NIBNews
Vol. 1 No. 2 July 1992

A Monthly Electronic Bulletin about Medical Informatics
News from the Center for Biomedical Informatics, State University of Campinas, Campinas SP, Brazil

Editor: Renato M.E. Sabbatini, PhD
Tel. +55 192 397130 Fax. +55 192 394717 Tlx. +55 19 1150 E-mail: SABBATINI@BRUC.BITNET or SABBATINI@TURING.UNICAMP.BR Address: P.O. Box 6005, Campinas, SP 13081 - BRAZIL

In This Issue



THE LARGEST COMPUTER SHOW EVER

Last week (21-24 July 1992), the mammoth computer fair and technical exhibit "National Software Fair" was held in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil. FENASOFT, how it is called, is already the second biggest event of its kind in the world (after CeBIT, in Hannover, Germany), which attests to the fact that Brazil is the seventh largest market for computer products and services in the world.

The numbers are mind-boggling. The exhibit took place in the huge Sao Paulo Convention Center, with an area of 45,000 square meters, taken by about 600 exhibitors, among which 104 from other countries. Around six hundred thousand (yes, 600,000) visitors passed through the gates in four days. The total value of business deals elicited by the fair was reported to be US$ 1 billion (which is around 10 % of the estimated Brazilian market in a single year). Each visitor was issued a magnetic ID card to control access and record visits to the stands. An internal computer network with ca. 400 terminals equipped with touch-sensitive screens and card-readers was spread about the fair grounds.

The Sixth International Conference on Software Technology, Information Management and Telematics was held in parallel, with 176 separate events in hypermedia, Windows, software standards, new technologies, neurocomputing, and many others; which was attended to by ca. 2,500 persons.

The Brazilian Society of Health Informatics has promoted, during this Congress, a three-day Symposium on Medical Informatics, which was organized and chaired by Dr. Renato M.E. Sabbatini (State University of Campinas). It was attended to by ca. 70 participants.

Dr. Maximiano Goncalves Filho, FENASOFT's president, reports that approximately 90 % of the exhibit space for the 1993 edition has already been sold. The Symposium on Medical Informatics will be expanded and will include noted guest speakers from abroad, as well.


PUBLIC-DOMAIN MEDICAL SOFTWARE

The Center for Biomedical Informatics maintains a software library with 50 diskettes containing ca. 150 public-domain medical application programs for IBM-PC-compatible microcomputers. Most of this programs are provided in source code (BASIC, Turbo-BASIC, dBASE III and PASCAL). In the last three years, the Center has distributed more than 400 copies to physicians, nurses, dentists, university lecturers and researchers, and other professionals and students in the Health Sciences, in exchange for a small fee per diskette, which is used to expand the public-domain software library. Outside contributions are welcome: if they are accepted, the contributor is entitled to choose any five diskettes from the collection. The majority of the programs are in Portuguese, but some are in English, too. A few of the programs are offered as shareware.

To receive the catalogue in electronic form, send the following one- line message to INFOMED@CCVAX.UNICAMP.BR or INFOMED@BRUC.BITNET:

GET PUBLIC-DOMAIN P (for version in Portuguese)

GET PUBLIC-DOMAIN E (for version in English)

Instructions on how to acquire the software are included.


EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

The Center for Biomedical Informatics and the Chair of Medical Informatics, Medical School, State University of Campinas, will jointly offer the following post-graduate courses in the second semester of 1992:


FUTURE CONGRESSES AND CALLS FOR PAPERS

FIRST BRAZILIAN SYMPOSIUM ON HOSPITAL INFORMATICS

The Brazilian Society for Health Informatics will promote this Symposium in Sao Paulo, Brazil, October 15-18; sponsored by Albert Einstein Hospital of Sao Paulo and organized by its Laboratory of Medical Informatics and Center of Studies. Topics will be: HIS, downsizing, hardware and software platforms for the 90's, productivity issues, human resources, outpatient clinic and laboratory automation systems, knowledge bases and decision support systems in the hospital, medical record automation, users/humanware issues. Foreign guest speakers will be Dr. Marion J. Ball (Vice-President for Information Systems, U. of Maryland, and President-elect of International Medical Informatics Association); Dr. Shigekoto Kaihara (Director of Hospital Computer Center, Tokyo University Hospital) and A. R. Bakker (President, BAZIS-Netherlands - Central Development and Support Group for Hospital Information Services). A small technical exhibit with software products and services for hospital automation will take place. Confirmed exhibitors are Bull, General Electric, Phillips, Unisys, Elscint, Hewlett-Packard and Siemens.

Information: Dr. Peter A. Rosemberg, Albert Einstein Hospital, Av. Albert Einstein 627/701, Sao Paulo SP 05652, Fax +55 11 842-2834.

FIRST REGIONAL CONGRESS ON HEALTH SCIENCES INFORMATION

October 14-16, 1992, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Organizer: Latin American and Caribbean Center for Health Science (BIREME), Pan American Health Organization, Regional Office of the World Health Organization. The Congress activities will be: Conferences, Round Tables, Courses and Equipment Fair with an open house of BIREME services (MEDLARS on-line access and CD-ROM medical literature). Simultaneous interpretation will be provided (Portuguese, Spanish, English) for Conferences and Round Tables. Themes will be: health for all and scientific and technological information, information systems and new technologies, medical Informatics, document image delivery systems, data base searching, academic networks in the region, development of Health Sciences Information, new technologies and its impact in developing countries, multidisciplinary approaches to health information. Information: BIREME, R. Botucatu 862 Caixa Postal 20382, Sao Paulo, SP 04023, Brazil, TEL: (+55 11) 549-2611, FAX (+55 11) 571-1919, E-MAIL: BIREME@BRFAPESP.BITNET


RECENT PUBLICATIONS

NEWSLETTER SBIS - This is the official bimonthly news publication of the Brazilian Society for Health Informatics. Vol 2, Issue 2 has been recently distributed, with 10 pages (in Portuguese). For further information, please contact Monica P. Ramos, SBIS' Executive Secretary, EPM@BRFAPESP.BITNET or Fax (+55 11 572-6601).


RECENT SOFTWARE AND SOFTWARE UPDATES

The Center for Biomedical Informatics (NIB) has recently released the following application (for previous lists please contact the Editor):

Note: This software is in the public-domain list of UNICAMP. If you are interested in getting a diskette with a printed manual, please send US$ 20/each in UNESCO bonuses or a bank cheque to the address above. Please allow 15-20 days for delivery.


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Copyright (c) 1992-1995 Renato M.E. Sabbatini The material in this newsletter can be freely copied and redistributed without permission, for non-commercial purposes only. We require only that you cite the source (NIBNews Electronic Newsletter on Medical Informatics, SABBATINI@NIB.UNICAMP.BR).