More than 50 million Americans live in rural areas, and many have limited access to health care. For someone living far from an urban area, local specialty care for complex health issues is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. For years, telemedicine programs across the country have connected rural patients to specialists in urban settings. Now, a study by University of Missouri School of…
What doesn't kill you could cure you. A growing interest in the therapeutic value of animal venom has led a pair of Columbia University data scientists to create the first catalog of known animal toxins and their physiological effects on humans.
As part of the MEDICA 2015, the world’s largest medical trade fair with almost 5,000 exhibitors from 70 nations, the “MEDICA App COMPETITION” for the best medical app has been held live for the fourth time already.
Telemedicine is taking strides throughout Europe. While in Germany telemedicine projects appear to be off to a slow start (see the electronic health card), in other countries progress is going full throttle. In September, at the German-Dutch symposium ‘Using optimisation potential: Telemedicine and procurement management’ a number of Dutch approaches were presented. Report: Sylvia Schulz
Although there are many telemedically supported care concepts in Germany, most are still model projects. So far, only a minority has become part of nationwide, standard medical care. Methodically solid and thoroughly published evaluations can help to make the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of telemedicine applications more transparent for decision makers. With their recently developed…
For years discussions have been rife regarding the economic efficiency and efficiency of information and communication technology. In Germany the need is to catch up with the interoperability of technical standards and cross-industry approaches. Report: Anja Behringer
While Swatch and Rolex count the hours until their smart watches overwhelm the time market, medical informatics researchers have already been working on solutions to improve healthcare. Some demonstrated their work on a medication reminder application during the Medical Informatics Europe conference in Madrid. Report: Mélisande Rouger
Systems medicine – the interdisciplinary field incorporating biochemical, physiological and environmental interactions in the study of human body systems as part of an integrated whole – draws heavily on the technological advances in information technology (IT). New ways to use data impact on healthcare and society, says Professor Dr Heyo Kroemer, Dean of the Medical School, Georg August…
It’s a race against the clock; every hour counts in efforts to halt the spread of a disease, but identifying anyone with whom the infected patient has had contact is time-consuming, with Contact Officers generally collecting data on paper. Now, however, scientists from the Nigerian Field Epidemiology Laboratory & Training Programme, the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, the Hasso…
Systems biology allows the mathematical visualisation through graphs and networks of complex body processes such as disease development. The aim is to improve understanding processes and triggers of diseases, so as to access and repair a damaged network. ‘We are still approaching this issue with a lot of naivety and underestimate the complexity of biological systems, and therefore of…
Approximately 16 million American adults are affected by depression. However, many patients see a psychiatrist only once every two to three months. Recognizing that patients often forget how their moods vary between visits, a team from the University of Missouri, Missouri University of Science and Technology and the Tiger Institute for Health Innovation has developed a smartphone application that…
Medical research and art sometimes meet at their finest: experts from the Fraunhofer Institute for Medical Image Computing MEVIS in Bremen produced a three-dimensional movie, showing the human heart in full action. The organ beats and pumps, and special techniques visualize the dynamic flow of blood in the vessels. The sequence is part of a new interactive three-dimensional experience to be…
A 'brain training' iPad game developed and tested by researchers at the University of Cambridge may improve the memory of patients with schizophrenia, helping them in their daily lives at work and living independently, according to research published today.
University Hospital Utrecht (UMCU) in the Netherlands has invested in a solution from Sectra for storing, viewing and sharing digital pathology images. The solution enables pathologists to review cases for primary diagnostics digitally. This new opportunity significantly increases workflow efficiency and offers enhanced collaboration between pathologists and radiologists at the hospital enabling…
Connected health infrastructure is emerging as a binding agent for diverse devices and workflows, aiding diagnosis, monitoring and prevention in the healthcare industry. For such an infrastructure to be efficient, stakeholders must first ensure that interoperability and connectivity standards are in place.
As part of the Med-e-Tel event, taking place this month in Luxembourg, we would like to invite you to discover SATMED, the medical extension of the disaster recovery platform Emergency.lu, designed by SES Techcom Services.
Health apps have the potential to make a broad impact on the health of the general population, argues one expert in The BMJ this week. But another explains that there is not enough evidence to support such claims and suggests that health apps may even be harmful.
Healthcare professionals looking at leveraging data to improve patient outcomes, as well as navigating tricky issues such as cybersecurity and patient engagement, will have plenty of information at their fingertips at HIMSS 2015, which takes place from April 12 to 16 in Chicago. Report: Lisa Chamoff
Nine out of 10 hospitals in western Europe have a fully operational picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) to manage and exchange medical images. The integration has become so routine that now other physicians are asking why they can not as easily share with others the images they generate with non-radiology devices. Report: John Brosky
The ageing of society needs new, more cost-effective solutions to improve the life quality of patients and cut the burden that is placed on the social welfare system. In modern western societies the fitting of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) is growing rapidly.
Oculus Rift, a gaming headset, can help teach nurses how to communicate better, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have found.
Fluke Biomedical released Ansur 3.0, the largest update to its test automation software platform to date. Ansur 3.0 provides new login features, customization options and reporting choices to customers than ever before.
The 13th edition of Med-e-Tel, the International Telemedicine and eHealth Forum, will take place on 22-24 April 2015 at the Luxexpo Exhibition and Congress Center in Luxembourg.
The joint European Forum for Good Clinical Practice (EFGCP) and MedTech Europe Working Party announced today the launch of its Workshop Report and resulting “Roadmap for Medical Device Development in Europe.” This initiative is aimed at answering the question, "what constitutes - ‘high quality’ of clinical evidence for medical technology," in particular from an ethical, patient,…
The appetite for mobile information technology (IT) seems insatiable. Boosted by the sales of the iPhone 6 Plus, Apple generated a record $18 billion profit in 2015’s first quarter alone. Social media use is exploding, and dedicated professional platforms, such as Figure 1, a sort of Instagram for doctors, increasingly emerge. These changes are affecting our daily lives, and this is also true…