Features
Powerful, Easy to Use
The program is menu-driven. Tests can be administered, stored and printed without extensive knowledge of computers.
The main menu from which you can start testing a new patient, look into the database, print results etc.
21 Languages
Most European languages are covered by Fepsy. Translations are now available in:
- Dutch
- English
- German
- French
- Swedish
- Finnish
- Danish
- Norwegian
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- Italian
- Hungarian
- Czech
- Polish
- Greek
- Bulgarian
- Romenian
- Russian
- Estonian
- Latvian
- Lithuanian
The system
The Fepsy-system is written in Delphi and it runs under Microsoft-Windows 7-10. The database system is constructed with TurboPower's Flash-Filer routines, now open source.
Powerful Database
All results are stored in a database, of which the size is only limited by the amount of hard disk storage capacity. Hereby the system can easily recognize a patient who is tested before, and compare former test results. The number of variables stored per test is sufficient to answer most scientific questions in the future (for instance, of all individual items the reaction time is stored).
In the database menu, from which you can look into data from individual patients, the database can be converted into ASCII format (statistical analysis) or delimited ASCII format (use of other database programs).
Output
Apart from the database a print file of test results will be made on each new test date. ASCII output per test can be made for statistical analysis (simple SPSS jobs are supplemented). Delimited ASCII output can be generated for import in Paradox or Access.
EEG
Fepsy supports a simultaneous connection with the EEG. You can choose for an option to send output through the serial port or parallel port to get ASCII output (readable text) on one channel of your EEG.
Touch Screen facility
The Recognition Tasks, the CVST and the Corsi Block test are designed for a Touch Screen, but also works with a mouse. Any type of up to date PC will work. Norms have been gathered for different age levels. Fepsy is at this moment in use in 100 Institutes in the Netherlands, and 225 institutes in other countries. The program is available at The Psychology Company.
Automated Testing
The term 'automated testing' applies only to the administration of the tests and the generation of results. In no way an automatic assessment of patients capacities is meant. The interpretation of the test results should be reserved to (neuro)psychologists only. The instructions should be given either by a psychologist or a psychological assistant. The patient should not be left alone during testing so that questions can be answered. Also, the patient can be observed while performing the tests.
History
The original Fepsy (Ferrum + Psyche) was created in 1978 by Bor van Zijl (then Head of the Department of Psychology of Het Instituut voor Epilepsiebestrijding) on Z80 microcomputers. Only questionnaires could be run. In 1983 a neuropsychological battery was made on the Apple-IIe. Being ready in 1986, we only had to find that the Apple IIe was already outdated. A translation was made to the PC under MS-DOS. Much knowledge has been gathered by using the program in research on side-effects of anti-epileptic drugs. This resulted in multi-centered, multinational studies. The program is also standard used in a neurosurgical setting. People who undergo epilepsy surgery for relief of seizures will be tested before and after operation with Fepsy as well as with classical tests. The last DOS release was version 6.8, out december 2003.
