How are formal semantics used in programming?

How is computer programming used in Hospitals, and if so, what are the programs used? I need website links too?

• Im writing a college paper on how computer programming affects us in daily life, and arguing how more computer programs should be created to increase the convienence of daily life for all of us. My main points that I will argue on are Computer Programming Use In Hospitals, Computer Programming Use in the Government, and Computer Programming use in Social Security, both in how it's used and how it protects ours. I need answers with works cited, in other words, with links that will show me the information so I can back it up. I'm really in a jam here, I've been searching on Yahoo, Google, and Ask.com, but none of them are turning up any real resources, the best I've gotten so far is the programming language used in hospitals, such as Eiffel or Sather, which is used for programming secured applications.

• Answer:

  You're talking about things that are either proprietary or classified in many cases. While hospitals use computers in places like the pharmacy (to catch drug interactions or inappropriate usage (Vitamin K for someone on blood thinners, for example), or the office - billing, bed management, etc., no one is going to tell you which programs they use (assuming they're using commercial, not developed-in-house, programs.) Same with Wall Street (which is private, not government). As far as what government agencies use, other than in general (SSA uses at least one humongous database program), you're not going to get any information. You can't argue that creating more programs could <anything> unless you know that program X hasn't already been created and had its effect on our lives, and you can't know that - or even find it out.