Team unification and good timing to improve hospital processes
Hospitals are complex systems and optimising processes in such systems is a truly challenging task.
The chronic lack of donor organs
4,500 scientists, transplant teams and related social groups from 94 countries gathered in Berlin for the International Congress of the Transplant Society.
The Spanish Model
The worldwide scarcity of organ donations inevitably draws attention to the so-called Spanish model.
Earthquake recovery
Italy’s Emilia Romana, a core area for the biomedical devices industry, has reportedly suffered 40 earthquakes in the past year, the biggest and most recent of about 6-magnitude, Brigitte Dinkloh repors
France: Almost 30% of medical acts are unjustified
A recent poll of more than 800 hospitals and private doctors reveals that only 72% of medical acts are fully justified. In conclusion 30% of all medical acts in France are unjustified and it also shows that most of the practitioners are willing to open a debate on this matter.
Battling against hospital acquired infections
Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are among the most common complications during a hospital and care home stay in the West (although they also occur in developing countries, with even an assumed higher incidence), causing enormous strain for those affected as well as high follow-on costs for healthcare systems.
MBAs versus MDs
Are physicians poor managers? Do trained managers kill humanity? EH sought answers from Dr Markus Schwarz from the international executive search consultancy Egon Zehnder. Report: Michael Krassnitzer
Hospital Pharmacists will meet in Paris
The European Association of Hospital Pharmacists (EAHP) announced that online registration for its annual congress to take place next year from 13-15 March 2013 in Palais des Congrès, Paris, France is open. This congress’ theme is “Improving patient outcomes – a shared responsibility”.
Carestream Health Sponsors Industry Discussion On Cloud Computing in Italy
As part of the recent annual Heathcare Summit organised by Sole 24 ORE in Milan, Italy, Carestream Health sponsored a round table discussion on cloud computing. The Summit is an established event in Italy and is attended by Government and regional officials and companies contracted by the Italian Ministry of Health. Carestream is one of the world’s leading providers of cloud infrastructure,…
Cloud computing
The storage and retrieval of an ever increasing volume of imaging data is raising hospital IT managers’ interest in sharing computing resources via the Internet, thus saving on storage space, hardware and software costs and concerns over data security. Mark Nicholls spoke with Saskia Groeneveld, Carestream’s Regional Marketing Manager (Healthcare Information Solutions), about the company’s…
MRSA cases doubled in five years
Infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) doubled at academic medical centers in the U.S. between 2003 and 2008, according to a report published in the August issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
The new Alder Hey Children’s Hospital
Britain’s many new hospitals are more than brave architectural statements – they consistently win awards, inspire others and, above all, improve life for all who use them. Now another stunning creation is about to rise. Despite beginning life as a workhouse for the poor, and having to grow in bleak, outdated buildings, in its near 100- year history Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool…
EU healthy life expectancy
The European Joint Action on Healthy Life Years (EHLEIS) project, led by France and coordinated by the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), has produced some interesting statistics. EH Paris correspondent Annick Chappoy reports
Medical Transcription and Health Information Security
In July 2011 the Defense Department of the United States lost approximately 24,000 sensitive Pentagon files in a large-scale cyber attack. If you know anything about the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), you know that it is arguably one of the highest-priority sectors of the American government. Report: Abigale Washford
Targeting several tumours simultaneously
]‘We are very pleased to be able to offer our patients top quality and, most importantly, very precise radiotherapy,’ said Professor Wolfgang Mohnike, Medical Director of the Diagnostic and Therapeutic Centre (DTZ) in Berlin – one of the leading outpatient cancer centres in the city. The newly equipped Radiotherapy Centre at the DTZ was inaugurated at the beginning of June and the new…
No to Acta, yes to the right to health
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Anand Grover, praised the European Parliament’s rejection of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) on July 4 as a step in the right direction to ensure continued access to affordable and essential drugs and medication essential for the fulfillment of the right to health
Present and future clinical laboratory management systems
Exit the monoliths, enter diversity -IT for labs is continuously progressing; solutions in the European market are becoming ever more complex and richer in functionality – all occurring in parallel with consolidation of equipment suites.
Centre Hospitalier de Rambouillet
Copper and its alloys reduce the rate of nosocomial infections in hospitals by 40%, according to an American study led by Michael Schmidt (University of South Carolina). For the first time in France, one hospital near Paris chose to bet on the antibacterial quality of copper on commonly touched items to lower risks of HAIs, which annually claim 3,500 lives in the country – comparable to the…
The first International Centre of Excellence in Infection Prevention
Hospital infection control specialists from across Europe, the Middle East and Africa are travelling to Liverpool to learn how an English hospital Trust has become a world leader in infection prevention and control, Mark Nicholls reports
The contact killer
Bacteria, viruses and fungi are killed on copper surfaces within seconds. This powerful germicidal effect, termed ‘contact killing’, is increasingly noted by hospitals due to several recent studies that confirm its antimicrobial effects.
There’s no meteoric rise to the clouds for medical images
For technology suppliers the potential return on investment in medical images storage via cloud computing will not be lightning fast, market analyst for healthcare IT Theo Ahadome told EH correspondent Michael Reiter
More pizazz in the laboratory market
In a market dominated by consolidations and falling prices, aiming to double turnover within three years requires either possession of the Philosopher’s Stone or extremely large amounts of creativity, entrepreneurial spirit and boldness. Diagnostics expert Unilabs, headquartered in Switzerland, belongs to the latter category.
Perspectives on healthcare inequality
For some, ‘life’s a bitch’ with unfairness and suffering an integral part of it. Many more people actually do not expect any better than the barrenness and misery in which they live, EH Malta Correspondent Moira Mizzi reflects.