Computer Sessions Will Help You Rocket Through Cyberspace

By Steven E. Hyler, M.D.

Member

Multimedia Committee

APA's 1998 annual meeting in Toronto will have more computer-related presentations than ever before. In-terest and attendance at these sessions continue to increase to the point that they are now some of the most popular and well-attended sessions at the meeting. This year it is theoretically possible to spend the entire meeting from Sunday morning through Thursday afternoon attending nothing else but computer sessions!

Starting on Sunday, May 31, are two computer CME courses. Robert Kennedy, M.A., of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and Thomas A. M. Kramer, M.D., of the Arkansas Mental Health Research and Training Institute will repeat their popular "Computer Survival Guide" course, which has become a staple of the last several meetings. This course is an excellent starting point for neophyte computer users who want to learn more about the "nuts and bolts" of personal computing.

With the continually increasing popularity of the Internet and the World Wide Web, Robert Hsiung, M.D., of the University of Chicago will conduct the course "How to Apply the Internet: Advanced Topics." The goal of the course is to learn how to develop Internet resources, not just to use them. It's an advanced course, so participants should have experience participating in electronic discussion groups and editing Web pages.

On Monday, June 1, meeting goers have a choice of computer-related activities from which to choose. In the computer room (room 718B, 700 level) in the Toronto Convention Centre, Waguih Ishak, M.D., of New York University and Tal Burt, M.D., of Harvard University will team up for an all-day workshop on the use of computer technology in psychiatric practice. They will demonstrate state-of-the-art software for patient care, education, research, and communication. No preregistration is required. Attendees are encouraged to bring their laptop computers and "plug in" to powerstrips set up for this purpose.

Also on Monday will be a new series of "hands-on" workshops held throughout the day at the University of Toronto Computer Lab. The University of Toronto Computer facilities consist of three classrooms containing more than a hundred networked computers (all with Internet access). The collaboration of the APA Committee on Information Systems with the university is an experiment and an APA first. The University of Toronto Computer Lab is located only a few blocks from the Delta Chelsea Hotel (one of the annual meeting hotels).

Conducting the series of workshops on various aspects of psychiatric computing, including the Internet and database development, will be members of the APA Information Systems Committee. The workshops include "Producing a Web Page: An Introduction" by Robert Hsiung, M.D., of the University of Chicago and "Build Your Own Database" by Daniel A. Deutschman, M.D., of Southwest General Health in Ohio. There should be time for attendees to get assistance from and pose questions to committee members and invited computer-savvy guests.

Starting on Tuesday, June 2, and continuing through Wednesday, June 3, will be a marathon of presentations on practice management software, electronic medical records, the Internet, database development, and computer assessment. A future issue of Psychiatric News will publish more information on these sessions, which will be held at the Toronto Convention Centre. In addition to me, presenters include Kemal Sagduyu, M.D., of the University of Kansas, Jesse Wright, M.D., of the University of Louisville, Elliot Luby, M.D., of Sinai Hospital in Detroit, Cary Hamlin, M.D., of Fear Free Technology Inc. in Chester, N.J., Russell Lim, M.D., of the University of California at Davis, James H. Grubbs, M.D., of the Cleo Wallace Center in Denver, Waguih Ishak, M.D., of New York University, Tal Burt, M.D., of Harvard University, Robert Patterson, M.D., of Mental Health Connections in Lexington, Mass., Theron Bowers, M.D., a private practitioner in Texas, and Auby Axler, M.D., of Mt. Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

On Wednesday afternoon, Russell Lim and I will conduct a computer production workshop from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Psychiatrists interested in submitting computer-related programs for the 1999 annual meeting in Washington, D.C., are urged to attend. This year's software focus on practice management was a direct result of last year's computer production workshop, in which many attendees said they would like to attend more presentations on that topic.

On Thursday afternoon, June 4, Rima Styra, M.D., of Toronto will chair the symposium "21st Century Psychiatry: Internet Applications." The symposium will focus on the Internet's evolving status to a mainstream tool for research, education, communication, and multicenter collaboration. Topics include emerging trends in networked psychiatry, resources for psychiatrists on the Internet, patient-psychiatrist contact via e-mail in clinical practice, continuing education in psychiatry via the Internet, and the use of tele-neuropsychiatry.

If your appetite for computer presentations won't be satiated by these numerous annual meeting presentations, I suggest that you plan to arrive early for the annual meeting and attend the Psychiatric Society of Informatics program scheduled for Saturday, May 30. For more information, contact Norman Alessi, M.D., at (313) 763-2015; e-mail: nalessi@umich.edu.