Patient management

News • ICU

Patients on ventilators often able to communicate

A new study reveals that more than half of patients in intensive care units (ICU) using ventilators to help them breathe could benefit from assistive communication tools.

Article • Patients Rights

The right to a second opinion

Patients are no longer content to be passive recipients of medical care, and are instead taking a more active role in their treatment, says Kathy Oliver, Chair co-director of the International Brain Tumour Alliance (IBTA). Report: Frank Swain

‘Suicide tourism’ to Switzerland has doubled within four years

The numbers of ‘suicide tourists’ going to Switzerland to take their own lives has doubled within the space of four years, reports a study published online in the Journal of Medical Ethics.

News • Study

Sepsis cases are rising

Sepsis kills around a hundred and thirty patients daily In Germany alone. This systemic disease is mostly caused by bacterial pathogens, and less frequently by fungal organisms or parasites. The delayed diagnoses result in high mortality. Professor Dr Frank M Brunkhorst of the Centre of Sepsis Control and Care (CSCC), at Jena University Hospital, Germany, is seeking strategies to combat such…

eSMART: mobile phones help patients through chemotherapy treatment

Coping with the side effects of chemotherapy treatment is challenging for people with cancer. When fatigued or nauseous, it is not easy to assess if these conditions are acceptable treatment side effects or require medical assistance.

Spain’s huge public health deficit

The Spanish National Health System is organised following the principles of universal coverage and solidarity, to ensure equal access to healthcare services for all citizens.

Personalised Medicine Drives Uptake

Future of DNA sequencing will shift from a laboratory-based setup to point of care testing in the next 5 years

News • Study

Mortality risks rise 11% on Saturdays - 16% Sundays

England’s National Health Service (NHS) is taking steps to ensure that, for the first time, a consistent level of care is provided at weekends by focusing on healthcare seven days a week.

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society

The not-for-profit Chicago-based organisation HIMSS aims to boost electronic health records, analytics, mobile and other technologies by ‘meaningful use’ or other financial stimuli. Cornelia Wels-Maug reports on highlights at the HIMSS 14 conference and exhibition.

Laughter is the best remedy

It has long been suggested that laughter could be the best medicine – and now a group of researchers in the United Kingdom is applying that theory to help patients cope with long-term conditions.

News • Diabetes

The value of fermentation

Raise your intake of low-fat fermented dairy products, including all yoghurt varieties and some low-fat cheeses, and you could lower your risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes by 28%, according to new research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes).

News • Cooperation

ICW becomes technology partner of iSOFT Health GmbH

InterComponentWare AG (ICW) and iSOFT Health GmbH, a CSC Company, have struck up a technology partnership.

COCIR Raises Awareness of Industry Achievements On World Cancer Day 2014

Today is World Cancer Day 2014 and COCIR wants to take this opportunity to raise awareness of what our sector (medical imaging and health ICT) is contributing to the fight against cancer, by providing solutions for the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of this devastating, ever-rising chronic disease.

News • Research

Deaths higher for heart attack patients at night and weekends

Off-hour presentation and outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction: systematic review and meta-analysis

Enhancing the patient experience

When it comes to hospital choice, patients no longer rely on their doctor’s advice alone. Improved health literacy and a growing awareness of potential risks (e.g. hospital acquired infections, medical errors) are encouraging patients to choose carefully by considering the quality of care delivered, patient satisfaction scores, patient safety and comfort in general.

Simplified documentation results in improved therapy

A large proportion of the patients treated at the Asklepios Schlossberg Clinic are intensive care patients. To track the medical treatment and nursing support which is carried out, an immense amount of documentation is produced.

Creating the essential link

While clinical labs and lab IT solutions appear to be able to meet current requirements, biobanking presents a whole new world of challenges to data flows and IT systems. Report: Michael Reiter

Interactive patient care

Previously, we outlined how interactive technologies at the point of care support the goals of personalizing the patient experience and improving patient satisfaction.

Patient privacy top priority in Norway

The Norwegian Health Directorate has selected FairWarning Patient Privacy Monitoring solution as an integral part of the national roll out of the Norwegian Summary Care Record (SCR).

Health IT connects global as more nations integrate with 'IHE Inside'

Leaders from electronic health programs in 22 countries attended the first-ever IHE World Summit to take on the challenges of advancing patient care in the digital era.