ESSAY: Write an essay on the how medicine is affected by computer science. What are the current and future impacts and the ethical questions?.
Computer science has a major affect on medicine from sorting through information to bioinformatics to artificial intelligence, and computer simulation. As a wealth of medical technology and data become available to medical professionals, the task of sorting through the information is becoming more and more difficult. Advanced computer technology is applied to help relieve the burden of sorting through this information. When I speak of technology, I don't mean hardware. I am referring to the software techniques of Bayesian networks, case-based reasoning, and theoretic decision-planning. Artificial intelligence techniques are also used to evaluate clinical symptoms and the possible tests and treatments. Artificial intelligence promises to lower costs while providing more effective care. These techniques have been applied to the diagnosis of gallbladder disorders, deep vein thrombosis and, most recently, mammography. The mammography analysis best illustrates the promise of the new technology.
In the 1990s companies wanted to merge biology with computer science to create a new branch of science called Bioinformatics. Bioinformatics builds on the same rugged foundation as all modern science, the fact that the natural world can be described with mathematics. To nonscientists, the connection between fingernails and functions may not be obvious, but the path is actually very direct. Reducing life to DNA reduces life to numbers. And once a problem can be stated numerically, it can be stored in computer databases. Bioinformatics has identified molecular genetic profiles for normal and abnormal blood, colon, kidney, and lung, ovarian and prostate cells. Bioinformatics has helped to identify early warning signs of several cancers as well. Bioinformatics is also changing the way scientist approach their work.
