Objectives

Objectives

Studying and applying the material in this chapter will help you to:

* Explain why computer literacy is important for today’s health care worker

* Describe ways that computers are used in the following applications in health care:

     * Information management

     * Creation of documents

     * Numerical calculations

     * Integration of operations

     * Diagnostics

     * Treatment

     * Patient monitoring

     * Research

     * Education

     * Communication

* Explain the difference between computer hardware and software

* Describe how to properly handle and maintain hardware components

* Identify and describe the two major storage devices

* List six important guidelines for using computers effectively

* Explain precautions that the health care worker can take to ensure computer security

* List ways that the health care worker can acquire computer skills