Hodges model: What is it? [2] It’s an interface...

A further response to the “What is Hodges' model?” question is that the model is an interface. We tend to think of the word interface as a modern invention, referring to an information solution or computer system aspect that conjures up hopes of qualities like ‘user-friendly’, ‘open’, ‘accessible’ and ‘uncluttered’.

Of course technology is not new, interfaces have been around for several millions of years, as realised in Clarke’s 2001. More recently, someone recognised the need for a H.H.I.: human-horse interface and reins were born (or emerged).

Just like the courage, patience and skill needed to manage horses, the same applies to sociotechnical interfaces realised in software (and hardware). If you don't listen and whisper and get it wrong, the rider could have the whip out, someone might be thrown and even if you do reach the finish line you’ll be chasing dust (even worse than that the dust may have settled!).

In the 1980s writing some (very BASIC) educational software (see, a,b,c below) on the Sinclair ZX81 and BBC microcomputer, this word interface even then demanded your attention. Interfaces present many challenges; they should be fit-for-purpose, safe! (health, air-traffic control...), logical, structured and organised (usually), also self-explanatory or self-describing if possible. In short intuitive and many would now also demand some 'intelligence'.

Those four perspectives from the house of ideas I mentioned the other day, that were combined into the ship or yacht's sails is a powerful analogy for another reason. It's an example of economy of effort – otherwise why bother? Bringing those four disciplines together folds space and time. We can start to relate items in one disciplinary domain (perspective) with others. Previously disparate disciplines are suddenly more accessible. (I'm not sure if that last line is a sentence, but never mind isn't accessibility a feature of interfaces?)

This is NOT just about creating an overview. In interface speak it can be fairly easy to create a quick and aesthetically pleasing 'front end'. If that's what is needed fair enough, but Hodges' model - while simplistic in appearance - is much deeper than that.

With reins in hand and sails trimmed our forebears shaped history, with a compass in mind the possibilities for travel are endless.

#	TITLE	PUBLICATION	YEAR	ISSUE	WORDS
a)	CAPA: COMPUTER AIDED PATIENT ASSESSMENT	Sinclair ZX81, advertised in Nursing Mirror	c.1982
b)	THE NURSING PROCESS - CAL program	BBC Micro published by Open Software Limited (OSL)	1983
c)	HAEM (see 4 below)	BBC Micro - (OSL)	1984
1	CAPA: Computerised Patient Assessment	Nursing Times (BBC micro program - OSL)	1986	82, 36	1500
2	Thunderbirds are Go? (Impact of technology in society - disasters, macro-engineering)	Popular Computing Weekly	1988		500
3	Modems are Cheap, it's the phone bills that hurt	Popular Computing Weekly	1989		500
4	HAEM: Computer Aided Learning: Creating A Program (Described production of a BBC micro program on blood and blood groups)	Nursing Times	1989	85,5	1500
5	Information Technology is Good For You! (Effects of information technology)	IT in Nursing, BCS-Nurs. Specialist Grp.	1989	1,1	2000
6	Creating a Community Mental Health IS (Creation of a community mental health resource centre - a multidisciplinary research project)	IT in Nursing and Paper at BCS NSG Conference	1990	2,4	2000
7	The Ins and Outs of a small mental health IS (et al.) as per 6	HC91 Conference Paper	1991		2000
8	Nursing: All in the mind (and machine?) (Models of nursing and computing)	British Computer Society -Nursing Specialist Group Conference Paper	1992		2000
9	Community Mental Health: IT in the Buffer Zone (co-author: David Beckingham)	Healthcare Computing 92 Conference (Poster)	1992		500
10	Computerised Models of Nursing (Data types in nursing - opportunities and problems)	HC93 Conference Paper	1993		2000
11	Using a Semantic Network to Represent Nursing Terminology (project for B.A. (Hons). Supervisor J Kirby - Medical Informatics Group)	BCS-NSG Conference Paper	1993		2000
12	Nursing: All in the mind (and machine?)	IT in Nursing	1993	5,4	2000
13	An Enthusiast's View of CAL (Problems in production of CAL - Simulation effects of Nuclear Weapons - conversion of GWBASIC to BBC BASIC from BYTE (with original author's permission - J Fanchi))	IT in Nursing	1994	6,2	2000