All laboratories should utilise quality monitoring systems and systematically work through their workflow processes to identify problem areas, according to Lucia Berte, who specialises in quality management systems in healthcare ancillary services through the Colorado-based organisation Laboratories Made Better. Report: Mark Nicholls
Is your network safe? This loaded question made delegates shiver during Inforsalud 2015, the annual meeting of the Spanish Health Informatics Society, which was held Feb 17 - 18 in Madrid. Report: Mélisande Rouger
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
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.
The idea of a ‘dossier médical personnalisé’ (DMP, or electronic health record) for every French citizen was first inaugurated in 2004. Now, over 10 years and €500 million later, we can look at the pros and cons encountered during this still incomplete journey and consider if similar projects would be a useful addition to healthcare administration in other European countries, or…
Toshiba Medical Systems Europe today announced that it has signed a European Union-wide reseller agreement with French radiology manufacturer, Apelem, to market Xantara, a remote controlled, digital radiography and fluoroscopy (RF) system developed for Toshiba Medical Systems Europe.
A surgical algorithm developed and implemented by ovarian cancer specialists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center dramatically increases the frequency of complete removal of all visible tumor - a milestone strongly tied to improved survival.
Contrary to previous reports, a study led by Johns Hopkins researchers found that patients’ satisfaction scores only modestly improved based on the newly remodeled design of a hospital.
Maximizing patient safety is the top priority for hospital c-suite executives and risk managers in the United States - but, "lack of teamwork, negative culture and poor communication" will present barriers to patient safety in the future - according to a new survey commissioned by American International Group (AIG) in consultation with patient safety expert, Dr. Marty Makary, MD, MPH.
On the occasion of the Euro ID and ID World International Congress 2014 in November in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, EH asked about the role of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in healthcare, during her interview with H Sprague Ackley, Technical Fellow at Honeywell Scanning & Mobility. Report: Cornelia Wels-Maug
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
The safety of little children at the University Children’s Hospital Basel (UKBB) has been assured since February by the installation of Patient SafetyNet, an advanced remote monitoring and clinician notification system manufactured by the California-based company Masimo.
Medical grade carrier arm systems by CIM med feature integrated cable management. In contrast to open cables, for instance, the firm’s carrier systems avoid fostering germs at the monitor connections.
The Dräger VarioGard 2300/2320 IR is a fixed gas warning device for monitoring potential leakages or workplace exposure limits. Traditional areas of application include laboratories and hospitals. Its precise infrared sensors with long-term stability are initially configured for the desired gas and the measuring range.
In uncomplicated stable angina cases no evidence suggests that angioplasty reduces heart attacks or death risks, Mark Nicholls reports
Most clinical laboratories use immunoassays routinely to measure 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OH D) in serum. The metabolites of vitamin D are important in the regulation of calcium and bone metabolism.
Ultrasound is playing an increasing role in the management of the upper and lower airways, particularly in interventional procedures and emergency situations. It is also used to enhance patient safety.
The survival of premature newborns in England is 30% higher in specialist units treating large numbers of neonates, reveals an analysis of national data published in the online journal BMJ Open.
“The Saudi Arabian government’s response to the new virulent Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) has recently been criticized, following high-level dismissals within the Saudi state healthcare service. Criticism has been leveled at the slowness of the government’s response to the outbreak, as well as in-fighting between physicians", says Andrew Thompson, Ph.D., GlobalData’s…
Sepsis kills around 130 patients daily In Germany alone. This systemic disease is mostly caused by bacterial pathogens, and less frequently by fungal organisms or parasites. 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 scary figures.
It was long overdue: Seven years after the arrival of the USA’s Image Wisely and Image Gently Campaigns, a European campaign for greater radiation protection in diagnostic and interventional imaging has arrived.
Burnout. The word jars – and it is particularly unsettling when associated with medical professionals. Burnout is a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and feelings of low personal accomplishment.
Using pictures and symbols, rather than handwritten words, on prescriptions helps illiterate patients take their medicines correctly when they leave hospital, say doctors today. The idea was first tested in a hospital in Pakistan using simple pictures of the sun, moon and stars to help patients understand when and how long to take their medication for.
A disposable vital signs monitoring system no bigger than a plaster was today hailed a “game changer" by a leading hospital medic ahead of its UK rollout.
Doctors slam claims of 18,800 preventable hospital deaths in just one EU country.