News about Telemedicine

St. Jude Medical to enter European market with remote care network

Source:  eHealth SmartBrief  [ehealth@smartbrief.com]
(published in Healthcare IT News)
24 Apr 2009 |
Bernie Monegain, Editor

ST. PAUL, MN – St. Jude Medical, which focuses on cardiac, neurological and chronic care technology, has received the European CE Mark for its “Merlin.net Patient Care Network”, an Internet-based remote care system that gathers and stores data from implanted cardiac devices.
The European Union has granted CE Mark approval to St. Jude Medical for its” Merlin.net Patient Care Network”, a system designed to collect and store data from patients' implantable heart devices. The company plans to introduce the Web-based remote care system in Europe in the coming months.The CE Mark certifies that a product has met EU consumer safety, health or environmental requirements.
The “Merlin.net Patient Care Network” has been used in clinics and hospitals in the United States since it was released in 2008, St. Jude officials said. It is slated for launch in Europe this spring. "The success of “Merlin.net PCN” in the United States has been built through a combination of tools that offer physicians more control over their patients' device monitoring and features that help their clinics run more efficiently," said Eric S. Fain, MD, president of the St. Jude Medical Cardiac Rhythm Management Division. "We are delighted to now offer these benefits to our customers and to patients in Europe."
The system includes a range of features designed to improve clinic efficiency and enhance patient care by giving physicians better and more immediate access to information. With its open architecture and standards-based interface, “Merlin.net PCN” can be fully integrated with all standard electronic health record systems in hospital or clinic settings.
Until recently, the only way for physicians to check on their patients' devices was for a patient to visit the clinic. Now, information from a patient's implanted device can be transmitted remotely from the patient's home, Fain said.
Patients with compatible devices can use the “Merlin@home” transmitter to send data directly from their devices to Merlin.net PCN..  
Physicians can use Merlin.net PCN to schedule the remote follow-up to take place at night, while the patient is sleeping.
Remote monitoring provides daily checks on the patient's device. If the check reveals an event that may require timely intervention, an alert will be posted on Merlin.net PCN and transmitted to the physician via email, fax or SMS text.
Alert-triggering events are not restricted to device performance, but also include clinical episodes such as a trial tachycardia, a trial fibrillation and ST segment change notifications for remote disease management.
A key feature of Merlin.net PCN is DirectCall Message, an automated calling system that clinic staff can use to call patients with up to four pre-recorded messages in any of approximately 20 languages.
 Implantable cardiac devices are designed to capture and record large volumes of data on device performance and patient heart rhythms vital to patient care.
“Merlin.net PCN” is a secure information network that stores this information for a minimum of seven years, allows data to be viewed over the Internet by select users and sends data directly to a clinic's or hospital's electronic health records system as part of a patient's comprehensive “personal health record”.
With rapid access to patient information through the secure “Merlin.net PCN Web site”, physicians can remotely monitor and assess patient device data to determine their required level of care. Alert notification delivery times can be customized to fit clinic hours, including potential after-hours notifications based on the clinics' preferences.
Headquartered in St. Paul, Minn., St. Jude Medical employs approximately 14,000 people worldwide and has four major focus areas that include: cardiac rhythm management, a trial fibrillation, cardiovascular and neuromodulation.

How Often Do Physicians Go Online for Clinical Information?

From :  iHealthBeat (Califórnia Healthcare Foundation magazine) (http://www.ihealthbeat.org/)
02 Dec 2008

Fifty-eight percent of U.S. physicians surveyed said they go online for clinical information at least two times per day, according to a new Epocrates survey.

Fifteen percent of physicians reported going online for clinical information once per day, while 22% reported going online for clinical information several times a week. Three percent of physicians surveyed said they go online for clinical data weekly, while 2% said they go online for clinical information monthly.

More than three out of four respondents said they go online for clinical information more often now than they did a year ago, according to the survey.

Forty-eight percent of physician respondents said they go online for clinical information most frequently during patient consultations, compared with 37% who said they most frequently look up clinical information between patient visits. Ten percent of doctors said they go online for clinical information after work, while 3% said they find clinical information online during their lunch breaks and 2% said they go online for clinical data before work.

Results are based on a survey of 501 physicians who have used the Epocrates Online product at least three times and have logged on within the past 60 days.

Source: Epocrates, "Epocrates Online Physician User Survey"

CA - Patients manage health at home with TeleHealth Homecare

Source:  CANADA INFO WAY (Federal level)
21 Nov 2008

(Kimberley, BC) - More congestive heart failure patients living in distant places in CANADA, can now use a monitoring system at home to check their condition and send data on their vital signs direct to their care providers.

East Kootenay MLA Bill Bennett, on behalf of Health Services Minister George Abbott, got a first-hand demonstration of the system at work at the home of Mr. Charles Park in Kimberley .

"Patients can check their vital signs to better manage their own care and know that information is also going to their doctor or nurse - I am delighted to see this innovation helping heart patients in the Kootenays," said MLA Bennett. "This practical demonstration in a patient's home shows how Telehealth gives patient's access to a greater role in their own care and more timely delivery of patient care when they need it."

"Telehealth is one way we are breaking down barriers to quality health care for British Columbians regardless of where people live," said Health Services Minister George Abbott. " Telehealth homecare enables faster detection of problems, lets patients self-manage their care and saves travel time for patients and caregivers."

“Interior Health” deployed 40 monitoring units in a pilot in the Cranbrook and Kimberley areas in July 2006 serving 87 patients.  It will add another 20 units so more patients in the East Kootenay can use the system. The monitors are placed in homes for up to three months to learn about how to better manage their congestive heart failure.  After three months the monitor is removed from that patient's home and deployed in another. This program is based on a partnership between the patient, physician and nurse . The patients are given the opportunity to learn how to manage their disease with the help of the care team. The knowledge gives the patients more confidence and freedom. (read more…)

Telemedicine a Cost-Effective Alternative to ER Pediatric Visits

In: SmartBrief (http://www.smartbrief.com/)   
May 2008   
Source: Washington Post - "HealthDay News"

Telemedicine is a cost-effective way to replace more than a quarter of all visits to the pediatric emergency department, according to a community-wide study conducted in New York.  Ailments, such as ear infections or sore throats, that virtually always prove manageable by telemedicine made up almost 28 percent of all pediatric ER visits in Rochester, N.Y., during one year, according to investigators from the University of Rochester Medical Center.  Their findings were presented recently at the 2008 Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting, in Honolulu.

"We learned that more than one in four local patients are using the pediatric emergency department for non-emergencies," lead investigator Dr. Kenneth McConnochie, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Rochester's Golisano Children's Hospital at Strong, said in a prepared statement. "This mismatch of needs and resources is inefficient, costly and impersonal for everyone involved."

McConnochie and his colleagues, who direct a Rochester-based telemedicine program that provides interactive, Internet-based pediatric health-care service to the area, analyzed data for all pediatric visits to the largest emergency department in the city. Based on their experience, they determined at least 12,000 visits were ones they routinely treat with success via telemedicine. 

The other visits were either problems that sometimes are treatable through telemedicine, such as asthma attacks; or ones beyond the scope of the technology, such as a serious wound or injury.  "This would've not only freed up emergency resources to people who needed them more, it would have afforded smaller co-pays for parents and more timely, personalized care," McConnochie said.

In the related research presented at the meeting, McConnochie suggested that telemedicine could also help insurers and the community by providing better quality care at a lower price -- saving insurers more than $14 per child per year in that local community.  The conclusion was reached by studying two groups of children that were almost identical, but one had access to their doctor's office, the emergency department and telemedicine technology for care, while the second had only the first two options.  "We found that the first group of families, which had access to telemedicine for their children, did in fact access care for illness overall nearly 23 percent more often than the second group," McConnochie said.  But since children with telemedicine access had 24 percent fewer ER visits, which cost about seven times the cost of a doctor office or telemedicine visit, the telemedicine group ultimately still cost insurers less per child over a year.

UC Berkeley Researching on Integrating Medical diagnostic devices with Network technologies

Source: Federal Telemedicine News
Date: 13 Feb 2008

The Center for Information Technology in the Interests of Society (CITRIS) at the University of California campuses (Berkeley, Davis, Merced, and Santa Cruz) is involved in health IT research. Studies on exchanging medical records and developing and using IT for telemedicine are ongoing.

John Canny at UC Berkeley and his researchers are working on integrating diagnostic medical devices with network technologies in an "all-in-one device".

A device developed in the current research program monitors EKGs, EMG (back muscle activation), GSR (galvanic skin response—a stress reducer), chest sounds, temperature, and movement.

The researchers want to see the all-in-one device provide longitudinal monitoring for the early warning of more serious conditions. As a Bluetooth device, the goal will be to gather data without network connectivity for daily upload to another Bluetooth device. But at the same time be able to communicate with specific cell phones from Bluetooth for real-time monitoring.

The next step for UC Berkeley is to find partners to explore home and clinical applications for the device by developing data analysis and visualization tools for these applications. The research program is specifically interested in home wellness monitoring, using telemedicine in developing regions, and crisis reporting and analysis.

Online Tools Target Mental Health Care Industry

Source: iHealthBeat News
Date: 18 Jan 2008
by Kate Ackerman , iHealthBeat Associate Editor

Patients with mental health disorders, as well as the mental health professionals who treat them, are increasingly tapping the Internet for resources and support as new online tools begin to better reflect their needs.
Use of the Internet by health care consumers is up as a whole. A Harris Interactive survey found that the percentage of online U.S. adults who searched for health care information online increased from 72% in 2005 to 84% in 2007. For mental health patients and professionals, the Internet has the potential to knock down barriers in receiving and providing care , according to experts.

Mental Health Patients
About 57.7 million U.S. residents, or one in four adults, experience a mental health disorder each year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. However, geographical, financial and cultural barriers keep some mental health patients from receiving the care or support they need.
"These are devastating illnesses," Gloria Pope, director of advocacy and public policy at the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, said, adding, "And the stigma is almost worse than the illness sometimes." The anonymity and accessibility of the Internet make online research attractive to people with mental health disorders, Pope said.

Last month, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance launched a Web site, called FacingUs.org, that offers tools and resources to help patients with depression and bipolar disorder "manage their illness and really to lead a productive life and to work towards recovery," Pope said.
Designed to mirror a clubhouse, the site includes a media room featuring entertainment, videocasts and an artwork gallery, as well as a kitchen where users can record and share wellness tips and advice. In January, the site added a feature that lets users share some of the things they create, such as a journal, with friends and family members. (read more...)

CHCF Expands Project to Prevent Diabetes-Related Blindness through Telemedicine

An innovative project to prevent diabetes-related blindness has proven so successful in California's Central Valley that it is being expanded across the state, with a goal of serving 100 clinics and 100.000 patients, according to the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF), the project's sponsor.

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults and 24.000 diabetics become legally blind each year in the United States. With regular screening, blindness can often be prevented, but half of all patients with diabetes don't get recommended yearly eye exams. The problem is even greater in the Central Valley, with a high incidence of diabetes, shortage of health providers, rural setting, and high numbers of poor and uninsured patients.

CHCF's Better Chronic Disease Care program funded a pilot project that uses telemedicine software developed by the University of California Berkeley School of Optometry, expert consultation, digital retinal cameras, and screenings during regular office visits at 13 Central Valley safety-net and rural clinics. The successful pilot led to a $1.8 million expansion of the project to selected clinics across California.

See the press release with the list of selected clinics and a short video about the program.

Health eCard Initiative supports the first Electronic Prescription launched in Bulgaria

Source: eHealth EC Portal Digest
Date: 09 October 2007

FORWORD from EHTO:  As we have announced before, Bulgaria started in March 2007 to build-up its National eHealth Card.  The rapid progress made by the respomsible team, leads to the very recent launching of E-Prescription as a first application of the Health eCard (distributed by profesionals, patients, pharmacysts) . 

The first electronic prescription in the new EU member state of Bulgaria was issued and dispensed at an event presided over by tfirst electronic prescription he Bulgarian Minister of Health, Professor Radoslav Gajdarski, and the Minister of Public Administration and Administrative Reform, Dr. Nikolay Vassilev. The online transaction officially launched the pilot system for the Bulgarian electronic health card (eCard). The eCard initiative includes seven physicians, four pharmacies and 1,000 patients who are testing the eCard's secure identification and authentication procedures, as well as the issuing and dispensing of electronic prescriptions. The eCard system introduces a secure communications infrastructure that can later be upgraded to access and exchange medical information using personal health records. Dr. Eleonora Popova, the first General Practitioner to use the new system remarks: "The new eCard system significantly reduces our administrative work. The electronic prescriptions are issued very quickly, are always legible and faultless, and thus we have more time to care for our patients." Electronic prescriptions are generated by the system after the diagnosis and the medication are entered by the attending physician. For maximum security and reliability, the physician has to sign the prescription electronically using a health professional card and a PIN.

At the pharmacy, both the pharmacist's and patient's cards are inserted into a card reader. After this simple yet secure authentication procedure, the e-prescription is automatically opened. When the prescribed drug is given to the patient, the pharmacist certifies the dispensation of the medication by simply entering a PIN code.  Diana Dimitrova, owner of the pharmacy that served the first patient with an e-prescription explains: "With the new eCard, we can speed up our service. Currently, we need up to three hours per day to do our reports to the National Health Insurance Fund. With e-prescriptions, this information is generated automatically when the medication is dispensed."

All data is transmitted through a special security device – the ICW Box – developed jointly by the eHealth specialist ICW and Cisco, the world's leading provider of routing and network security solutions. The ICW Box encrypts the information that is then transmitted via a Virtual Private Network (VPN). With ICW providing a special Software Development Kit (SDK), software applications that are already in use in GP's office and at pharmacies can easily be connected to the new eCard system.  "With today's start of the pilot for the national electronic health card, Bulgaria leaps to the fore amongst nations adopting eHealth solutions," says Peter Reuschel, CEO of InterComponentWare (ICW), main contractor of the pilot project.    In the next three months, all 1,000 patients who are included in the project will use their eCard at their GPs and in the pharmacies. During this time the system will be evaluated in order to show how the implementation of the electronic card for all Bulgarian citizens will benefit the healthcare system.

Wi-Fi Network Connects Rural Indian Patients With Eye Specialists

Source:  iHealthBeat  (California Healthcare Foundation)
Date: 5 Oct 2007

Researchers at the University of California-Berkeley and Intel have created a low-cost, long distance Wi-Fi network that onnects 9 remote clinics in India to eye specialists at a hospital via video conferencing, BBC News reports.
The nine vision centers are linked to the Aravind Eye Hospital in Theni, India, and are conducting real-time exams over a direct connection that is 150 times as fast as the dial-up modem that they previously used. The long-distance wireless network, which was installed for $1,800, operates at almost no cost and serves about 2,500 patients per month. 
The team of UC-Berkeley researchers built wireless fixed links between the vision centers and the hospital to provide the high-quality video.

"Ours is a solution tuned to the needs of developing areas; [non-governmental organizations] don't have the resources to implement the more expensive long-distance systems such as Wimax," Sonesh Sorena, one of the PhD students working on the project, said. The network is expected to expand to include 5 hospitals within the Aravind Eye System Care that will be linked to 50 clinics. The clinics are expected to serve 50,000 patients in rural south India annually (Jimenez, BBC News , 10/5).

Extreme market thrills – Kiwok starts up in India
(Press Release)

Date: 25 September 2007

The Swedish medtech company Kiwok – with its health care service BodyKom Series ECG for mobile distribution of patients ECG – will now start up in India. The Partner is SRS Globalsoft ; an Indian international consulting company engaged in ICT project management with a focus on global life sciences and telecommunication industries.

To service SAARC (The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka; Kiwok AB and SRS Globalsoft will incorporate a joint venture company in India and raise international equity capital to partially fund the venture. To start this process, Kiwok has applied for financial support from ALMI and the Swedish Export Credits Guarantee Board. SRS Globalsoft has also acquired minority stakes in Kiwok AB. (Read more...)

A new Telemedicine product : "eHealthopinion"

Medisoft Telemedicine Pvt Ltd is focused on technologies that are beginning to revolutionize conventional healthcare model. We announce launching of www.ehealthopinion.com . "eHealthopinion" is a classic web 2.0 application. It provides the platform to connect Patient, Referring doctor and Expert doctor.

Using eHealthopinion application patient or referring doctor can able to prepare case profile and send it to the expert for diagnosis, treatment, second opinion or follow up . We wish to create a network of doctors and patients throughout the globe breaking down barriers of time and space. Our application for patient and preliminary version for doctor is free. Do visit www.ehealthopinion.com for more information on eHealthopinion.

Also visit our corporate site www.medisofttelemedicine.com . We will be glad to answer any query you may have, please forward it on info@ehealthopinion.com .   

Sincerely,
Devendra Patel
Director

Medisoft Telemedicine Pvt. Ltd.
E/5, Akash Complex, Gulab Tower Road,
Thaltej, Ahmedabad – 380061.
INDIA.  
Fax: +91.79.40054098
deven@medisofttelemedicine.com
deven@ehealthopinion.com

BodyKom - Remote Care for heart patients improves quality of care and saves money! (Kiwok-SE)

Kiwok, a Swedish company founded in 2003, develops service products that are based on a need for real time information as part of the product. In order to make the service product readily accessible, the business model is to sell a complete service at a fixed monthly charge.

Kiwok has created a solution as a service – BodyKom Series TM to collect diagnosis data from individuals that then with the aid of modern technology, forwards the data to an existing database at a hospital, clinic or company care centre. This out of hospital care solution means patients can be offered a new form of care outside hospital but with the same security as an inpatient.

The BodyKom Series works anywhere in the world and there is a massive need for it – over 100 million users in the industrialised world. The solution is designed to gather diagnosis data for the most commonly occurring illnesses such as heart failure, diabetes and changes in blood pressure. The care procedures for all these are the same the world over – a global de facto standard. The solution is based on verified technology.

Telemedicine for Offshore Oil Platform in India

FROM:  Jai Ganesh, MSc, MBA.,
(Project Coordinator, Enterprise Healthcare Information systems)
Date: 30 May 2007

The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), one of the India's largest producers of Crude Oil, Natural Gas and LPG has launched a pilot  telemedicine project (christened Sagar Space Chikitsa) from it's SLQ platform in Mumbai Offshore to Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai.
It is expected to provide instant as well as critical healthcare (emergency medical response) to over 2500 personnel stationed at 24 rigs and production platforms of ONGC. After the pilot phase, project is expected to be rolled out at all installations having living accommodation at ONGC Mumbai offshore.
More information on the project is available at the press release from ONGC.

A.U.Jai Ganesh, MSc, MBA., au_jaiganesh@rediffmail.com
Project Coordinator, Enterprise Healthcare Information systems,
Prashanthi Nilayam.
India. 

First Health Card Connector

Source: MEDICA.de ( www.medica.de )
Date: 9 May, 2007

(Walldorf/Berlin) – The operation company for the introduction of the electronic health card in Germany received the first connector for licensing pursuant to the current specification 1.0 today: eHealth specialist InterComponentWare AG (ICW) and network equipper Cisco submitted their jointly developed health card connector "Cisco Healthcare Router" to gematik for provisional licensing.

With grant of the provisional license by gematik, the Cisco Healthcare Router can now be applied in all German electronic health card test regions. The rollout for connectors with the current 1.0 specification in offline mode is planned for June. This connector version now allows the use of modern Secure Interoperable Chipcard Terminals (SICCT) for the first time. These terminals are also provided for application with the final version of the health card. Presently, the test regions Saxony and Schleswig Holstein still use MKT+ card readers, which are directly connected to the physicians' PCs without a connector. Together with this connector, the new terminals provide a clearly higher degree of data integrity. (read more....)

Telemedicine: European Cooperation with Sub-Saharan Africa through a Satellite Link

Date: 4th April 2007
Source: TIE's News     ( http://tie.telemed.org/ )
(From: Medical News Today)

A European telemedicine task force has proposed using satellite technology to deliver health information and communication services to sub-Saharan Africa.Three specific activities were proposed by the task force that met recently in Botswana : increasing that area's health workforce, increasing the number of available clinical services and a third aimed at strengthening the intelligence gathering capacity of the area's health systems.

These demonstration projects will be used to inform and to help develop a framework for extending eHealth, which should be considered as part of the European Union Strategy for Africa commitment to utilize Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to enhance interconnectivity in Africa . The potential of this greater interconnectivity, which will be supported under the tenth European Development Fund (EDF), to extend the reach of health and health services will be tested and demonstrated through these proposed projects. (more...)

Telemedicine Project To Link Rwanda Hospitals

Source: iHealthBeat  (California Healthcare Foundation) ( www.ihealthbeat.org/ )
(By: Gahigana, in "AllAfrica.com")
Date: 6 March 2007

Rwanda's Ministry of Health has launched a telemedicine project that is intended to expand access to medical services to areas with limited health resources , AllAfrica.com reports.

The telemedicine service is now available at King Faisal, Kigali Central and Butare University hospitals, but the project will expand nationwide. The project has been in the works since 2003, but the time needed to train users caused delays.

"The government has provided a useful tool to expand the quality of medical services regardless of geographical access," Innocent Nyaruhirira, minister of state for health, said, adding, "It is now the duty of all institutions and service providers to make use of facilities offered by online high-tech device in order to make e-medicine efficient and sustainable."

Moustapha Soumare, a representative of the United Nations Development Program to Rwanda, said the services could transform the health sector by connecting universities in Rwanda to institutions worldwide, AllAfrica.com reports. He pledged UNDP's support of the telemedicine project ( AllAfrica.com , 3/5).

Source: iHealthBeat News (www.ihealthbeat.org)
Date: November, 2006

Nursing & Home Care in Wilton, Connecticut, has placed 17 telehealth video units in the homes of patients with conditions such as high blood pressure, respiratory illness and chronic pulmonary disease, the Stamford Advocate reports.
The program was launched in 2003 with a $45,000 grant from the New Canaan Community Foundation and Pitney Bowes, a provider of messaging management equipment. Nursing & Home Care has four nurses who specialize in the system, one of whom is a full-time employee, and provides telehealth consultations. The nurses visit patient homes once per week, the Advocate reports.
Sharon Bradley, executive director of Nursing & Home Care, said the technology is useful because serious health problems are detected early by nurses, which often eliminates trips to the emergency department. Bradley said patients "are less anxious about their medical conditions because they know they can get a nurse very quickly" (Damast, Stamford Advocate, 11/13).

Pediatric Dentists are Starting to Use Electronic Records and Digital Photos

Published by "Bloch Consulting Group" (cb@cbloch.com)
In: Federal Telemedicine NEWS
Date: 13 Nov 2006

Dentists are no longer using paper and x-ray film at the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic at Oregon Health and Science University (OSHU). The Clinic now uses a fully electronic system that can be easily accessed with a computer located at every dental chair.

The electronic record system is faster to use, can be used by more than one person at a time, and pediatric dentistry residents and dental students use the electronic record while training. The system monitors patients and has safety features that alert dentists and students to critical information.

Dental researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center are using digital photography with the internet to screen for Early Childhood Cavities (ECC) that affect inner city children under the age of four. Many of the cavities that occur in children are due to exposure to juices with sugar, and a recent study showed that 40% in a group of 162 toddlers were suffering from ECC. A health assistant in a child care center can now take digital photos of the children’s teeth, and send the photos electronically to pediatric dentists, and then have the dentists review the photos to identify the children with ECC.

The Health-e-Access infrastructure is conducting a pilot program where assistants take photographs of the children’s mouths, and then send the photos electronically to the Eastman Dental Center to be reviewed by pediatric dentists. The pilot program shows that health assistants can be trained to take accurate photos of teeth and the images sent were clear enough to diagnose cavities. Sometimes the quality of the images was so good that it was possible to spot decay that was not yet visible to the human eye.

"Handbook of Research on Distributed Medical Informatics and E-Health"

Editors: Athina A. Lazakidou, Ph.D and Konstantinos M. Siassiakos, Ph.D, University of Piraeus, Greece

CALL FOR CHAPTERS

Coverage: The Handbook of Research on Distributed Medical Informatics and E-Health will provide a compendium of terms, definitions and explanations of concepts, processes and acronyms. Additionally, this volume will feature chapters (5,000-7,500 words) authored by leading experts offering an in-depth description of key terms and concepts related to different areas, issues and trends in various areas of Distributed Medical Informatics, E-Health and M-Health.

To access the BOOK Structure: click here

We advise you also to visit the following web site:
http://freenet-homepage.de/lazakid/handbook/

Many Thanks,
Athina Lazakidou & Konstantinos Siassiakos
[Editors]

Robots in Australian Childrens' Hospitals Aid Telemedicine

Source: California Healthcare Foundation (www.ihealthbeat.org)
Date: 2nd October 2006

The University of Queensland's Center for Online Health in Australia has developed robots that connect patients, physicians and other specialists through video teleconferencing, the "Brisbane Courier Mail" reports.
The mobility of the robots enables video-conferencing consultations among patients, resident physicians and specialists thousands of miles away. A video monitor and camera within the robots capture and send images between Brisbane and local Queensland hospitals, the Courier Mail reports.
Two of the robots are extensions of the telepediatric services in the children's wards of Gladstone Hospital and Mount Isa Hospital, and a third robot will be deployed at Brisbane's Royal Children's Hospital, the Courier Mail reports.
The robots were developed with funding from the mining company Xstrata via the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation (Condren, Brisbane Courier Mail, 9/30).Robot Facilitates Telemedicine in Canada (read more...)

SCOTLAND: Video link revolution for Scots patients

In “The HERALD” – Glasgow

Reproduced with kind permission from The Herald (Glasgow); © Newsquest Media Group

HELEN PUTTICK, Health Correspondent

October 20 2006

Patients could be diagnosed by video conference in hospitals across Scotland under a drive to boost the use of technology in the NHS.

A National Centre for Telehealth is being launched next week and will develop a Scotland-wide strategy for exploiting IT to look after people from a distance.

The potential to provide some specialist medical cover across the entire country from one centre at night, with consultants examining patients by video phone, is among the possibilities.

A pilot in Grampian has already seen patients with neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis being diagnosed by a consultant in Northern Ireland.

New Jersey Health System Uses Teleneurology in Stroke Treatment

Source: iHealthBeat (California HCare Foundation)
Date: 18 July 2006

Virtua Health has launched a telemedicine program to aid the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at emergency departments at its four hospitals, the Burlington County Times reports.

Virtua Health has partnered with Brain Saving Technologies to implement teleneurology technology in its hospitals. The technology lets neurologists remotely view in real-time CAT scan results of stroke patients admitted to a Virtua ED. Neurologists also can use the technology to communicate with physicians, patients and their families.

The teleneurology technology currently is available eight hours a day, but, in the coming months, it will be available 24 hours a day, said Dr. Mitchell Rubin, medical director of the Neurosciences Program of Excellence at Virtua Health .

US-Tele-Transfer Of Digital Images Speed Eye Exams for Diabetics

Source: TELEHEALTH@LISTSERV
By:     Bob Pyke bob.pykejr@gmail.com
Date:  6April 2006  

Diabetic eye disease (retinopathy), a leading cause of blindness among adults, can be prevented with regular eye examinations by a retinal specialist, according to the February 2006 issue of Telemedicine and e-Health. The use of digital technology and the transfer of exam results over a telecommunications network can allow trained technicians to perform these sight-saving exams in a primary care setting, overcoming the critical problem of lack of access to an eye specialist.  (more)

The pilot scheme involved 31 participants and used equipment from Tunstall, the market leading provider of telehealth solutions. The scheme has successfully improved the quality of life for patients with long term conditions and has freed up valuable NHS resources, resulting in 133 hospital days and 117 nursing hours saved to date, in addition to cost and time savings for GPs, practice and community nurses. (more)

ECG Telemedicine link for Air India
Source: Bob Pyke (TELEHEALTH@LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG (US))
Date: 22 Jan 2006

The telemedicine link between Air India facilities (Airport, Nariman Point and the Air India clinic) at Mumbai and Narayana Hrudayalaya, in Bangalore was launched on Saturday by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel and chairman, Narayana Hrudayalaya Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty. 

If an Air India passenger, staff or crew develop chest pain or other symptoms of possible heart trouble, he/she can be immediately checked and referred without delay to cardiologists at Narayana Hrudayalaya. 

Read more at http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/22/stories/2006012220240300.htm

Afghan doctors get telemedicine lessons in India Source
Date: November 2005
Source : The Hindu (INDIA NATIONAL's NEWSPAPER)  
Other related contact :  http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/117782/1/1893

Ambulances May Get Virtual Doctors

Source: www.eweek.com
December 30, 2004
By Charles Sheehan, AP Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) Researchers are developing technology for ambulances to improve communications and perhaps more importantly, place virtual doctors inside in transit.
Mountains, valleys, bad weather and long distances between hospitals make communication with emergency room physicians spotty at best and nonexistent at worst.

"It always seems to happen when we've got a critical patient and you've really got to talk to a doctor,'' said Jim Effinger, a paramedic with 23 years experience in rural Pennsylvania.

The U.S. Office of Naval Research is funding research for the First Responder Emergency Communications-Mobile with hopes to one day apply it to the battlefield.

The FREC-M uses an international maritime satellite and varying frequencies to bridge communication gaps. It has multiple cameras inside and outside a standard ambulance, which looks like any other, save for several satellite and GPS domes on top.

Aboard the FREC-M, a patient's vital signs and other data are beamed in real-time to the closest trauma center, where doctors can not only instruct paramedics in the field, but also prep a room to treat the critically injured once they arrive.

A single FREC-M costs about $250,000, more than three times the cost of an average ambulance. Mike Shanafelt, a senior adviser on the project, acknowledges that ambulance companies and hospitals are not likely to commit until it is proven in the field.

Liguria-Trento Transplant Network (LTTN)

We are pleased to inform you that the health research project Liguria-Trento Transplant Network (LTTN) has just been completed. The LTTN Project was funded by the Italian Ministry of Health during the years 2000-2002 with the aim to realize a macroregional informative system in the field of solid organ transplantation. The main objective of the LTTN Project was to support cadaveric donor management, solid organ procurement, transplantation surgery and patient/graft follow-up. (more)

Med-e-Tel: Telemedicine & eHealth Directory (2004)

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU), supporting partner of the Med-e-Tel exhibition and conference, and Med-e-Tel are preparing the second edition of the Telemedicine & eHealth Directory (2004) which will incorporate an updated list of manufacturers and suppliers of telemedicine, telecare and ehealth related products, services and projects. (more)

High-tech Heart Simulation

Simantha, a heart attack patient, lies on her back on the exam table, waiting for the hovering cardiologists to go to work.

"My left arm hurts," she says. "I feel sick."

Drs. John Carroll and Mark Reisman check the patient's vital signs and consider whether she needs an angioplasty or a stent implant.

Angioplasties involve threading a thin balloon-tipped catheter into clogged arteries and inflating the balloon to clear a blockage. Doctors frequently insert a mesh tube called a stent to keep the arteries propped open. (more)

The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth has reorganized

The Office for the Advancement of Telehealth has reorganized. OAT will coordinate telehealth programs and policies, develop telehealth initiatives, administer grant programs, assess new telehealth technologies, disseminate the latest information and research findings, and work with other Federal, state, and private sector organizations to overcome barriers to
provide cost effective telehealth programs.

For more information, the notice appeared in the December 6, 2001 Federal Register.

First Pilot Project Automated Prescription Drug Dispenser Unveiled

According to the Associated Press, InstyMeds is the first automated prescription drug dispenser to be used in a doctor's office. So far InstyMeds is a pilot project, but Minnesota pharmacy regulators just approved its use anywhere in the state. Now the inventor, Dr. Ken Rosenblum, plans to place the dispensers in doctor's offices and emergency rooms around the country.

Many hospitals now use bar coded drug stocks for inpatients to ensure that they get the right drug. About 4% of doctors use Palm Pilots for electronic prescription pads, eliminating the handwriting problem and allowing a quick records check to ensure that a new prescription won't interact dangerously with a patient's current drugs. InstyMeds combines these computerized safety systems to let patients buy their prescriptions at the touch of a few buttons.

More details on the InstyMeds system at: http://www.federaltelemedicine.com/n121001.htm

Indian Firm to Diversify into Telemedicine Services

According to the Indo-Asian News Service, the partnership between Manipal group, based in India's Karnataka state, and technology services provider Hindustan Technologies will provide distance education in more than 100 centers across the country. This joint venture has plans to diversify into telemedicial services in India and the Southeast Asian region.

The distance education program now has 15,000 students, including 500 in Jammu and Kashmir that are taking interactive degree courses in information technology. Plans are to open 150 more centers in India and expand the distance education and telemedicine network to Indonesia, China, Nepal and Bangladesh by the end of 2002.
The Manipal group is involved in medical education and runs hospitals in Mangalore and Manipal in Karnataka and in Nepal, Sikkim, and Malaysia. Skysat-Hindustan Technologies will link up Manipal's medical campuses to form India's first Telemedicine system.

National Cancer Institute's Informatics Progress and Future Plans

NCI has implemented several informatics initiatives such as:

• Establishing the NCI's Center for Bioinformatics in 2001 to provide standardized bioinformatics support and integration of research initiatives
• Establishing the new clinical trials infrastructure to increase information sharing among many clinical trials and other research efforts
• Establishing the Cancer Genome Anatomy Project that integrates cancer genetics information not available elsewhere
• Establishing the Mouse Models of Human Cancer Consortium informatics efforts to provide critical information and tools to researchers.
• Establishing a web based clinical trials information system that is called Net-Trials

More information (including 2003 Funding Objectives) is at: http://www.federaltelemedicine.com/n121001.htm

New Point and Click Software Developed at Penn State Enhancing Patient Care

• Read the full article here

ArticHealth Web Site for POLAR REGIONS

• Read the full article here

New Technology Allows Hospital to Communicate with the Deaf

• Read the full article here

New Faster Digital X-Ray System In Use in Australia

• Read the full article here

CyberCare System Reaches to Rural Home Healthcare Agencies

• Read the full article here

Telehealth Pilot Launched (Home Care)

"Care Health Services" has begun a pilot telehealth project involving 140 homecare patients in Halifax and Moncton. The project uses broadband IP services from Aliant and equipment provided by March Networks. CANARIE is providing additional funding, and the Health Telematics Unit of the University of Calgary will evaluate the results. (source: CANARIE)

In-Flight Emergencies

• Read the full article here

Latest Headlines from TIE (Telemedicine Information Exchange)

• New Telemedicine Report
• Military Telemedicine News
• Telemedicine Articles Around the World

Med-Tel Technology Links Rural Patients With Specialists

• Read the full article here

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

• Technology Assessment Report, nr. 24 - Telemedicine for the Medicare Population

Global Intelligence: Business Intelligence Report

• "Hospital Information and Data Management Systems"

Telemedicine in the 21st Century

• Opportunities for Citizens, Society and Industry

The Skinny on Teleradiology

• Article from Healthcare Informatics Online Aug 2000

• Article Courtesy of ADVANCE

•  Click here to view the powerpoint presentation courtesy of the Centre for Law Ethics and Risk in Telemedicine in Wales (to download right-click over the link and choose either "save target as" or "save link as" depending on which browser you use)

New Telemammography Project

• Read the article here.