Browsing by Subject "Internet"
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Item Open Access A re-conceptualization of access for 21st century healthcare.(Journal of general internal medicine, 2011-11) Fortney, John C; Burgess, James F; Bosworth, Hayden B; Booth, Brenda M; Kaboli, Peter JMany e-health technologies are available to promote virtual patient-provider communication outside the context of face-to-face clinical encounters. Current digital communication modalities include cell phones, smartphones, interactive voice response, text messages, e-mails, clinic-based interactive video, home-based web-cams, mobile smartphone two-way cameras, personal monitoring devices, kiosks, dashboards, personal health records, web-based portals, social networking sites, secure chat rooms, and on-line forums. Improvements in digital access could drastically diminish the geographical, temporal, and cultural access problems faced by many patients. Conversely, a growing digital divide could create greater access disparities for some populations. As the paradigm of healthcare delivery evolves towards greater reliance on non-encounter-based digital communications between patients and their care teams, it is critical that our theoretical conceptualization of access undergoes a concurrent paradigm shift to make it more relevant for the digital age. The traditional conceptualizations and indicators of access are not well adapted to measure access to health services that are delivered digitally outside the context of face-to-face encounters with providers. This paper provides an overview of digital "encounterless" utilization, discusses the weaknesses of traditional conceptual frameworks of access, presents a new access framework, provides recommendations for how to measure access in the new framework, and discusses future directions for research on access.Item Open Access Access to patient-level data from GlaxoSmithKline clinical trials.(N Engl J Med, 2013-08-01) Nisen, Perry; Rockhold, FrankItem Open Access An Analysis of Public Interest in Elective Neurosurgical Procedures During the COVID-19 Pandemic Through Online Search Engine Trends.(World neurosurgery, 2021-04) Feng, Austin Y; Garcia, Cesar A; Jin, Michael C; Ho, Allen L; Li, Gordon; Grant, Gerald; Ratliff, John; Skirboll, Stephen LObjective
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recommended the temporary cessation of all elective surgeries. The effects on patients' interest of elective neurosurgical procedures are currently unexplored.Methods
Using Google Trends, search terms of 7 different neurosurgical procedure categories (trauma, spine, tumor, movement disorder, epilepsy, endovascular, and miscellaneous) were assessed in terms of relative search volume (RSV) between January 2015 and September 2020. Analyses of search terms were performed for over the short term (February 18, 2020, to April 18, 2020), intermediate term (January 1, 2020, to May 31, 2020), and long term (January 2015 to September 2020). State-level interest during phase I reopening (April 28, 2020, to May 31, 2020) was also evaluated.Results
In the short term, RSVs of 4 categories (epilepsy, movement disorder, spine, and tumor) were significantly lower in the post-CMS announcement period. In the intermediate term, RSVs of 5 categories (miscellaneous, epilepsy, movement disorder, spine, and tumor) were significantly lower in the post-CMS announcement period. In the long term, RSVs of nearly all categories (endovascular, epilepsy, miscellaneous, movement disorder, spine, and tumor) were significantly lower in the post-CMS announcement period. Only the movement disorder procedure category had significantly higher RSV in states that reopened early.Conclusions
With the recommendation for cessation of elective surgeries, patient interests in overall elective neurosurgical procedures have dropped significantly. With gradual reopening, there has been a resurgence in some procedure types. Google Trends has proven to be a useful tracker of patient interest and may be used by neurosurgical departments to facilitate outreach strategies.Item Open Access Analysis of educational materials and destruction/opt-out initiatives for storage and use of residual newborn screening samples.(Genet Test Mol Biomarkers, 2010-10) Haga, Susanne BIn recent years, the storage and use of residual newborn screening (NBS) samples has gained attention. To inform ongoing policy discussions, this article provides an update of previous work on new policies, educational materials, and parental options regarding the storage and use of residual NBS samples. A review of state NBS Web sites was conducted for information related to the storage and use of residual NBS samples in January 2010. In addition, a review of current statutes and bills introduced between 2005 and 2009 regarding storage and/or use of residual NBS samples was conducted. Fourteen states currently provide information about the storage and/or use of residual NBS samples. Nine states provide parents the option to request destruction of the residual NBS sample after the required storage period or the option to exclude the sample for research uses. In the coming years, it is anticipated that more states will consider policies to address parental concerns about the storage and use of residual NBS samples. Development of new policies regarding storage and use of residual NBS samples will require careful consideration of impact on NBS programs, parent and provider educational materials, and respect for parents among other issues.Item Restricted Application description and policy model in collaborative environment for sharing of information on epidemiological and clinical research data sets.(PLoS One, 2010-02-19) de Carvalho, EC; Batilana, AP; Simkins, J; Martins, H; Shah, J; Rajgor, D; Shah, A; Rockart, S; Pietrobon, RBACKGROUND: Sharing of epidemiological and clinical data sets among researchers is poor at best, in detriment of science and community at large. The purpose of this paper is therefore to (1) describe a novel Web application designed to share information on study data sets focusing on epidemiological clinical research in a collaborative environment and (2) create a policy model placing this collaborative environment into the current scientific social context. METHODOLOGY: The Database of Databases application was developed based on feedback from epidemiologists and clinical researchers requiring a Web-based platform that would allow for sharing of information about epidemiological and clinical study data sets in a collaborative environment. This platform should ensure that researchers can modify the information. A Model-based predictions of number of publications and funding resulting from combinations of different policy implementation strategies (for metadata and data sharing) were generated using System Dynamics modeling. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The application allows researchers to easily upload information about clinical study data sets, which is searchable and modifiable by other users in a wiki environment. All modifications are filtered by the database principal investigator in order to maintain quality control. The application has been extensively tested and currently contains 130 clinical study data sets from the United States, Australia, China and Singapore. Model results indicated that any policy implementation would be better than the current strategy, that metadata sharing is better than data-sharing, and that combined policies achieve the best results in terms of publications. CONCLUSIONS: Based on our empirical observations and resulting model, the social network environment surrounding the application can assist epidemiologists and clinical researchers contribute and search for metadata in a collaborative environment, thus potentially facilitating collaboration efforts among research communities distributed around the globe.Item Open Access Assessment of an Online Tool to Simulate the Effect of Pooled Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Detection in Asymptomatic and Symptomatic Populations.(JAMA network open, 2020-12) Polage, Christopher R; Lee, Mark J; Hubbard, Christopher; Rehder, Catherine; Cardona, Diana; Denny, Thomas; Datto, Michael BItem Open Access Assessment of Impact of Long-Cassette Standing X-Rays on Surgical Planning for Cervical Pathology: An International Survey of Spine Surgeons.(Neurosurgery, 2016-05) Ramchandran, Subaraman; Smith, Justin S; Ailon, Tamir; Klineberg, Eric; Shaffrey, Christopher; Lafage, Virginie; Schwab, Frank; Bess, Shay; Daniels, Alan; Scheer, Justin K; Protopsaltis, Themi S; Arnold, Paul; Haid, Regis W; Chapman, Jens; Fehlings, Michael G; Ames, Christopher P; AOSpine North America, International Spine Study GroupBackground
Understanding the role of regional segments of the spine in maintaining global balance has garnered significant attention recently. Long-cassette radiographs (LCR) are necessary to evaluate global spinopelvic alignment. However, it is unclear how LCRs impact operative decision-making for cervical spine pathology.Objective
To evaluate whether the addition of LCRs results in changes to respondents' operative plans compared to standard imaging of the involved cervical spine in an international survey of spine surgeons.Methods
Fifteen cases (5 control cases with normal and 10 test cases with abnormal global alignment) of cervical pathology were presented online with a vignette and cervical imaging. Surgeons were asked to select a surgical plan from 6 options, ranging from the least (1 point) to most (6 points) extensive. Cases were then reordered and presented again with LCRs and the same surgical plan question.Results
One hundred fifty-seven surgeons completed the survey, of which 79% were spine fellowship trained. The mean response scores for surgical plan increased from 3.28 to 4.0 (P = .003) for test cases with the addition of LCRs. However, no significant changes (P = .10) were identified for the control cases. In 4 of the test cases with significant mid thoracic kyphosis, 29% of participants opted for the more extensive surgical options of extension to the mid and lower thoracic spine when they were provided with cervical imaging only, which significantly increased to 58.3% upon addition of LCRs.Conclusion
In planning for cervical spine surgery, surgeons should maintain a low threshold for obtaining LCRs to assess global spinopelvic alignment.Item Open Access Can You Trust What You Watch? An Assessment of the Quality of Information in Aesthetic Surgery Videos on YouTube.(Plastic and reconstructive surgery, 2020-02) Gray, Megan C; Gemmiti, Amanda; Ata, Ashar; Jun, Brandon; Johnson, Philip K; Ricci, Joseph A; Patel, AshitBackground
Videos on YouTube can be posted without regulation or content oversight. Unfortunately, many patients use YouTube as a resource on aesthetic surgery, leading to misinformation. Currently, there are no objective assessments of the quality of information on YouTube about aesthetic surgery.Methods
YouTube was queried for videos about the 12 most common aesthetic surgical procedures, identified from the 2015 American Society of Plastic Surgeons procedural statistics between May and June of 2016. The top 25 results for each search term were scored using the modified Ensuring Quality Information for Patients criteria based on video structure, content, and author identification. Average Ensuring Quality Information for Patients score, view count, and video duration were compared between authorship groups.Results
A total of 523 videos were graded after excluding duplicates. The mean modified Ensuring Quality Information for Patients score for all videos was 13.1 (SE, 0.18) of a possible 27. The videos under the search "nose reshaping" had the lowest mean score of 10.24 (SE, 0.74), whereas "breast augmentation" had the highest score of 15.96 (SE, 0.65). Physician authorship accounted for 59 percent of included videos and had a higher mean Ensuring Quality Information for Patients score than those by patients. Only three of the 21 search terms had a mean modified Ensuring Quality Information for Patients score meeting criteria for high-quality videos.Conclusions
The information contained in aesthetic surgery videos on YouTube is low quality. Patients should be aware that the information has the potential to be inaccurate. Plastic surgeons should be encouraged to develop high-quality videos to educate patients.Item Open Access ChatGPT versus Radiology Institutional Websites: Comparative Analysis of Radiation Protection Information Provided to Patients.(Radiology, 2024-06) Jankowski, Sofyan; Rotzinger, David; Ria, Francesco; Pozzessere, ChiaraItem Open Access Déjà-Vu News: How do Local Print and Broadcast Websites Present News?(2009-12-04) Reed, Christopher; Hamilton, JamesNews websites produced by local U.S. newspapers and television news stations appear to most significantly distinguish themselves by having characteristics similar to those of their original medium. As audiences increasingly go online to find out the news, broadcast and print news outlets are finding a way to present their stories and interact with these consumers. This study looks at a sample of local television news and newspaper websites to determine what factors influence their presentation of news. In analyzing 14 unique attributes of local news websites, these results suggest that original medium of the news website matters most in determining the presentation of a local news websites. Market size, cross-medium ownership within a market and national affiliation also influence local news websites to a lesser extent.Item Open Access Do diabetic veterans use the Internet? Self-reported usage, skills, and interest in using My HealtheVet Web portal.(Telemed J E Health, 2010-06) Cho, Alex H; Arar, Nedal H; Edelman, David E; Hartwell, Patricia H; Oddone, Eugene Z; Yancy, William SOBJECTIVE: The Veterans Health Administration has developed My HealtheVet (MHV), a Web-based portal that links veterans to their care in the veteran affairs (VA) system. The objective of this study was to measure diabetic veterans' access to and use of the Internet, and their interest in using MHV to help manage their diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cross-sectional mailed survey of 201 patients with type 2 diabetes and hemoglobin A(1c) > 8.0% receiving primary care at any of five primary care clinic sites affiliated with a VA tertiary care facility. Main measures included Internet usage, access, and attitudes; computer skills; interest in using the Internet; awareness of and attitudes toward MHV; demographics; and socioeconomic status. RESULTS: A majority of respondents reported having access to the Internet at home. Nearly half of all respondents had searched online for information about diabetes, including some who did not have home Internet access. More than a third obtained "some" or "a lot" of their health-related information online. Forty-one percent reported being "very interested" in using MHV to help track their home blood glucose readings, a third of whom did not have home Internet access. Factors associated with being "very interested" were as follows: having access to the Internet at home (p < 0.001), "a lot/some" trust in the Internet as a source of health information (p = 0.002), lower age (p = 0.03), and some college (p = 0.04). Neither race (p = 0.44) nor income (p = 0.25) was significantly associated with interest in MHV. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that a diverse sample of older VA patients with sub-optimally controlled diabetes had a level of familiarity with and access to the Internet comparable to an age-matched national sample. In addition, there was a high degree of interest in using the Internet to help manage their diabetes.Item Open Access Getting your research out there: open access & more.(Ann Biomed Eng, 2012-12) Setton, Lori A; Yin, Frank C; Margulies, Susan S; Sakiyama-Elbert, Shelly E; Beizer, DougItem Open Access Gratitude at Work: Prospective Cohort Study of a Web-Based, Single-Exposure Well-Being Intervention for Health Care Workers.(Journal of medical Internet research, 2020-05-14) Adair, Kathryn C; Rodriguez-Homs, Larissa G; Masoud, Sabran; Mosca, Paul J; Sexton, J BryanBACKGROUND:Emotional exhaustion (EE) in health care workers is common and consequentially linked to lower quality of care. Effective interventions to address EE are urgently needed. OBJECTIVE:This randomized single-exposure trial examined the efficacy of a gratitude letter-writing intervention for improving health care workers' well-being. METHODS:A total of 1575 health care workers were randomly assigned to one of two gratitude letter-writing prompts (self- vs other focused) to assess differential efficacy. Assessments of EE, subjective happiness, work-life balance, and tool engagement were collected at baseline and 1-week post intervention. Participants received their EE score at baseline and quartile benchmarking scores. Paired-samples t tests, independent t tests, and correlations explored the efficacy of the intervention. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software assessed the linguistic content of the gratitude letters and associations with well-being. RESULTS:Participants in both conditions showed significant improvements in EE, happiness, and work-life balance between the intervention and 1-week follow-up (P<.001). The self-focused (vs other) instruction conditions did not differentially predict improvement in any of the measures (P=.91). Tool engagement was high, and participants reporting higher motivation to improve their EE had higher EE at baseline (P<.001) and were more likely to improve EE a week later (P=.03). Linguistic analyses revealed that participants high on EE at baseline used more negative emotion words in their letters (P=.005). Reduction in EE at the 1-week follow-up was predicted at the level of a trend by using fewer first-person (P=.06) and positive emotion words (P=.09). No baseline differences were found between those who completed the follow-up assessment and those who did not (Ps>.05). CONCLUSIONS:This single-exposure gratitude letter-writing intervention appears to be a promising low-cost, brief, and meaningful tool to improve the well-being of health care workers.Item Open Access Improving IP-based geo-location through Internet Topology and Geospatial Datasets(2013) Moses, Kyle VincentAccurate IP geo-location is crucial to the effectiveness of a wide array of Internet-based services ranging from targeted advertising and website localization to content delivery, security logging and authentication. The most widely used technique for remote IP geo-location is to passively query a pre-built database mapping IP blocks to physical locations. Recent analysis of commercially available databases has revealed limited global coverage and limited accuracy below the country level.
In this work, we first present a new form of geo-location technique which cross-references Regional Internet Registry (RIR) entries with topology information derived from Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) routing data. Second, we present a Hadoop integrated PATRICIA tree designed to store this dataset. Finally, we present a system for accurately and efficiently mapping location strings to representative alpha-shape polygons.
Our experiments show that cross-referencing RIR entries with topology information allows for improvements in location accuracy below the country level in comparison with traditional databases. Furthermore, we show that use of a PATRICIA tree provides maximum storage efficiency with minimal performance impact. Finally, we show that representing locations as alpha shapes provides a high level of accuracy with minimal performance overhead.
Item Open Access Improving Timely Resident Follow-Up and Communication of Results in Ambulatory Clinics Utilizing a Web-Based Audit and Feedback Module.(Journal of Graduate Medical Education, 2017-04) Boggan, Joel C; Swaminathan, Aparna; Thomas, Samantha; Simel, David L; Zaas, Aimee K; Bae, Jonathan GFailure to follow up and communicate test results to patients in outpatient settings may lead to diagnostic and therapeutic delays. Residents are less likely than attending physicians to report results to patients, and may face additional barriers to reporting, given competing clinical responsibilities.This study aimed to improve the rates of communicating test results to patients in resident ambulatory clinics.We performed an internal medicine, residency-wide, pre- and postintervention, quality improvement project using audit and feedback. Residents performed audits of ambulatory patients requiring laboratory or radiologic testing by means of a shared online interface. The intervention consisted of an educational module viewed with initial audits, development of a personalized improvement plan after Phase 1, and repeated real-time feedback of individual relative performance compared at clinic and program levels. Outcomes included results communicated within 14 days and prespecified "significant" results communicated within 72 hours.A total of 76 of 86 eligible residents (88%) reviewed 1713 individual ambulatory patients' charts in Phase 1, and 73 residents (85%) reviewed 1509 charts in Phase 2. Follow-up rates were higher in Phase 2 than Phase 1 for communicating results within 14 days and significant results within 72 hours (85% versus 78%, P < .001; and 82% versus 70%, P = .002, respectively). Communication of "significant" results was more likely to occur via telephone, compared with communication of nonsignificant results.Participation in a shared audit and feedback quality improvement project can improve rates of resident follow-up and communication of results, although communication gaps remained.Item Open Access Mindfulness training for smokers via web-based video instruction with phone support: a prospective observational study.(BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2015-03-29) Davis, James M; Manley, Alison R; Goldberg, Simon B; Stankevitz, Kristin A; Smith, Stevens SBACKGROUND:Many smokers are unable to access effective behavioral smoking cessation therapies due to location, financial limitations, schedule, transportation issues or other reasons. We report results from a prospective observational study in which a promising novel behavioral intervention, Mindfulness Training for Smokers was provided via web-based video instruction with telephone-based counseling support. METHODS:Data were collected on 26 low socioeconomic status smokers. Participants were asked to watch eight video-based classes describing mindfulness skills and how to use these skills to overcome various core challenges in tobacco dependence. Participants received eight weekly phone calls from a smoking cessation coach who provided general support and answered questions about the videos. On the quit day, participants received two weeks of nicotine patches. RESULTS:Participants were a mean of 40.5 years of age, smoked 16.31 cigarettes per day for 21.88 years, with a mean of 6.81 prior failed quit attempts. Participants completed a mean of 5.55 of 8 online video classes with a mean of 23.33 minutes per login, completed a mean of 3.19 of 8 phone coach calls, and reported a mean meditation practice time of 12.17 minutes per day. Smoking abstinence was defined as self-reported abstinence on a smoking calendar with biochemical confirmation via carbon monoxide breath-test under 7 parts per million. Intent-to-treat analysis demonstrated 7-day point prevalence smoking abstinence at 4 and 6-months post-quit of 23.1% and 15.4% respectively. Participants showed a significant pre- to post-intervention increase in mindfulness as measured by the Five-Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire, and a significant pre- to post-intervention decrease in the Anxiety Sub-scale of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale. CONCLUSIONS:Results suggest that Mindfulness Training for Smokers can be provided via web-based video instruction with phone support and yield reasonable participant engagement on intervention practices and that intervention efficacy and mechanism of effect deserve further study. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02164656 , Registration Date June 13, 2014.Item Embargo Narrating the Covid-19 Cyber-Memoryscape in China: from the Social Media Infodemic to the Politicisation of Pandemic(2023) Hu, HuanqiuWhen it comes to issues concerning the media and communication system in contemporary China , a monolithic view of a top-down, hierarchical order between the repressing party-state censorship vs. the repressed media dominates the discussion in general. It is true that all media are under surveillance and control of the party-state, and this is usually the central focus of existing scholarship in this area. However, the simple presence of media and information control does not predetermine the uses to which media are put. Today, under the digital transformation of contemporary media systems, alternative organizations and individuals can voice out and communicate with the public in the interconnected cyber space. Therefore, the previous absolute discursive power of the party-state has been divided, shifted, and distributed.The COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic crisis have already shown us that apart from the tightening online censorship and digital surveillance, there are more complex and even unpredictable processes of negotiation, contestation, competition and even conspiracy between different power dynamics. Those cyber activities and discourses that shape collective memories of this pandemic era can tell us much about the changing dynamics among the party-state, economy, media, and society, as well as the ways in which these forces interact and clash in China today. This thesis adopts a cultural studies approach that examines a series of online pandemic-narratives and some significant public events and social movements that had been caused and directed by these narratives. Chapter 1, from spatial dimension, illustrates the complexity of the dynamics between different powers that are moving between various knots in the meshy discursive (inter)net space. Chapter 2, from temporal dimension, demonstrates the complexity of the process, both the occurrence and development, of cyber public events and social movements in the arena of digital communication sphere. By drawing a series of cases from a wide range of media texts and communication practices, I try to move beyond the conventional dichotomy and to explore the vast array of variations concerning nationalism, class, and other social conflicts in contemporary China. It is my hope that by directing attention toward the complexities and interdependencies of these cyber activities and discourses, I could offer an alternative way of looking at Chinese media and communication system, as well as the drastic social changes under the crisis of pandemic.
Item Open Access Navigating the Social Media Landscape(2024-05-01) Blanding, ErinHow does the TikTok algorithm know what you are thinking before you even search it up? How do influencers rise to popularity? What does it take to capture a digital audience's attention in a saturated online atmosphere? Given the trajectory of artificial intelligence and its proliferation online, will there be any way to distinguish what is “real” and what is “fake”? Navigating the current social media landscape for creators and brands alike is a constantly evolving game of attempting to work with the algorithm instead of against it. TikTok’s “for you” feed revolutionized social media by prioritizing predictions of what users would want to see, rather than curating content they have already expressed an interest in. This has changed the way many popular social media platforms have organized their content. In combination with recommendations backed by unthinkable amounts of data, users are inundated with a never ending stream of addicting media that can have consequences socially and financially. This thesis delves into the relationship between content, data and data privacy concerns, artificial intelligence, and digital strategy as it relates to both individuals and companies in an ever changing, deeply interconnected digital environment.Item Open Access Overview of FEED, the feeding experiments end-user database.(Integr Comp Biol, 2011-08) Wall, Christine E; Vinyard, Christopher J; Williams, Susan H; Gapeyev, Vladimir; Liu, Xianhua; Lapp, Hilmar; German, Rebecca ZThe Feeding Experiments End-user Database (FEED) is a research tool developed by the Mammalian Feeding Working Group at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center that permits synthetic, evolutionary analyses of the physiology of mammalian feeding. The tasks of the Working Group are to compile physiologic data sets into a uniform digital format stored at a central source, develop a standardized terminology for describing and organizing the data, and carry out a set of novel analyses using FEED. FEED contains raw physiologic data linked to extensive metadata. It serves as an archive for a large number of existing data sets and a repository for future data sets. The metadata are stored as text and images that describe experimental protocols, research subjects, and anatomical information. The metadata incorporate controlled vocabularies to allow consistent use of the terms used to describe and organize the physiologic data. The planned analyses address long-standing questions concerning the phylogenetic distribution of phenotypes involving muscle anatomy and feeding physiology among mammals, the presence and nature of motor pattern conservation in the mammalian feeding muscles, and the extent to which suckling constrains the evolution of feeding behavior in adult mammals. We expect FEED to be a growing digital archive that will facilitate new research into understanding the evolution of feeding anatomy.Item Open Access Phenex: ontological annotation of phenotypic diversity.(PLoS One, 2010-05-05) Balhoff, James P; Dahdul, Wasila M; Kothari, Cartik R; Lapp, Hilmar; Lundberg, John G; Mabee, Paula; Midford, Peter E; Westerfield, Monte; Vision, Todd JBACKGROUND: Phenotypic differences among species have long been systematically itemized and described by biologists in the process of investigating phylogenetic relationships and trait evolution. Traditionally, these descriptions have been expressed in natural language within the context of individual journal publications or monographs. As such, this rich store of phenotype data has been largely unavailable for statistical and computational comparisons across studies or integration with other biological knowledge. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we describe Phenex, a platform-independent desktop application designed to facilitate efficient and consistent annotation of phenotypic similarities and differences using Entity-Quality syntax, drawing on terms from community ontologies for anatomical entities, phenotypic qualities, and taxonomic names. Phenex can be configured to load only those ontologies pertinent to a taxonomic group of interest. The graphical user interface was optimized for evolutionary biologists accustomed to working with lists of taxa, characters, character states, and character-by-taxon matrices. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Annotation of phenotypic data using ontologies and globally unique taxonomic identifiers will allow biologists to integrate phenotypic data from different organisms and studies, leveraging decades of work in systematics and comparative morphology.