From “Farm Boy” to Director of the Laboratory of Computer Science: 2004 Interview of Octo Barnett


Although he described himself humbly as “just a country doctor,” Dr. G. Octo Barnett altered the course of the practice of medicine when he suggested, in the 1950s, “We ought to try using time sharing computer systems to improve medical care.” INTERVIEWED BY JOAN ASH AND DEAN SITTIG OCTOBER 29, 2004 BOSTON, MA

Octo Barnett, MD served as the Senior Scientific Director of the Laboratory of Computer Science (LCS) —a medical and bioinformatics research and development group at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) —and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Barnett pioneered the use of computers in patient care. His work with
computers in medicine fostered innovative projects including DXplain®, Primary Care Office Insite (PCOI), Pulmonary Artery Catheter Waveform Interpretation Tool (PACath), COSTAR a comprehensive and widely used ambulatory medical record system), MUMPS (Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System, now known as Multi-User Multi-Programming System), and computer-aided graduate nursing and medical education systems.

Click to read the entire interview.

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