Selected Projects
The Virtual Dermatology Consult
The Client
Dr. Michael Bigby, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School, funded by a Dean's Innovations in Technology Grant
Overview
A web-enabled reference tool that allows medical students and primary care physicians to describe a skin condition, review candidate diseases (using a library of images), and review appropriate diagnostic procedures.
Screen Shots
Initial screen, with instructions.
Skin Condition Search tool allows user to describe the skin condition using multiple checklist pages.
The user specifies one or more locations using an interactive homunculus.
When the user clicks the Finish button they are presented with possible diagnoses, ranked in order of probability.
The user can then select diagnoses and...
... view images and read about the skin condition.
Technology
The program consists of two parts: a browser-based user interface and a back-end database.
The user interface is implemented using Macromedia (now Adobe) Flash. A file size of less than 150K results in a download time of under a minute using a 56K modem.
The back-end is implemented using an Internet Information Server, SQL Server database, and Active Server Pages. Data entry by authors is accomplished via an Internet browser.
Status
Both user interface (Flash) and server functionality (ASP and SQL Server) are fully implemented. Work on populating the database with text and creating image files is ongoing.
Responsibilities
Brightworks:
- Brainstorming user-interface and program design with client
- Program specification
- Program architecture and database design
- Project management
- Database administration
- ActionScript and ASP programming
Client:
- Definition of program objectives
- Image acquisition and processing
- Writing text and adding it to database
- Quality assurance testing