Helene M. Hoffman – författare

We humans are tribal, grouping ourselves by a multitude of criteria: physical, intellectual, political, emotional, etc. The Internet and its auxiliary technologies have enabled a novel dimension in tribal behavior during our recent past. This growing connectivity begs the question: will individuals and their communities come together to solve some very urgent global problems? At MMVR, we explore ways to harness information technology to solve healthcare problems – and in the industrialized nations we are making progress. In the developing world however, things are more challenging. Massive urban poverty fuels violence and misery. Will global networking bring a convergence of individual and tribal problem-solving? Recently, a barrel-shaped water carrier that rolls along the ground was presented, improving daily life for many people. Also the One Laptop per Child project is a good example of how the industrialized nations can help the developing countries. They produce durable and simple laptops which are inexpensive to produce. At MMVR, we focus on cutting-edge medical technology, which is generally pretty expensive. While the benefits of innovation trickle downward, from the privileged few to the broader masses, we should expand this trickle into a flood. Can breakthrough applications in stimulation, visualization, robotics, and informatics engender tools as ingeniously as the water carrier or laptop? With some extra creativity, we can design better healthcare for the developing world too.

MMVR offers solutions for problems in clinical care through the phenomenally expanding potential of computer technology. Computer-based tools promise to improve healthcare while reducing cost – a vital requirement in today’s economic environment. This seventh annual MMVR focuses on the healthcare needs of women. Women every where demand more attention to breast cancer, cervical cancer, ageing-related conditions. Electronic tools provide the means to revolutionise diagnosis, treatment and education. The book demonstrates what new tools can improve the care of their female patients. As minimally invasive procedures are mainstreamed, advanced imaging and robotics tools become indispensable. The internet and other networks establish new venues for communication and research. Medical education, as well as clinical care, is enhanced by systems allowing instruction and professional interaction in ways never before possible and with efficiency never before achieved. Telemedicine networks now permit providers to meet patients needs where previously impossible. MMVR strengthens the link between healthcare providers and their patients. The volume contains selected papers authored by presenters at the conference. Areas of focus include Computer-Assisted Surgery, Data Fusion & Informatics, Diagnostic Tools, Education & Training, Mental Health, Modelling, Net Architecture, Robotics, Simulation, Telemedicine, Telepresence and Visualisation.

Since 1992, the Medicine Meets Virtual Reality Conference series has gathered physicians, computer scientists, and IT innovators to promote informatics technologies for use in healthcare. Its unique and multidisciplinary assemblage of expertise encourages novel interactions and development of innovative tools for use in the medical environment. The January 2001 conference presents forefront research on tools for telemedicine, computer-assisted diagnosis and surgery, psychotherapy, and education. The proceedings describes applications used in clinical care, and also these applications' underlying technologies: simulation, visualization, imaging, haptics, and robotics.