safety Issues List) has a New Address From: Guy L. Pace FOODLINK is a mailing list and discussion group for food safety specialists in city, county and other settings. Food safety alerts are posted to this list when appropriate. FOODLINK was first established as part of a food safety grant. The list was intended to serve as an immediate, reliable method of communicating foodborne illness outbreaks to county health districts in Washington State. The list continues to serve as a forum for discussion of food safety issues and an exchange of information between professionals involved in prevention of foodborne illness. We wish to announce that FOODLINK has a new list address and listserver: The new listaddress is: foodlink@listproc.wsu.edu The new server address: listproc@listproc.wsu.edu The command to subscribe is: subscribe foodlink your name and should be sent as a message to "listproc@listproc.wsu.edu" and not to the list address. FOODLINK generates between 10 and 20 messages per week at present. FOODLINK is hosted by Washington State University, College of Agriculture and Home Economics and Cooperative Extension. Inquiries: pace@coopext.cahe.wsu.edu Owners: Guy L. Pace Computer Support Analyst II Tony Wright Computer Coordinator ===================================================================== WALTHAM and VIN at Your School From: Paul D. Pion This is Paul D. Pion, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology), co-founder of VIN. I wanted to update you on several exciting happenings on Veterinary Information Network (VIN). As you may know, VIN has been serving veterinarians online since 1991. In the past year, WALTHAM PET FOODS USA has made VIN available at all veterinary schools. We are anxious to do whatever we can to ensure that students take advantage of this offering. Email or call me if you have any questions about the program at your school. On a similar topic -- would you be interested in having a VIN user or representative visit your school in the Fall to introduce it to new students, continuing students, and faculty? 2000 vets on the World Wide Web ========================= As of this weekend, VIN points to ALL Vet School websites, including your own. We think this will greatly increase the number of practicing veterinarians that visit your web site. Please do not hesitate to let us know what we can do to help you promote events at your institution to veterinarians on VIN. POINT TO VIN ============ You might also want to check out VIN's new web page - we will keep it updated with happenings on VIN. FEEDBACK PLEASE FROM "WEBMASTERS" ================================== VIN is on America Online (AOL). I would be curious to hear how many visits your website gets from AOL.com in weeks to come. Thanks! Paul ===================================================================== New Veterinary Professional List From: Jeff Parke This is to annnounce a new private, free internet veterinary professional list. Please join us in making this a success. The current list settings are as follows: PRIVATE: subscriptions controlled by jeffp@vetmed.wsu.edu; alb2@cornell.edu . SEND: open to subscribers and owners only. VISIBLE: the list shows up in listings. ARCHIVE: messages are archived in the vetplus-l archive. File spec is vetplus-l.log%y%m STATS: open to subscribers and owners only. REVIEW: open to subscribers and owners only. ARCHIVES: available to subscribers and owners only. UNMODERATED: postings not controlled. DIGEST: digests distributed daily at 00:01 MESSAGE-LIMIT: unlimited daily postings. FORWARD-REJECTS: no; all listproc-generated errors sent to sender. REPLY-TO-LIST-ALWAYS AUTO-DELETE-SUBSCRIBERS: yes. KEEP-RESENT-LINES: yes; Resent- header lines preserved. DELIVERY-ERRORS: non-delivery reports are sent to alb2@cornell.edu; jeffp@vetmed.wsu.edu OWNERS: jeffp@u.washington.edu; jeffp@vetmed.wsu.edu; pizzo@netcom.com; alb2@cornell.edu; ronlouie@u.washington.edu CHARTER OF VETPLUS-L MAILING LIST PURPOSE: The VETPLUS-L mailing list is intended to provide an electronic forum for veterinarians, physicians, and professionals in related fields to discuss animal health topics. It will serve as a place for professionals and scholars to interact and discuss special issues relating to animal care and management. The VETPLUS-L mail list shall be limited to people involved in veterinary and human medical practice or people involved in medical research and teaching. Students of medical-related fields will also be allowed to join. In general this means that the membership of VETPLUS-L list will be comprised of doctors and students of veterinary or human medicine, veterinary technicians and nurses, pharmacists, biomedical researchers, and biologists. This list is not a forum for product endorsements, advertisements, or lay persons looking for advice concerning individual problems. The list is intended for professional scientific discussion. People who abuse membership privileges will be asked to leave the list. Applicants to VETPLUS-L will be required to provide the following information as a condition of being considered for membership. The supplied information will be kept in a private and secure file which is completely separate and autonomous from the VETPLUS-L directory. The supplied information is to be used only by the list owners and moderators for purposes of list membership. The following information is REQUIRED for membership, except those areas marked OPTIONAL. -full name -date of birth (optional) -sex (male/female) optional -education and degrees -title -occupation -organization (incl. dept/div) -internet (e-mail) address -mailing address (city,state,zip,country) -work telephone -work fax -home telephone or fax (optional) -employer type: self, academic, government, corp., private, non-profit -job function: private practice, educator, researcher, management, technician -what is your employment status: full time, part time or unempl -list your special interests, research interests and specialties. -list any pertinent association memberships -what type of computer are you using?(IBM,MAC,UNIX,DEC-VAX etc) -what telecommunications do you use? Do you wish us to withhold your answers to these questions from any future statistical statements about list membership? POLICY: The directory information given above is for the sole use of the list owners in determining qualifications for list membership. This information will be held confidential by the list owners. It will not be given out or sold to any entity. A compilation of the information may be used in future communications of list demographics. [DISCLAIMER] VETPLUS-L is a PRIVATE, mailing list. Posts to the list are not edited, moderated, or checked for accuracy by any list owner.By joining the list and receiving messages, participants agree not to hold any list owner or administrator of VETPLUS-L, including Albert Pizzo, Jeff Parke, and Allan Berger, responsible for any actions or consequences resulting from participation in the list. Participation includes but is not limited to receiving messages from the list, reading messages transmitted by the list, sending messages to the list, and making any contacts based upon information transmitted by the VETPLUS-L mailing list. The content on the list is intended to be read only by medical professionals. No message or portion of any message can be re- distributed or given to any person not on the list without the express consent of the person who posted the message. The owners, moderators, and other administrators reserve the right to remove any list member from the VETPLUS-L list at their discretion, without notice at any time for any reason. This may include the removal of any member who consistently deviates from the list PURPOSE, uses the list for commercial purposes, slanders a person or makes libelous statements, or uses language in such a way that is offensive in the judgement of the list owners. We will attempt to educate list members on the proper use of e-mail programs as necessary. However, individuals who continually misdirect personal electronic mail responses or listserv commands to the whole list may be removed. Postings to the list will be encouraged to be of general interest to the members at large, and it is requested that they are written in a manner that all list members will feel included in the forum. We strongly discourage the use of "FLAMING" as it is defeats the PURPOSE of this VETPLUS-L list. People who persistently transmit messages containing "FLAMES" are subject to expulsion from VETPLUS-L. Submission of the application information above constitutes an agreement to the terms of membership and the above policies. Please send the required DIRECTORY INFORMATION requested above (the Name, Address etc.) to one of the following e-mail addresses: jeffp@vetmed.wsu.edu pizzo@netcom.com alb2@cornell.edu If you received this charter from one of the above, please reply to that person. We will look forward to welcoming you to the list. It is the members of a list that make it potentially of great benefit to all. Best regards, Albert Pizzo MD,CM,FAAFP; Jeff Parke, DVM; Allan Berger, DVM (listowners) ===================================================================== The AMIA WWW Server gmalet@surfer.win.net (Gary Malet) ANNOUNCING: THE AMIA WEBSERVER URL: http://amia2.amia.org The American Medical Informatics Association has announced its webserver. These web pages contain information on the AMIA organization, its strategic plan, publications, activities, and meetings. The site includes a description of AMIA's Working Groups including the Internet Working Group ===================================================================== Pathology Continuing Medical Education (CME) on the World Wide Web From: fontelo@usuhsb.usuhs.mil (Paul Fontelo) The Office of Continuing Health Professional Education (CHPE) of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) has granted accreditation to the CME feature of the Department of Pathology World Wide Web server (http://wwwpath.usuf2.usuhs.mil). Read the Guidelines (http://wwwpath.usuf2.usuhs.mil/Surg_Path/guidelines.html) for details. USUHS designates this continuing medical education activity for up to 1 credit hour in Category 1 of the Physician's Recognition of the American Medical Association. Point of contact for questions/comments/suggestions: Paul Fontelo (fontelo@usuhsb.usuhs.mil) Paul Fontelo, MD, MPH; Department of Pathology; Uniformed Services University; Bethesda, Maryland 20814 Tel: 301-295-3828; Fax: 301-295-1640; Bitnet: fontelo@usuhs; Internet: fontelo@usuhsb.usuhs.mil; WWW: http://wwwpath.usuf2.usuhs.mil (Forwarded by Ken Boschert who writes: "FYI, I send this as an example of what could be done in the veterinary world via the World Wide Web.") ===================================================================== Emerging Infectious Diseases Electronic Journal from CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases A Journal Published by the National Center for Infectious Diseases, CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases is part of CDC's plan for combatting emerging infectious diseases; the plan is outlined in a recently published document, Addressing Emerging Infectious Disease Threats-A Prevention Strategy for the United States. One of the main goals of CDC's plan is to enhance communication of public health information about emerging diseases so that prevention measures can be implemented without delay. Emerging Infectious Diseases is peer reviewed and will be providing information on emerging infections in three broad categories: (1) Perspectives, a section addressing factors that underlie disease emergence including microbial adaptation and change, human demographics and behavior, technology and industry, economic development and land use, international travel and commerce, and breakdown of public health measures; (2) Synopses, concise, state-of-the-art summaries of specific diseases or syndromes and related emerging infectious disease issues; (3) Dispatches, brief laboratory or epidemiologic reports with an international scope. Emerging Infectious Diseases is published four times a year by the National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop C-12, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. Telephone 404-639-3967, fax 404-639-3039, e-mail eideditor@cidod1.em.cdc.gov. The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of CDC or the institutions with which the authors are affiliated. All materials published in Emerging Infectious Diseases are in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without special permission; proper citation, however, is appreciated. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by the Public Health Service or by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ===================================================================== HL7 (Health Level Seven) Electronic Data Exchange Listserv From: David John Marotta HL7 is an electronic conference designed to foster communication concerning technical, operational, and business issues involved in the use of the HL7 interface protocol. It is also intended as a forum for the HL7 Working Group members who are participating in the specification of the interface protocol. Health Level Seven is an application protocol for electronic data exchange in health care environments. It is called level seven because the protocol assumes the underlying network support of levels one through six of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) network model of the International Standards Organization (ISO). The HL7 standard is specified at the seventh level, which is the application level. This HL7 (Health Level Seven) Conference is *not* an offical part of the HL7 Working Group and Executive Committee. Official inquiries concerning HL7 (Health Level Seven) should be sent directly to: Health Level Seven, 900 victors Way Suite 122, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, voice: (313) 665-0007, and fax: (313) 665-0399. In accordance with current CREN regulations, commercial activity (such as the selling of software) will be prohibited. Subscription to this conference is open to *anyone* interested. You may subscribe by sending an e-mail message to: MAJORDOMO@VIRGINIA.EDU with the following request as the text of the message. SUBSCRIBE HL7 The list is supported by the University of Virginia Medical Center Computing. Our thanks to their management and staff for permission to use their system for the list and for assistance in setting it up. The opinions expressed do not reflect those of the University. The list is sponsored bythe University of Virginia Health Sciences Center. Questions may be directed to David John Marotta. David John Marotta, Senior Computer Systems Engineer; Strategic Planning Group; Health Science Center; The University of Virginia; Charlottesville, VA 22903 (804) 295-2471 Internet: djm5g@virginia.edu Prodigy: KCMR45A IBM US Mail: USUVARG8 voice: (804) 982-3718 messages: (804) 924-5261 fax: (804) 296-7209 ===================================================================== CAB International Now On the WWW From: POPMED NEWS 8/7/95 Population Medicine Group; College of Veterinary Medicine; North Carolina State University A new agriculture and health presence on the world wide web: CAB INTERNATIONAL is now accessible via its own homepage. Details of the range of information services which CAB INTERNATIONAL provides, including scientific and technical information in agriculture, forestry, human health and natural resources are provided. These include the online databases CAB ABSTRACTS and CAB HEALTH, and the current awareness service CAB ACCESS, together with the full range of abstract journals, primary journals, CD-ROM products, floppy disk products and books. Specialist scientific activities are featured from the International Institute of Biological Control, the International Institute of Entomology, the International Institute of Parasitology and the International Mycological Institute, and include: the identification of crop pests, pathogens, nematodes and parasitic helminths; biosystematic research on arthropods, microorganisms, nematodes and helminths; and training, consultancy and advice services in all the areas mentioned above. There will soon also be links to related organisations and to a free database of some of CABI's biosafety abstracts. This database, covering all aspects of biotechnology safety, is sponsored by the ICGEB of UNIDO. CAB INTERNATIONAL's homepage can be found at: http://www.cabi.org/ If you have any difficulties accessing the page or comments on the page itself, please contact: webmaster@cabi.org ===================================================================== Merck WWW Site From: Dr Allen Don Merck now has a WWW site at URL http://www.merck.com/ ===================================================================== EPIWORLD -- Computer Applications in Epidemiology From: Ian Dohoo This moderated list is intended to provide epidemiologists around the world with a means of distributing information on software related to the field of epidemiology, including programming projects, special macros, and applications of special packages. Discussion is also open to include practical experience in computer applications in epidemiology (problems, techniques, requests for information, etc.). List owners/moderators: | Dr. Carol Macera , Director; Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; School of Public Health; University of South Carolina Deyi Zheng , Graduate Assistant; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; School of Public Health, University of South Carolina To subscribe send the command: subscribe epiworld to: LISTSERV@UNIVSCVM.CSD.SCAROLINA.EDU ===================================================================== NEWS AND COMMENTARY ===================================================================== Informatics Committee of AVMA Forms Subcommittee on Standards From: Walter Weirich A subcommittee on standards was authorized at the March meeting of the AVMA Informatics committee. The subcommittee was charged with the responsibility of setting standards for the automatic transfer of information in all it's ramifications within the veterinary profession. This will include the standards for SNOMED data as well as information that may be handled via NOAH. Suitable outside consultants were suggested and the subcommittee was asked to have a progress report by the September meeting. No funds were made available to support a meeting of the subcommittee. At the Annual Meeting of the Executive Board of VMDB in Pittsburgh on 10 July, funding was authorized to support the activities of the Standards Subcommittee so this process can begin as soon as possible. A meeting is being scheduled to take place this summer at the AVMA Headquarters Building in Schaumburg, Illinois. The members of the Standards Subcommittee are W. Weirich, Chairman, J. Krehbiel, J. Wilcke, A. Hahn, and J. Case. The President of VMDB, Dr. David Jennings, and Medical Information Specialist, Margaret Neterer, will also be invited to attend. This Subcommittee will be organizing their tasks within the charge given by the Informatics committee and will be embarking on specific projects at the summer meeting. Suggestions will be welcomed and they should be sent in writing to Dr. Walter E. Weirich at the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907. FAX: 317/496-1376 or Weirich@vet.vet.purdue.edu or 74232,72 on NOAH. ===================================================================== MEETINGS AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ===================================================================== October 23-24, 1995 Internet Medicine, Chicago, IL Internet Medicine - Using the Information Superhighway as a Healthcare Tool This two-day conference examines how healthcare professionals can use the Internet to communicate with colleagues around the world, tap into the latest treatment information, interact with clients, search through distant databases, transmit images, and stay on top of the latest changes in their fields. This conference is a fast and convenient way to become well-versed in how the Internet is impacting the healthcare field. Includes presentations and workshops by: Shaun Jones, M.D., National Naval Medical Center Jack Rahaim, Jack Rahaim Consulting; Ivor Benjamin, M.D., University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center; Richard Rathe, M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Florida; Cathy Schell, M.D., College of Medicine at the University of Florida; Hendrik Roelants, British Columbia Ministry of Health; Eugene P. Schonfeld, Ph.D., National Kidney Cancer Association; Phyllis F. Granade, Esq., Medical College of Georgia Telemedicine Center; Scott Snyder, Montgomery Regional Hospital; Jack Buchanan, M.D., University of Tennesee in Memphis; Nancy Brown, MLS., Telemedicine Research Center; John Lester, M.D. Massachusetts General Hospital; Martin Dudziak, Ph.D., Virginia Commonwealth University; Laura M. Doyle, University of Illinois at Chicago; Betsey S. Blakeslee., Ph.D., US Army Medical Technology Management Office; John Mack, Pharmaceutical Information Associates; David A. Mays, PharmD, University of Maryland at Baltimore; Jennifer C. Wayne, First Consulting Group. Sponsored by the Healthcare Advisory Council. (http://www.planet.net/iqpc/) A conference brochure can be obtained by sending your request to: info@iqpc.com Or by by calling 1-800-882-8684 and speaking with Beverly Grady at extension 5165. October 24-25, 1995 1995 European Conference on Health Informatics, Paris, France (See the May-Jun 1994 issue of the AVCS Newsletter for details) October 28 - November 1, 1995 Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care (SCAMC), New Orleans (See the Jan-Feb, 1995 issue of the AVCS Newsletter for details) ===================================================================== CLOSING BITS ===================================================================== ROCKET SCIENCE FOR DUMMIES The series of books written "for dummies" seems endless and is spreading beyond computers ... and getting entirely out of hand. In addition to such titles as "Windows 3.11 for Dummies," "Macintosh System 7.5 for Dummies," and "C++ for Dummies," there are now such books as "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Being Your Own Lawyer," and in the pipeline are books called "Taxes for Dummies," "Wine for Dummies," and "Sex for Dummies." (U.S. News & World Report 5/1/95 p.80) SMALL BUSINESS NOT YET ENTIRELY IN THE INFORMATION AGE According to a survey of small businesses (companies with fewer than 100 employees) by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, fewer than 50% have modems, 30% do not have fax machines, fewer than 10% use voicemail, and fewer than 20% use beepers. Small businesses account for 98% of all U.S. businesses. (InformationWeek 5/15/95 p.163) VIRTUAL COLLEGES PROVIDE ONLINE LEARNING Educational opportunities for online learning at the post-secondary level are growing fast -- more than 70 colleges and universities offering online course are listed on CompuServe's Educational Form. Four organizations that have eschewed bricks and mortar in favor of computer networks and modems are the Electronic University Network (EUNSteve@aol.com), the Virtual Online University (billp@showme.missouri.edu), the Globewide Network Academy (joe@mit.edu), and America Online's Interactive Education Services (IESCoord@aol.com). (Investor's Business Daily 5/18/95 A1)