Treating alcohol-related conditions cost the NHS approximately £2.7 billion in 2006/07, almost double the 2001 cost. This new NHS Confederation briefing, produced with the Royal College of Physicians, outlines the extent of the problem and gives examples of where the NHS is managing problem drinkers effectively and efficiently.
EU legislation could have a huge impact on medical imaging and healthcare, and the European Society of Radiology (ESR) is playing a key role in safeguarding radiologists and patients' interests. By closely monitoring EU affairs and establishing contacts with relevant institutions, as well as consulting and public affairs agencies, the ESR tries to draw the attention of relevant stakeholders and…
The closing event of the two-year Value+ project called for enhanced political commitment on patient involvement both at policy and project level. Meaningful involvement of patients enhances project results so that the project’s learnings can contribute more effectively to patient-centred, equitable healthcare throughout the EU.
Quality counts. That's the theme of RSNA 2009, the global annual assembly of radiologists, medical physicists, diagnostic imaging clinical and IT professionals, and more than 700 companies that provide products and services. For six days, over 200 scientific sessions with more than 1,500 presentations, 1,500 educational exhibits, and more than 500 posters, many interactive, can be attended and…
The Tenth Annual European interoperability testing event, known as the IHE Connectathon, will be held in Bordeaux, France from April 12th to 16th, 2010 at the Cité Mondiale, a conference center located in the heart of the city on the banks of the Garonne river.
At the RSNA 2009, the congress of the Radiological Society of North America, Siemens Healthcare presents "Healthcare Lighting", a concept for lighting design in medical facilities, aimed at creating a friendly and colorful environment instead of the common bland hospital atmosphere. Practical experience to date shows that many patients feel more comfortable and are more relaxed when the…
The specialists from hospitals and doctors’ surgeries obviously did not want to miss out on the 40th anniversary of MEDICA. Over the four days of the event this, the world’s largest medical trade fair (from 18 to 21 November 2009), registered almost 138,000 trade visitors from over 100 countries (previous year: 137,000 visitors). 45% of visitors came from abroad (2008: 42%), a particularly…
The half century old Japanese firm Saraya remains a leading name for state-of-the-art hygiene products. At Medica the company is demonstrating the UD 1000 sensor dispenser for disinfectant. Global sales figures for this model speak for themselves - 200,000.
Dell announced a Mobile Clinical Computing (MCC) solution that addresses the unique challenges of hospitals when balancing the need to make patient information available to medical staff at the point of care and securing the information in the data centre to promote compliance with stricter compliance and patient data confidentiality regulations.
If the level of participation at a trade show is taken as an indication of the development of that country's industry, then we have to admit, with great sadness, that Russia can not be very proud of the number of exhibitors at Medica 2009. Yet Russian entrepreneurs are hardy and optimistic because they have a growing confidence of winning a greater share of the international market.
Long transports, ramps, slopes and heavy patients can all increase the risk of back and shoulder injuries to caregivers. The global company Stryker, among the world´s top 12 medical devices manufacturers, produces a huge range of orthopaedics products, including implants, powered surgical tools and operating theatre equipment, as well as products for other healthcare specialties, including…
The Sykehuset Telemark HF hospital (STHF) in Norway reports that it has been saving 900,000 euros a year on transcription costs since implementing Nuance SpeechMagic within its EMR system. The hospital, which also reports that it exceeds the nations´s target regarding the availability of medical reports, has released a study that shows all of this has been achieved in parallel with an…
Don’t forget – Friday will be an important day for discussions on cross-border healthcare, travel medicine and growing liaisons with India, all subjects highlighted in special sessions at Medica Media.
iSOFT, one of the largest specialist healthcare IT providers in the world, is rebranding its product series RadCentre, LabCentre and iSOFT Collaboration Suite.
At this year’s two-day HealthCare Summit, held in Berlin, 58 representatives of hospitals and healthcare facilities, IT specialists and consultants discussed financing, market orientation, IT solutions and telematics.
The healthcare sector has been surprisingly slow in adopting information technology when compared to other industry sectors. In the United States, health information technology (HIT) is now being considered by many involved in the re-organisation and improvement of the quality of healthcare as a powerful tool with the dual potential to save lives and reduce healthcare costs.
The Hospital IT Network, an online platform for vendors and buyers of hospital IT products and services, is progressing in its aim to create more transparency in the hospital IT market. The platform provides a European Vendor Directory showing company profiles, up-to-date market data and daily e-health news. It thus provides a unique tool for hospital IT vendors and buyers, such as CEOs and IT…
Every November the exhibition centre in Düsseldorf becomes a beehive of activity for four days, when 17 halls are transformed into the biggest market for medical technology worldwide. The figures speak for themselves: more than 4,300 exhibitors – including the smallest newcomers to the global giants – cover almost 120,000 square metres where they will face thousands among the 136,000…
The use of IT in Russian medical institutions is still low, partly due to poor funding but also to a lack of understanding among managers of its potential. Most physicians consider treatment is their duty – not IT. They prefer to use special software only for accounting and staffing policy.
Bettina Döbereiner reports on theories, policy strategies and current projects aired in the Berlin conference Reducing Health Inequalities. What do we really know about successful strategies?
Throughout the world, every day, thousands of hospital patients are victims of identification breakdowns and errors that resulted or could have resulted in far greater health problems for them and other outcomes for hospitals.
With an expected 450+ exhibitors from the United States of America and Canada, North America will offer one of the leading foreign contingents of exhibitors represented at MEDICA 2009 - making it the strongest medical industry trade fair beyond the North American continent for USA and Canadian companies.
Two years ago, "The Health", a national project, began by wanting new high-tech medical centres in various parts of the country, with 15 new hospitals to be built for cardiosurgery, orthopaedics and oncology. Only five have been built. The government has decided to switch the focus of the project to preventive medicine and to create health centres for this purpose
The European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (ESCAIDE) aims to strengthen and expand the network of specialists, share scientific knowledge and experience internationally, and provide a dedicated platform for EPIET/FETP (field epidemiology training programme) fellows to present their work.
When we organised the first Diagnostic Week in Karlsruhe, in 1969, no one could have known that this event would one day turn into the annual highlight in the world of medicine, reflected Dr Wolfgang Albath, laboratory medicine pioneer and one of the founding fathers of MEDICA the world`s largest medical trade show. Initially planned as a moving exhibition, the show has been based in…