BME 2204: Bioelectric Foundations

B. Peura

Off campus?

Evaluate...

web pages & videos

Evaluating Web Resources Checklist (PDF)

According to a study at Stanford, nearly half of all web site evaluators (46.1%) used visual cues, to assess a site's credibility. Move beyond what a site looks like...

COMPARE FREE WEB: Google.com | Google Scholar | Wikipedia

TO SUBSCRIBED WPI CONTENT : Engineering Village | ScienceDirect | More databases..

Authority

Scope

Currency

Accuracy

Off campus access to resources with

History of the Invention

Approaches to searching background on inventions including searching for books, articles, even biographies of inventors. Start with these sources:

AccessScience: Encyclopedia of Science and Technology and other specialized encyclopedias: Encyclopedia of medical devices and instrumentation; Encyclopedia of biomaterials and biomedical engineering [electronic resource]; Encyclopedia of Medical Devices and Instrumentation [electronic resource]
Search Library Catalog for books
Search for articles: Start with Gale PowerSearch but also try other medical/health databases (PubMed is premier medical database; notice wpilib @ end of link, this allows you more full text linking options)
(Truncate: echocardio*)
Search the web: start general, then be more specific, then even more so by adding names and dates for information about inventions and inventors

echocardiogram
invention of the echocardiogram
invention of the echocardiogram Edler 1951
Glean keywords and expand: history OR development echocardiogram OR echocardiography

Search biography databases for articles about inventors
Search patents - when was the first patent, how have related patents evolved over time? USPTO searches abstracts only back to 1976 however earlier patents are available in image format, try a keyword search and look at "cited patents" to find similar but older patents. Use pat2pdf.org if you have trouble viewing the images, or use freepatentsonline, or google patents.
To search for patents prior to 1975, you must either know the patent number or the classification code. These are the only searchable fields prior to 1976.

How it Works & Application to Human Medicine

"Edler and Hertz borrowed a sonar device from a local shipyard, improved it, and recorded cardiac echoes from Hertz's own heart."

Source: Cardiology's 10 Greatest Discoveries of the 20th Century

Including technical specifications & the biological and physiological components of the design. How does it apply to human medicine? Is it used for diagnostic, therapeutic or monitoring purposes?

Engineering Village | ScienceDirect | More biomedical library databases..
Fun free web sites: How Stuff Works | How Products are Made (full text books in library reference area)
MedlinePlus - free government web site consumer health information, many useful diagrams, tutorials on use and applications also search PubMed for professional medical literature
Gray's Anatomy - standard work on human anatomy, located in library reference collection
Books on such as the Handbook of Physiology (Reference Collection QP H25) and Atlas of Human Anatomy (by Netter Reference QM25 N46)
Visible Body - interactive anatomy web site
Search technical handbooks & specialized encyclopedias: Knovel | ENGnetBase

medical electronics

Track down technical specifications from corporate web sites
Search patents - check for technical specifications & company names

Market & Competitive Analysis

Including size of market, consumers & product need; companies involved and their market share, competitive analysis (costs, differentiating factors among available products); patents, research & development. Try to think about who would collect & disseminate this type of information.

Who are the major companies that produce these devices?
How much to they cost? What does one companies device have over its competitor?
How many units are sold each year? Has there been growth in sales?
Who is the consumer and how many comprise the market (hospitals, households, airports, emergency personal, etc.)?
How many people have health issues that would need this device? Is there a forecast or future trends?
Are the companies spending money on research & development (R&D)? What are new or projected innovations?

Research options:

Business & Industry databases: EBSCO Business Source Premier
Medical Device Register. Reference R856.48 M42 - contains a list of all manufacturers and other specified processors of medical devices registered with the Food and Drug Administration. Organized by medical device name, in alphabetical order. Keyword index to FDA established standard names of medical devices.
FDA Device Listing
Devices@FDA
Need more info on a company? Try Hoovers.
Center for Disease Control - data, reports, and statistics on disease, and they run the National Center for Health Statistics
Find a trade association: such as American Society of Echocardiography (ASE)
Medical and Healthcare Marketplace Guide Online
World Health Organization (WHO) Statistical Information | World Health Report
Search Library Catalog to find print and electronic books such as:
- Bryant, John H. and Polly F. Harrison. Global health in transition [electronic resource] : a synthesis : perspectives from international organizations
- Health, United States - A chartbook containing text and figures that illustrates major trends in the health of Americans; and a trend tables section that contains 156 detailed data tables.
- Human frontiers, environments, and disease [electronic resource]: past patterns, uncertain futures

Regulations and Standards

Is this type of product regulated? By Whom?
Is there a government regulatory agency? An international trade association?

Research Options:

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - Center for Devices
NSSN: A National Resource for Global Standards
International Organization for Standardization
Regulations.gov
Often industry focus: Medical Device Resource Center
Medical device regulations [electronic resource] : global overview and guiding principles
Finding Standards library research guide for more

Only Finding a Citation? Getting the Full Text

Is the journal online or here in the library? Within databases, click FullTextFinder or search our Journals, Magazines, & Newspapers
Visit another library: Search WorldCat to find one
Request delivery from another library: Interlibrary Loan.

Give Credit! Cite Your Sources

Questions?

Stop by the reference desk or set up a research consultation.

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Last modified: Mar 17, 2008, 11:04 EDT