Information age technologies for surgeons: Overview

This overview summarizes the revolutionary changes that are occurring in me dicine today and looks beyond medicine to the other disciplines of science that contribute to the overall revolution of the Information Age. The conce pt of "information equivalent," representing real objects within a computer as information, is explained. The application of today's emerging informat ion technologies is divided into the components of patient care-diagnosis, consultation, treatment, and education-and illustrations are given of how i nformation sciences are changing the practice of surgery.