Code Med
Java Course

Week 2 will introduce the concept of Arithmetic in Java. Many clinically-orientated apps will require calculations and it is therefore important you understand how to use these functions.

What we will cover:

• The basic arithmetic functions available in Java

• Expand onto additional mathematical functions, such square roots, powers and decimal rounding

• With the information learned from this topic, you will code a creatinine clearance calculator and intravenous drug infusion rate calculation tool

Week 3 will introduce If-Else statement, a concept that is widely used in coding to make decision algorithms

What we will cover:

• The structure of the basic If-Else statement and how it can be used and applied through clinical examples

• Summarise the different logic testing notations, which are used to create decision algorithms that meet specific conditions

• The application of nested If-Else statements and how they can be used to digitise complex clinical algorithms and create clinical decision apps.

• With this information, you will create a HbA1c interpreter and digitise the CT head guidelines to create a clinical decision tool

Week 4 will introduce the concept of Arrays, which will allow us to extend the way that we store and process data.

What we will cover:

• The structure of an array and how it can be used to store multiple values for clinically-orientated apps

• We will look at how to use one- and two-dimensional arrays in our programs

• With the knowledge gained from this topic, you will build a simple blood test interpreter and NEWS score interpreter

Week 5 will introduce the concept of loops in programming. These are a handy concept that allow parts of code to be executed repeatedly

What we will cover:

• While loops and how they can be manipulated to achieve certain outcomes

• Do-while loops and see how they differ to while loops and where they could be used

• For-loops, which are the most common type of loop used in coding, and outline how they can be applied in practice using clinical examples

• Last, we will demonstrate how loops can be nested to achieve increasingly complex functions

• You will practice coding all of these loops and learn how they relate to a clinical application, such as a vancomycin dose calculator

Week 6 will introduce the topic of objects. We would have already discussed that Java is an Object-Oriented Programming language (OOPL) and have been using objects to this point but this week we will formally discussed this as a concept.

What we will cover:

• What objects, constructors and methods are, and how they can be created and used

• How to use the Java API to gain a better understanding of objects

• How to create your own objects

• Using this knowledge, you will create a patient appointment booking app and a basic A&E triage tool

Week 7 will introduce the Java AWT and Swing packages which are used to produce graphical user interfaces.

What we will cover:

• How to import these packages into your code and use the available objects that will allow you to create a graphical user interface

• Explore the different Classes within Swing to see what we can use to develop our user interfaces

• Using this information, you will build your first apps with a graphical user interface: a BMI calculator, a locum doctor registration form, and a gentamicin calculator

Week 8 will introduce the concept of Interfaces

What we will cover:

• We will look at the anatomy of an interface and how it is declared and utilised

• How to create ActionListeners, so that your buttons action commands when pressed

• How to create KeyListeners, so that your TextFields respond to certain inputs

• Using this information, you will complete your gentamicin calculator graphical user interface with a button that calculates the gentamicin dose once pressed, and textfields that ensure only numbers are entered into the TextFields

Week 9 will introduce two further JComponents of the Swing class. We will be looking at TextAreas and ComboBoxes, in addition to ArrayLists

What we will cover:

• The difference between an Array and ArrayList

• The declaration and use of TextAreas, ComboBoxes and ArrayLists

• How to manipulate the properties of TextAreas and ComboBoxes

• How TextAreas differ from TextFields, and which situations they can be used

• The use of ComboBoxes and how they can be initialised using Arrays

• How ComboBox selections can be used both using a Button and without it

• Using these components you will build an app that allows you to store, search and add new patient records

Week 10 will teach you how to store and retrieve data from an excel file

What we will cover:

• A quick recap on creating a graphical user interface and customising components

• A quick recap on For Loops and Array Lists

• Try-catch statements

• How to create an app that generates/locates an excel/CSV file

• The methods to read from and write to a local file using a patient record app as a clinically orientated example

Week 11 will introduce the concept of inserting images into our programs

What we will cover:

• How to insert logos and images into your apps

• Scale images a desired size

• Using this information, you will create a CURB-65 calculator which includes a custom app logo

Week 12 will introduce the concept of Layout Managers. Until this point, we will have been setting the positions of JComponents ourselves, but Layout Managers will help us to direct components onto the user interface in an automated fashion.

What we will cover:

• The different types of Layout Managers available and where each of their use cases lie

• Examples of Layout Managers being used in clinical apps

• Practice implementing Layout Managers as seen in digital health apps

• Using this information you will create 'ClerkMaster Lite', an app to assist junior doctor clerkings