France re-engineers healthcare system
Reform of the French healthcare system was placed on a fast track for legislative approval that turned into a six-month marathon of debate punctuated by several street demonstrations. John Brosky reports
Deutliches Votum der Ärzte für die FDP und Absturz der SPD
Coliquio, das Expertennetzwerk für Ärzte, stellt seinen rund 13.000 Mitgliedern 3 Monate vor der Bundestagswahl die Sonntagsfrage und bietet so interessante Einblicke in die politische Stimmungslage der rund 320.000 Ärztinnen und Ärzte.
ICN Elects New President
Rosemary Bryant, outstanding nursing leader nationally and internationally, has been elected as the 26th President of the International Council of Nurses (ICN).
Hohenstein Institute develops textile that releases medicinal gasses
The Institute for Hygiene and Biotechnology (IHB) at Hohenstein has developed the first textile that can release medically effective gasses. The textile was developed at the IHB under the auspices of a broader research project. The textile will be used in future therapeutic applications.
Medizin wird weiblich - auch Urologinnen holen auf
"Frauen kommen langsam - aber gewaltig" singt Liedermacherin Ina Deter, und das trifft inzwischen auch für den, lange Zeit ausschließlich Männern vorbehaltenen, Arztberuf zu. Fast 130 Jahre nach Hope Bridges Adams-Lehmann, der ersten Ärztin in Deutschland, erobern Frauen die Medizin.
Major US healthcare group selects Sectra RIS
Shields Health Care Group, New England's premiere independent provider of radiology imaging services, has chosen the Swedish IT and medical-technology company Sectra as their Radiology Information System (RIS) provider. Sectra will deliver its RIS products, integration services and direct support to Shields Health Care over a multi-year period.
Agfa HealthCare and Segami Corporation sign agreement
Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of diagnostic imaging and healthcare IT solutions, announced that it has signed an agreement with Segami Corporation to integrate the Oasis workstation software into the Agfa HealthCare's 6th generation Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) known as IMPAX 6. The solution permits nuclear medicine physicians to review, process and report studies…
Measuring the effect of enhanced cleaning
Researchers from East Kilbride, Glasgow, UK, recently presented their results of a study saying that only one extra cleaner in a hospital working Monday to Friday can reduce the number of MRSA infections.
Malta Medical Tourism Summit
The medical tourism industry has enjoyed rapid growth over the past few years as more and more patients seek better facilities, particularly for surgical, dental and cosmetic procedures, outside their own countries. The Europe Business Assembly's Medical Tourism Summit, taking place from 12th to 14th July in Malta will focus on the key issues and concerns being raised for travelling patients.
E-commerce
German health insurance funds do not use their customer data sufficiently, according to a study by consultancy agency Kienbaum, which also found that health insurers do not `cultivate a client-oriented culture´. (Clients = the medically insured).
apoBank und TeleCash bieten Komplett-Paket für die Gesundheitskarte an
In den kommenden Wochen und Monaten werden die Krankenkassen mit der Ausgabe der neuen elektronischen Gesundheitskarte (eGK) an ihre Mitglieder starten. Damit der Basis-Rollout der elektronischen Gesundheitskarte auch in der Praxis reibungslos abläuft, kooperieren TeleCash GmbH & Co. KG, eine Tochtergesellschaft des weltweiten Anbieters von Zahlungsdienstleistungen First Data und einer…
Internetplattform telemedizin24.de - ideal für Ärzte und Patienten
Vom einstigen Förderprojekt und Bestandteil der Initiative eGesundheit.nrw hat sich das Informationsportal telemedizin24.de zur deutschlandweit führenden Anlaufstelle rund um die Telemedizin entwickelt. Die von der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Telemedizin ideell unterstützte Plattform richtet sich an Ärzte und Patienten mit Interesse an neuen Behandlungsoptionen ebenso wie an Dienstleister in…
Respiratory Protection
Respiratory protection for hospital staff is a critical issue. Surgical masks were at one time considered sufficient, but new evidence from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that they do almost nothing to protect the individual wearer. In response to the outbreak of Swine Origin Influenza Virus the CDC recommends all healthcare personnel to wear a fit-tested disposable…
Austria's new training model
The so-called 2 in 1 educational model is an interesting innovation in nurse training; it aims at an efficient synthesis of theory and practice. Following a course of seven semesters, participants achieve the academic baccalaureate qualification, as well as a licence (in the form of a diploma) to practice in general healthcare.
Swine flu and hygiene standards
Flu preparations - Under the UK´s National Health Service (NHS) code of practice for nosocomial infections, the hospital Trusts and others are required to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that healthcare workers are free of, and protected from, exposure to communicable infections.
Legionnaires disease
A hospital outbreak not only causes severe illnesses or death, but also results in ward closures and disruption of care - not to mention potential legal action. What can be done to combat such infections?
Highly-secure long-term data storage solution
Hard disks are fast replacing tapes and optical media in all phases of data archiving. However, most conventional hard disk systems are generally unsuitable for long-term storage. FAST LTA (long term archiving) reports that its Silent Cubes are the first solution designed solely for highly-secure long-term storage of permanent data.
We need greater compatibility!
As medical images are increasingly digitized, their management, compression and retrieval is increasingly challenged. According to new analysis* from Frost & Sullivan, which examined medical image storage solutions markets in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Scandinavia, Benelux and Italy, the total European storage requirement in 2007 was 106,044 terabytes (TB).
Electronic discharge reports
Hospitals that use electronic medical record systems can improve the process of discharging inpatients by implementing electronic reports instead of dictated ones. More information can be provided in a faster, more reliable manner to the patients' caregivers outside the hospital, Electronic discharge summaries standardize the format and content of patient records to primary care physicians at the…
Towards more efficient cross-border healthcare in Europe
Unlimited digital communication between European healthcare systems - that's the aim of the European Commission's e-health activities. In particular, an electronic version of the European Health Insurance Card is coming closer. However, the road towards a standardised electronic patient summary is somewhat rockier.
A strategic acquisition of the Olympus Laboratory unit
Beckman Coulter Inc, manufacturer of medical test systems, has agreed to acquire the diagnostic systems portion of Olympus Corporation's life sciences business.
Isolation technology
As processes become more complex, the need for increased laboratory safety is paramount. Protecting operators from hazardous substances, aerosol release or spillages is a critical consideration during processes, whether they are mixing substances or dispensing drugs. Of equal importance is the need to protect the substance, or product, from contamination from the operator. Mark Nicholls presents…
EH@KIMES
Seoul, S. Korea - This March, European Hospital was present at the Korea International Medical and Hospital Equipment Show (Kimes), our fifth time at this special event.
EH@CMEF
Shenzhen, China - The China International Medicinal Equipment Fair (CMEF), held this April was founded in 1979. In its 30-year existence this bi-annual event (spring/autumn) has become the biggest exhibition of medical equipment, related products and services in the Asia-Pacific region.
Reimbursement for new medical technologies
Olaf Winkler, Head of Department for Healthcare at BVMed, the German Medical Technology Association, outlines the obstacles that must be overcome to integrate medical technology into the standard hospital reimbursement system after successful studies and CE certification