Emergency Medical Hologram, Mark III: Difference between revisions

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{{Academy-Medicine}}
#REDIRECT[[Emergency Medical Hologram]]
[[Image:Emh3.jpg|left]]
Starfleet has never been an organization to stand idly by and be content with current technology, especially when modifications and enhancements are available, and would be an improvement. The advent of the [[Emergency Medical Hologram, Mark I|Emergency Medical Hologram Mk I]] in 2371 was a huge step forward. It allowed ships to carry a backup doctor without having to allocate more living space or material on the ship or base. And since the EMH was programmed with the sum of the Federation's medical knowledge - 50 million gigaquads of information from 3000 cultures (including psycho-spiritual beliefs), 2000 medical texts, 47 physicians' personal experiences, and five million possible treatments - they were more qualified to perform medical procedures than the facilities' Chief Medical Officers. The drawbacks to the EMH were its virtually non-existent interpersonal skills and technological limitations. Living Crew members found the EMH to be arrogant, annoying, and lacking in any empathy for its patients or bedside manner. Furthermore, while technically adept, the EMH lacked the intuition and ability to innovate which humanoid doctors possess, and they were not designed to operate for more than 1500 aggregate hours.
 
In 2374 Dr. Lewis Zimmerman of Jupiter Station, the creator of the EMH program, designed the [[Emergency Medical Hologram, Mark II|EMH Mk II]], which was placed aboard the USS Prometheus for field testing. The Mk II was a slightly more advanced hologram medically speaking, but the interpersonal skills were still lacking. 2376 saw Dr. Zimmerman begin work on a Long-Term Medical Hologram (LMH) which was designed to operate for much longer periods of time (approximately 7500 aggregate hours) and incorporate more sophisticated social skills, enabling it to interact with patients over an extended period. The design was never fully realized, however.
 
When the USS Voyager returned from the Delta Quadrant in 2377, it was revealed that their EMH Mk I had been running almost continuously for the seven years that Voyager was gone. The Doctor, as he was known, Voyager's Chief Engineer B'Elanna Torres, and Dr. Zimmerman detailed the modifications to the Doctor's holomatrix, downloaded his updated medical database which included hundreds of new entries and several new procedures, and analyzed how the Doctor had managed to evolve and grow beyond the limitations of his programming. Taking all of this new material, and incorporating design elements from the derailed LMH project, Dr. Zimmerman produced the EMH Mk III in 2379.
 
Obvious changes are the physical appearance of the hologram itself, now resembling a human woman, and the increased social abilities. Where most humanoids did not like being treated by the standard Mk Is because of its flaws, those who have been treated by Mk IIIs have yet to express any reluctance about a return visit. Mk IIIs have the extended operating durability, as well, being able to run for 7500 aggregate hours before substantial maintenance is required.
 
The EMH Mk III is in use aboard Starfleet vessels whose mission profiles have them at a distance from Federation planets and bases for an extended period. The [[USS Atlantis]] was the first vessel to field-test a Mk III.
 
'''Note:''' An EMH, although a computer-created hologram, cannot automatically access a ship's computer. That would require far more processing capacity than its holomatrix can support. Instead, it accesses the ship's computer like any normal crewmember.
 
An EMH cannot feel pain, cry, or bleed. If grabbed, it can become insubstantial and slip from its captor's grasp. It does maintain the capacity to learn and adapt to new circumstances. It can provide routine and complex medical care, up to and including detailed surgery, in the event that a ship's doctor is incapacitated.
 
An EMH system requires sophisticated holoemitters and sensors in the appropriate areas; Starfleet can install one only on ships with the most sophisticated medical facilities. In more modern vessels, holoemitters can be installed throughout the ship, enabling the EMH to go to the sick and injured, rather than requiring them to come to Sickbay.
 
However, an EMH is for emergencies, as the name indicates, not for everyday use. Starfleet is an organization of sentient, living beings, not robots and holograms. Technology is just a tool, and Starfleet expects its personnel to do their jobs and do them well, even if the EMH outclasses them on medical knowledge. Only when the ship's medical personnel are incapacitated or in dire need of assistance should the EMH be activated. If a medical officer remains alive and able to do their job, they can, in their best medical judgment, overrule any attempt to use the EMH (even by the ship's commander) and shut it off, per Starfleet regulations - and most doctors won't hesitate to do so.
 
[[Category:Additional Trek Technologies]]
[[Category:Healers and doctors]]
[[Category:Holographic programs]]

Latest revision as of 17:56, 12 August 2016

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