Automating data collection, analysis & documentation for medical research

The personal computer (PC) has evolved into a powerful, cost-effective computing platform capable of performing many tasks associated with the management of scientific, clinical, or other information. These activities include: Control of an instrument by the PC; Data acquisition from an experiment or subject; Analysis of the data that the computer has collected; Presentation of the analyzed data in a form that makes it useful; Long term storage of data. Until recently, these tasks required the user to be familiar with a high level programming language (HLL) in order to fulfill these assignments. Arcane text based programs whose logic is often difficult to follow is gradually being replaced by visual programming using a terminology based on icons where ideas familiar to scientists and medical practitioners rely on graphic symbols rather than textual language to describe programming actions.