EBME Forums Forums Management Equipment Libraries Equipment Library Software

I also agree with Alex, in my experience I know Departments battling on with a database built by former employees and now it has developed major problems and cannot receive any support, hence they have to rebuild another or revert to PAPERWORK!. People just keep trying to invent the wheel again? Not me thanks, I'll just change the tyre!!! I believe if we are going to be a truly professional body then the government should develop software for use in all NHS trusts. (Wishful?!)

Hey Simon, when was the last time you changed a tyre?

Not heard of WIMS then? Not exactly the most brilliant software ever developed!

Nothing wrong with Alan’s Excel approach (..don’t tell me there are still biomeds about who can’t use Excel)! But as I’ve said before, if you want something a bit more powerful (not to mention user-friendly, and pretty), you need to develop something in Access, FoxPro (my favourite) or whatever. Just keep the source code, that’s all – there are many people around who can modify it for you if need be.

Ah yes .. I remember WIMPS ..

Come on guys .. all credit to those people who can-do .. and have the time .. but we want a little bit more from our Equipment Management Software nowadays don't we?

It may be a nice project to build the vehicle that gets you from A to B out of Mechano (SQL or whatever) but I'd rather be in something tried and tested, personally. Especially at 70mph!

The big advantage of networking / benchmarking / development and training is lost when you have the smaller input of a single department, 'cos nobody else uses your package!

That was one advantage of WIMPS.

We all knew what we were getting for our money!

Sadly.

All the best biomeds grew up “playing” (…working?) with Meccano, surely? Of course, like everything else, it’s been “brought up to date”. Take a look at:- http://www.meccano.com/products/multimodels/product.php?ref=839550

There’s an absolute ton of Meccano stuff on the web, I’m pleased to say. For example:-

http://www.btinternet.com/~a.esplen/gallery.htm

http://www.dalefield.com/mwes/history

Yes, I admit it, I was a great Meccano fan myself as a kid. Later on, the BBC Micro replaced it in my affections. Remember those? Then along came DOS, dBASE and all the rest. Since those happy days, nothing seems to fill the void (perhaps I’ve just gotten old)!

On the other hand, there was a time when I used to enjoy working on Rathbone Ten dental units! How sad is that?

http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk/results.asp?image=10293862&wwwflag=2&imagepos=3

I am surprsied that there still staff within NHS who can waste time developing software.

The solution is not a manual chart or excel.

This is not a professional attitude and I suggest YOU LOOK at activity and recommend a professional service and package to your Trust.

In house software is not an option, so forget about it.

alex

... and waste more taxpayer's money!

Time is money, it takes a lot of time (money) to write and support good software.
Do you make your own test gear or buy manufactured stuff (See other posts).
If you want to hack together something simple do it yourself. If you want a quality product buy it.
Robert

I share the comments of Alex, Geoff and Robert. Developing databases is time consuming especially if the person who wrote it left. The dept then had to spend even more time working out how it was written before they can develop it even further.

Yes, time is money, and you guys have plenty of both! But, three points, if I may.

It seems that some people on this forum keep forgetting that not everyone works for the UK National Health Service. Some of us have little choice but to engineer solutions as cheaply as possible. One definition of an engineer that I like is “someone who can do for one dollar what any damn fool can do for ten”!

And anyway, there are some of us “out there” (being, most likely, of the “old school”), who actually prefer to do things ourselves. Practical, “hands-on” guys (of the type who once used to proliferate in Britain), who are driven to get down to the nuts and bolts of things. Unfortunately, this mind-set no longer seems fashionable in our modern, dumbed-down, “every body wins” (…see GCSE results) culture.

Lastly, what is your definition of quality? Keeping on the topic of software for the equipment library, can you offer some shining (cost effective) examples?

Do I make my own test gear? No, but I have been known to improvise!

That one has been dealt with before, Bioman. If you’re daft enough not to keep the source code, then that’s up to you! Also, how to you develop commercial databases further (without paying heaps of money, that is)? Most of the ones I have seen need (what could have been) simple changes, extra data fields and the like.