Pharmacy students often focus on chemistry, biology, and pharmacology, but a clear understanding of computer fundamentals is equally important in today’s digital-driven healthcare environment. Unit 1 introduces two core areas: Number Systems and the Concept of Information System and Software, both of which provide the foundation for handling digital data, managing pharmaceutical information, and understanding how software solutions assist in healthcare decision-making.
Number System in Computer Fundamentals
In the digital world, computers cannot process human language directly; instead, they rely on number systems to represent and process data. For pharmacy students, this is important because pharmaceutical records, patient data, and drug information are stored in digital form using these systems.
Major Types of Number Systems
- Binary Number System (Base 2)
- The binary system uses only two digits, 0 and 1, making it the most fundamental language of computers.
- Every digital device, from hospital management software to drug inventory systems, operates internally using binary logic.
- Decimal Number System (Base 10)
- The decimal system is the one we commonly use in daily life. It consists of digits from 0 to 9.
- When patient doses are calculated or when billing is done in hospital pharmacies, decimal numbers are generally used.
- Octal Number System (Base 8)
- The octal system uses digits from 0 to 7.
- It is often used as a shorthand representation of binary numbers to make large binary codes easier to read.
- Hexadecimal Number System (Base 16)
- Hexadecimal uses 16 symbols (0–9 and A–F).
- This system is widely applied in programming, computer memory addressing, and error detection methods in healthcare software.
Conversion Between Number Systems
For pharmacy students learning computer applications, understanding number system conversions is vital because drug data, medical reports, and hospital management software often require accurate digital representation.
- Decimal to Binary and Binary to Decimal: Converting between human-readable numbers (decimal) and machine-readable numbers (binary) allows proper communication between users and systems.
- Octal to Binary and Hexadecimal to Binary: These conversions simplify programming and database management in medical software.
Binary Arithmetic
Binary arithmetic is the foundation of all computer calculations. Just as pharmacists calculate drug dosages carefully, computers perform calculations using binary rules.
- Binary Addition: Adds binary digits similar to decimal addition but with only two digits (0 and 1).
- Binary Subtraction: Uses One’s Complement and Two’s Complement methods to handle negative values and subtraction operations.
- Binary Multiplication and Division: These processes are directly applied in digital systems for data processing, encryption, and healthcare software functionalities.
Concept of Information System and Software
While number systems explain how computers understand data, information systems and software show how that data is applied in real-life healthcare and pharmaceutical contexts.
Information Gathering
Before developing software for a hospital or pharmacy, it is important to gather information about patient needs, prescription records, drug stock details, and reporting requirements.
Requirement and Feasibility Analysis
Every system must be practical and cost-effective. Feasibility studies ensure that the software designed for drug dispensing, prescription monitoring, or patient record management is both efficient and affordable.
Data Flow Diagrams and Process Specifications
- Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) help visualize how data moves within a system—for example, how patient information travels from the reception desk to the pharmacy billing counter.
- Process Specifications provide detailed steps of each operation, ensuring that no important pharmaceutical detail, such as dosage or stock level, is missed.
Input/Output Design
- Input Design refers to how data is entered into the system, such as entering prescription details into a pharmacy database.
- Output Design refers to how the results are presented, such as generating drug availability reports or printing patient prescriptions.
Process Life Cycle
The Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) describes stages like planning, designing, testing, and maintaining the software. In a pharmaceutical setup, this ensures that the software used for patient safety or inventory control remains reliable and up-to-date.
Planning and Managing the Project
Pharmacy-related software projects need proper planning and management to avoid errors, ensure timely updates, and maintain regulatory compliance with healthcare authorities.