Medical Informatics. Учебное пособие
.pdfThere are many DBMS in the world. As an academic subject, you can select the database Microsoft Access 2010 included in the package Microsoft Office.
Databases are special structures. The information they contain is often of great value). Therefore the problem of database security to store information is achieved by using a dual approach. As part of operations, computer's operating system is involved, but some save operations take place bypassing the operating system.
10. Protection of personal data and bar coding
The legal basis of personal data management is defined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation (articles 22, 23 and art. 29, par.4). Articles 22 and 23 contain provisions that proclaim the fundamental rights of the individual, regarding privacy. They enshrined the right to privacy, personal and family secrets. Federal law "On information, information technologies and information protection" laid the foundation for the implementation of certain provisions of the Russian Constitution and international law, but it did not create the mechanism of protection.
According to the interpretation of the Federal Law of 27 July 2006 "On Personal Data", "personal data is any information concerning an identified or identifiable on the basis of such information person (the subject of personal data), including his/her surname, name, patronymic, year, month, date and place of birth, address, family, social, financial status, education, occupation, income, other information".
Personal data include: identification and biographical data, personal characteristics, information on marital status, social status, education, skills, profession, occupation, financial status, health and so on.
Information of personal nature (personal data) is information about a particular person, identified with a specific person or which may be identified with a specific person, allowing to identify that person, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identification number or to one or more factors specific to his physical, physiological, mental, economic, cultural or social identity located on physical storage media.
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The definition of personal data in the Constitution of the Russian Federation is represented as information about facts, events and circumstances of the private life of a citizen, enabling the identification of his/her personality. [3, Article 23]. The integral role in the above mentioned definitions is played by the words about identification. In order to establish whether the identifying information refers to the category of personal, it is necessary first of all to determine whether a person can be identified with the help of the data by using aggregate of resources available to the owner of the data array or any other person. Personal data are classified as confidential data.
Privacy mode can be removed:
1)in case of depersonalization of personal data;
2)as an option of the subject of personal data;
3)after termination of personal data storage, unless the contrary is provided by the requirements of the personal data subject or by applicable law;
4)at the request of judicial authorities, prosecution service and investigative committee.
The (holder) owner of the data array carries out the depersonalization of the data used, giving them the form of anonymous information for statistical, sociological, historical, medical and other scientific research.
10.1 Bar coding
One of the most important components of information technology is the collection of initial information about objects, events, properties, and so on. At the same time the more rapid and accurate analytical information is by the computer for management decisions, the more reliable and efficient it is.
Modern computers process data at a speed of millions operations per second, and they are able to accumulate and store huge amounts of data. However, manual input of primary information via a keyboard is absolutely incommensurable in speed and accuracy with computer capabilities. The fact is that the human operator as a rule types 3-5 characters per second and errs approximately every 300 input characters.
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Slow and inaccurate entry via keyboard reduces greatly the computer efficiency, and in many cases does not permit to have immediate data essential for decision-making.
As experience confirms, one the most widely used methods of fast and accurate data entry into computer systems is the use of bar-code technology, which is a type of automatic identification technology data.
10.2 History of invention
The first steps towards the development of bar code, in the form it looks like now, were made in 1948 by the 27-year-old graduate student Norman Joseph Woodland at Drexel Institute of Technology, Philadelphia. He suggested to mark goods directly at the supermarket checkout for automatic acquisition of information about the goods sold there and developed an variant for a linear bar code the prototype of which was Morse code. Woodland just pulled down dots and dashes and had a drawing similar to the sequence of wide and narrow black lines separated by white spaces. To read the bar code Woodland decided to use light the reflectivity of which changes moving from narrow to long lines and vice versa. In 1949, the invention was patented, and Woodland got an invitation to work for IBM company, where, as he hoped, his idea was to be supported. However, the practical implementation of the new technology failed as there was no device for reading the code (i.e. scanner) and its processing. At that time computers were so enormous in size that the installation of at least one of such computers in a supermarket was out of question.
A few years later the laser was invented. Thin helium-neon beam, moving along the image of barcode was absorbed by the black stripes and was reflected by the white ones. Thus, (distinct, strong, sound) clear signals were generated on the "Yes/No" principle. This was the reason for the continuation of work and Woodland was again invited to IBM, where he played the key role in the development of the most popular version of the bar code - UPC (Universal Product Code). April 3, 1973 is considered to be the official birthday of the bar code, which became the most
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prominent event in the history of modern logistics. So it took 25 years to realize the idea!
A bar code is a sequence of dark (bars) and light (spaces) rectangular elements of varying width, arranged by the rules of specific symbols which provides a view of the data symbols in a machine-readable form (see Fig. 1). Data can be both letters and numbers, and special graphic and control symbols used in the software and hardware processing and transmission of information.
Bar code in "Code 128" symbology
Bar code in "Code 39" symbology
Figure 1. Examples of bar codes
The width of the narrowest element (bar or space) is taken as the basic size of the module (unit). The width of each element must be either a multiple of the module (for example, in "Code 128" symbology the width of each bar or space can be 1, 2, 3 or 4 units) or fixed ratio must be maintained between wide and narrow elements (for example in "Code 39" symbology the elements are in two sizes - with a given ratio of the width of the wide elements to the narrow ones).
Certain combinations of bars and spaces form a set of characters of the bar code. For example, in "Code 39" symbology each character of the bar code consists of nine units (three of which are wide and six ones are narrow) and must be represented in five and four spaces. Data character or a special character as a rule corresponds to each combination of bars and spaces - a bar code character.
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The bar code symbol is a sequence of digits located left-to-right of the bar code encoding the data, starting with the "Start" marker (character) and ending with the "Stop" marker (character) with Quite Zone adjacent to these markers (characters). The bar code symbol is just that elaborate graphic object which is to be machine readable.
Two-color code is a code which image contains information on specific wavelengths in the form of light and dark bars. Code of error control (control code) is a code in the image of signs and code words of which is laid superfluous information providing detection of reading errors.
In other words, the bar code is a symbolic key to the information in databases. The only information included in it is a series of numbers and/or symbols. Its function is a unique connection to the information stored within the computer system that can be automatically, quickly, easily and accurately extracted from the database.
Bar-code technology is a high technology based on the use of the latest achievements of optoelectronic technology, fundamentally new software and hardware, computer technology, automation tools and system construction, information systems and communications networks of all kinds.
Bar coding technology covers all spheres of human activities. They are the universal means of business cooperation with all members of the global economic system, including health care.
Bar code technology in general includes the following processes:
- the identification of an object by assigning a digital, alphabetic or alphanumeric code;
-representation of the code in the form of bars using certain symbols;
-applying a bar code to physical product (item of goods, containers, packaging materials, labels, documents);
-barcode reading;
-bar codes decoding into machine representation in alphabetic, numeric or alphanumeric form and transfer them to a computer.
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Execution of the above-noted operations may be carried out on the basis of standard rules, regulations and requirements to ensure their full compatibility.
Of all the types of devices related to bar-code technology, the most numerous manufactured products in nomenclature (assortment) and quantity are barcode readers (scanners). Properties of the scanner in use, largely determine the effectiveness of this technology in health care.
EAN Bar Code (European Article Number) is widely used in international medicine. It was developed by the International Association of EAN, based in Brussels.
Barcode EAN-13 is a key barcode and is used to encode all kinds of medicines, medical products and medical services.
Barcode EAN-8 (a shortened eight-digit code) is used to encode those goods to which it’s technically impossible to apply the basic code EAN-13.
The elements of the basic structure of a standard product code EAN-13 are thirteen digits, which in a simple and visual review are represented in Fig. 2.
Figure 2. The structure of the barcode EAN-13
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Barcode EAN-13 has four components (Fig.2). The first group of digits from left to right, consists of two or three digits identifying the location of the national member of EAN Association, i.e. (id est) country of origin of products (the national GS1 Member Organization to which the manufacturer is registered – wiki) EAN Association assigns individual numbers (Prefix) to each member. Russia has Prefix 460 (Russia and CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) have prefixes 460-469).
10.3 The two-dimensional barcoding
Barcode Aztec
Aztec Code is a new universal markings of the two-dimensional barcode (2D barcode). As it’s shown in Fig.10, the code is a square, containing matrix of square elements, the center of which is the «target» («bullseye»), consisting of concentric squares. Aztec effectively encode both small and large amounts of data (numbers, text or bytes) using a highly effective method of Reed-Solomon (Reed-Solomon) error correction. Aztec Code was developed by the specialist of Hand Held Products (Andy Longacre and Rob Hussey) company and is protected by patent, but partially released for general use. International Symbology Specification for Aztec bar code was approved by AIM USA in ISO format and is available through branches of AIM.
Fig 3. Representation of Aztec codes
Bar-code technology is a new direction in the development of science and technology, which refers by the level of scientific and applied problems and extent of its use to the basic technologies of the XXI century. The use and development of the
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bar coding technology in Russian health care is associated first of all with the process management and medical and diagnostic activities of medical institutions. In this context, the bar-code technology is a means of information support of medical activities. At the same time, it is a technique for the operation of the automated systems of marketing and management of medical and preventive treatment facilities, business planning, to ensure the competitiveness and quality of medical services, accounting and reporting, forming in the aggregate healthcare information system.
11. Protection of information in computer systems
11.1 Virus fighting, characteristics of computer viruses
At the present stage of development of computer technologies the problem of information security takes a prominent place among the problems that accompany rapid spread of automated systems (AS) in the areas of health, medicine and pharmacy. And it is not only the traditional medical confidentiality, but the need for storage of large volumes of reliable information to effectively address issues of health statistics, as well as to protect the commercial aspects of the insurance and paid medicine (private medicine). However, before talking about the means of information protection in AS, it is necessary to define the terms used in this area.
The key concept is the notion of value. Automated systems values can be valuable equipment, information facilities and personnel involved in the daily automated activities of the organization.
The values might be threatened. The threat is a potential event, process or the phenomenon that by the attack on the information or other components of AS could directly or indirectly cause damage to the interests of the owner. Computer viruses are of paramount significance among such threats.
Computer virus is a specially written small size program that can "attribute" itself to other programs (that is "infect" them), as well as perform various undesirable actions on the computer. The program, inside which the virus is located, is called the "infected" program. When such program starts, first the virus gain control. The virus finds and "infects" other programs, as well as perform some harmful actions (for example, corrupt files or file allocation table on the disk, "clog" RAM, etc.). Steps by infecting other
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programs and doing them harm to mask virus can not always be carried out, but under certain conditions. Once the virus makes the desired action, it transfer control to the program in which it is located, and it works just the same as usual. Thus the external work of the infected program looks just as having non infected state.
Varieties of viruses are designed in such a way that when you run an infected program, the virus remains resident, that is in the memory of the computer until you reboot the OS and occasionally infects programs and performs harmful actions on the computer.
All virus actions can be performed quickly enough and without giving any messages, so it is very difficult to see that there is something unusual in the computer.
While the computer is infected by relatively few viruses, the presence of the virus can be almost imperceptible. However, after some time, something strange starts to happen on the computer.
For example:
•some programs stop working or begin to work incorrectly;
•extraneous messages, symbols, etc. appear on the display;
•computer slows down considerably;
•some files turn out to be corrupted, etc.
A computer virus can spoil, that is to change improperly, any file on the PC’s drive. But the virus can "infect" some kinds of files. This means that the virus can "penetrate" into those files to change them so that they will contain the virus, which under certain circumstances will be able to begin its work.
Viruses can be divided into classes by the following main features:
-habitat;
-operating system (OS);
-features of the operation algorithm;
-destructive possibilities.
By habitat, viruses can be divided into:
-file;
-boot;
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-macro;
-networking file viruses.
File viruses in various ways embed (penetrate) into executable files (the most common type of virus), or create phantom files (companion viruses), or use features of the file system (link-viruses).
Boot viruses write themselves either to the boot sector of the disk (boot-sector), or a sector of the hard drive containing the boot loader (Master Boot Record), or change (index, indicator) the pointer to the active boot-sector.
Macro viruses infect documents and spreadsheets of several popular editors. Networking file viruses spread itself via email by using command and protocols of computer network.
There are a large number of combinations, for example, file-boot-viruses that infect both files and boot sectors of disks. Such viruses tend to have a fairly complex algorithm of work, they often have original methods of breaking into (penetrating) into the system, using stealth and polymorphic technique. Another example of such combination is a network of macro virus that infects not only edited documents but sends copies of itself via email.
Among the features of the algorithm of viruses the following points are selected: residency;
use of stealth algorithms; self-encrypting and polymorphism; the use of non-standard methods.
By the destructive power viruses can be divided into:
-harmless, i.e. they does not affect the operation of the computer (except for reducing free disk space as a result of its distribution);
-non-hazardous, whose influence is limited by the decrease of free disk space and graphics, sound effects and so on;
-dangerous viruses that can cause serious malfunction of the computer;
-most dangerous, in the algorithm of which some procedures are laid down that may result in the loss of programs, destroy data, delete computer information
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