Nursing info

1. Computer Hardware

2. Definition
• Is defined as all of the physical components of a computer
• A computer is a machine that uses electronic components and
instructions to the components to perform
a. Calculations
b. Repetitive and complex procedures
c. Process text
d. Manipulate data and signals

3. The basic hardware of a computer composes the computer’s
architecture, and includes
a. Electronic circuits
b. Microchips, processors
c. Random Access Memory (RAM)
d. Read-Only Memory (ROM)
e. Graphic and sound cards

4. Required Hardware Components
of a Computer

5. The Motherboard
• is a thin, flat sheet made of a firm, nonconducting material on which
the internal components printed circuits, chips, slots, and so on of the
computer are mounted.
• The motherboard has holes or perforations through which
components can be affixed so they can transmit data across the
circuits on the motherboard.
• The specific design of the components on the motherboard—
especially the CPU and other microprocessors— composes the
foundation of the computer’s architecture

6. Memory
• Read-Only Memory (ROM)
• Random Access Memory (RAM)
• Cache

7. Read-Only Memory
a. It is a form of permanent storage on the computer
b. It carries instructions that allow the computer to be booted (started),
and other essential machine instructions
c. Its programming is stored by the manufacturer and cannot be
changed by the user
d. Data and programs in ROM can only be read by the computer, and
cannot be erased or altered by users
e. ROM generally contains the programs, called firmware, used by the
control unit of the CPU to oversee computer functions
f. ROM storage is not erased when the computer is turned off

8. Random Access Memory (RAM)
a. Refers to working memory used for primary storage
b. It is used as temporary storage
c. Also known as main memory, RAM can be accessed, used, changed, and
written on repeatedly
d. RAM is the work area available to the CPU for all processing applications
e. When a user clicks on a program icon, the computer loads all or part of
the program into RAM where it can be accessed very quickly
f. It saves work done through the programs until the user formally saves the
work on the hard drive or other permanent storage
g. RAM is called volatile memory because everything in RAM unloads (is lost)
when the computer is turned off

9. Cache
a. A smaller form of RAM
b. Its purpose is to speed up processing by storing frequently called items in
a small, rapid access memory location
c. Prior to the development of cache, all information had to be fetched from
the hard drive, and then stored in RAM
d. Fetching from cache takes much less time than from RAM
e. Keeping information that will be used frequently in cache greatly reduces
the amount of time needed to move data around among the memory
locations
f. It is a relatively inexpensive way to increase the speed of the computer

10. Input Devices
These devices allow the computer to receive information from the
outside world.
Most common
• Keyboard and Mouse
Other Input devices seen on nursing workstations
• Touch screen
• Light pen
• Voice
• Scanner

11. Input Devices
In Healthcare computing:
• Electrodes
• Oximetry device
• Voice systems
• X-machines
• CT scans
• MRI

12. Output Devices
These devices allow the computer to report its results to the external
world
Forms of output:
• Text
• Data files
• Sound
• Graphics
• Signals to other devices

13. Output Devices
Most Common
• Monitor and Printer
In Healthcare settings:
• Heart Monitors
• Volumetric infusion pumps

14. Storage Media
• Hard Drive
• USB Flash Drive
• Optical Media

15. Hard Drive
a. It is a peripheral that has very high speed and high density
b. It is a very fast means of storing and retrieving data as well as having
a large storage capacity in comparison with the other types of storage
c. The hard drive is the main storage device of a computer

16. USB Flash Drive
a. As demands for higher and higher density transportable storage rise,
the popularity of the USB disk has also risen
b. A USB flash drive is actually a form of a small, removable hard drive
that is inserted into the USB port of the computer
c. There are many names for it, including pen drive, jump drive, thistle
drive, and pocket drive
Flash drives are not really used in clinical settings, at least not for
business or patient care purposes

17. USB Flash Drive
As nurses are responsible for protecting
confidential information, as both a personal
and company policy, confidential patient or
company information should not be
downloaded onto personal storage devices
without a very good reason and legal
permission to do so

18. Optical Media
a. Include Compact Disks (CDs), Digital Versatile Disks (DVDs), and Blu-
Ray
b. CD-ROMs and DVDs are rigid disks that hold a higher density of
information and have higher speed
CD-ROMS – Read Only, 737MB
CD-RW – Read-Write
DVD – 4.3GB
Blu-Ray – 54 GB

19. Cloud Storage
a. An extension of the online storage service offered by individual vendors
b. Data stored in the “Cloud” is still stored on commercial computers called
servers
c. The “Cloud” refers to a distributed system of many commercial, networked
servers that communicate through the Internet, and work together so closely
that they can essentially function as one large system
d. Physically, enormous numbers of servers that store data are located in
buildings, many warehouse sized
e. These data storage sites are called data centers
f. Multiple data centers are linked together to create cloud storage
g. The advantage to the customer is safety of the stored data

20. h. A key factor in cloud storage is redundancy
i. The storage vendors must maintain multiple copies of the data they
store
j. If one server in a data center becomes inoperable, copies of the data
on that server are stored elsewhere and thus the data are not lost
k. They can be retrieved from another server

21. Major Types of Computers
• Supercomputers
• Mainframes
• Microcomputers (PCs)
• Handheld Computers

22. Supercomputers
a. The largest type of computer
b. First developed by Seymour Cray in 1972 c. The early supercomputer research,
development, and production was done by Cray Corporation or one of its affiliates
(Cray, 2014)
c. A supercomputer is a computational-oriented computer specially designed for
scientific applications requiring a gigantic amount of calculations which, to be
useful, must be processed at superfast speeds
d. Designed primarily for analysis of scientific and engineering problems and for
tasks requiring millions or billions of computational operations and calculations
e. Are huge and expensive
f. Supercomputers are used primarily in such work as defense and weaponry,
weather forecasting, advanced engineering and physics, and other mathematically
intensive scientific research applications

23. Mainframes
a. The most common fast, large, and expensive type of
computer used in large businesses (including hospitals and
other large healthcare facilities) for processing, storing, and
retrieving data
b. It is a large multiuser central computer that meets the
computing needs large and medium sized public and private
organizations
c. Mainframes are used for processing the large amount of
repetitive calculations involved in handling billing, payroll,
inventory control, and business operations computing

24. d. In hospitals, mainframe computers are often used to
support the entire Hospital Information Technology System
(HIT), also known as the Hospital Information System (HIS),
purchased from one of the 30 or so large HIT vendors.
e. In some cases, the Mainframe is not owned by the hospital,
but by a computer service vendor who provides mainframe
computing power to multiple customers
f. Mainframes can serve a large number (thousands) of users
at the same time. In some settings, hundreds of workstations
(input and output devices that may or may not have any
processing power of their own) are wired directly to the
mainframe for processing and communication speeds faster
than can be achieved with wireless communications

25. Microcomputers
a. While mainframe computers provide critical service to the
healthcare industry, much smaller computers are also an
essential part of healthcare computing systems
b. Computers designed to support a single user are called
microcomputers or personal computers (PCs)
c. Much smaller and less powerful than a mainframe, PCs
were designed to be used by one person at a time

26. d. Desktop and laptop computer systems with wireless connectivity to
the hospital’s computer are often placed on a rolling cart for use of the
nursing staff in recording nursing notes, ordering tests and treatments,
looking up medications, and other computer work in inpatient settings
e. These computers on carts are often referred to as “WOWs” for
workstation on wheels, or “COWs” for computer on wheels. Many
nurses find these rolling workstations to be much more useful than
fixed computers at patient bedsides for a variety of reasons

27. Handheld Computers
a. Small, special function computers, although a few “full function”
handheld computers were introduced in the late 1990s
b. Some have claimed to have almost the same functionality and
processing capabilities as a laptop or notebook
c. Limited in their expansion possibilities, their ability to serve as full
participants in the office network, and the peripherals they can
support
d. Originally sold as isolated devices, today virtually all PDAs
are combined with telephone functionality and sold as smartphones

28. e. There are a variety of hardware platforms and operating systems for
smartphones and tablet computers.
f. The three most common are the Apple Corporation’s iPhone and iPad
using the iOS operating system, smartphones, and tablets using the
Android operating system (owned by Google Corporation), and the
Windows operating system for smartphones and tablets from Microsoft
Corporation
g. Wisely used, tablet computers, smartphones and other PDA
technology have the potential to support patient care safety and
quality in all settings of care

29. Network Hardware
1. A network is a set of cooperative interconnected computers
for the purpose of information interchange
2. The networks of greatest interest include local area networks
(LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and the Internet, which
is a network of networks
a. A LAN usually supports the interconnected computer needs of a
single company or agency
b. WANs support geographically dispersed facilities, such as the
individual grocery stores in a national chain

30. 3. The most important components of network hardware are the
adapter or interface card, cabling, and servers
4. The role of hardware in a network is to provide an interconnection
between computers