Terry Irvine -Introduction
Click here to view article index
By
way of personal introduction.
Many years ago I became enamored by computers, an affair that culminated
in us acquiring what was thought to be the first computer in pharmacy
- at a cost of $120,000 or the price of 20 Volvos at the time (really
powerful computers can now be purchased for less than one twentieth
of the current price of Volvos - there must be a message there somewhere).
Later we became IBM PC Dealers, I went on to graduate with a Diploma
in Applied Science (Computing) from the Charles Sturt University in
Wagga Wagga, in 1992, and our family has continued with the love affair
with computers - eldest son Rod, although a pharmacist, is some sort
of architect with Compaq Computers, based in Adelaide he has been to
New Zealand three time in the last few months and often travels to the
Eastern Capitals.
One of the twins, Bradley, is with the NT Government's computer section
and was responsible for the recent outsourcing of IT. The other twin,
Andrew, is a partner in what is probably on of the most computerized
hotels in country Australia , at Wagga Wagga.
Since leaving Darwin, most of my work has involved computers and pharmacy
to some extent, currently I am logged into Internet for many hours each
day, surfing between prescriptions.
Way back in the early days when I became aware of what computers could
do I wrote an article that was published in the AJP where I explored
the possible actions of sick people and their diagnosis.
Since then Internet has come along and provides even more facilities
for people to interact with computer systems, all over the world, and
stimulates me to flights of fancy with regard to what could be possible,
and what effect it could have on pharmacy as we know it today.
When I was first introduced to Internet by an enthusiastic lecturer
at CSU I was underwhelmed by it - not much information available, and
very slow modems - it seemed suitable for academics, but I did not want
to become one of them.
Of course since then the explosion of information available on the net
has been fantastic, and the availability of fast modems, and cable connection,
as well as Windows type presentations has meant I am forever being gobsmacked
by what I can find.
Sometimes I am frustrated because I cannot find what I am looking fo,
but this is more because I do not know how to ask the question, more
than the information not existing.
Postcards From The Coalface (Oct 2002)
Postcards from the Coalface (Aug 2002)
Prescription
processing in the Future (revisited)
Factoring Humanity into the Web