Virtual reality heart failure pod goes on tour
Doctors in the US are being given the opportunity to walk in the shoes of a patient with congestive heart failure, thanks to a mobile virtual reality unit. The Heart FX Pod, developed by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and marketing firm The RJO Group, invites clinicians to sit in a booth and don a pneumatic […]
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Newcastle goes out to tender for EPR
Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust has become the latest trust to break ranks with the NHS Connecting for Health IT programme and go out to tender for a new clinical information system. The large acute trust has this month placed an advert in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) for a new […]
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New guidance for nurses on text messaging
The Royal College of Nursing has issued guidance on the use of text messaging services for nurses working with children and young people. The college says: “Text messaging can provide access and signposting to health and advice services for young or vulnerable people who would not access services by traditional methods.” However, it stresses the […]
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European telecare project reports success
A major project funded by the European Commission into video communications in telecare has concluded that while such systems are well received by older people, to be truly effective the IT needed to be further integrated with other devices such as alarm systems. The IST@HOME project lasted six months and supplied 600 homes in Germany, […]
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Large scale takeup of C+B DES predicted
The majority of GP practices in England are likely to sign up for the choice and booking directed enhanced service, according to Dr Mark Davies, Connecting for Health’s Choose and Book primary care medical director. Dr Davies, a GP in west Yorkshire, says CfH is still waiting for returns from Primary Care Trusts to confirm […]
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Academics call for NPfIT technical assessment
A group of 23 computer science academics from around the UK have written an open letter calling for an “independent technical assessment” of the National Programme for IT. They say in their letter to the House of Commons health select committee: "Concrete, objective information about NPfIT’s [National Programme for IT] progress is not available to external […]
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Revamped clinical system for stoma nurses launched
Satellite navigation, voice recognition and a group calendar all feature in a newly-revamped patient management system devised for specialist stoma nurses. The system, named Mime, was unveiled last week to stoma nurses at a conference in Cheshire hosted by manufacturer, Coloplast, which developed it. The firm, one of the main suppliers of ostomy equipment, has […]
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First full rollout of e-MAS service claimed
Co-operative Group Pharmacy is claiming that it has become the first in Scotland to implement the electronic Minor Ailments Service (e-MAS) across all of its sites, part of a contract that allows pharmacists to dispense medication for easily-spotted conditions. All 39 pharmacies across the country are now linked into NHSnet and training has now […]
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Online lottery for NHS dentist registration
A company contracted to set up eight new NHS dental practices in North Wales are encouraging prospective patients to apply for registration online or by text, to prevent people from queuing up outside to register. Online and text list application was stipulated by the local health boards as part of the tender for supplying NHS […]
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Ardentia acquires InFocus Health
Healthcare performance management software provider Ardentia has announced the acquisition of InFocus Health, whose information analysis solution Hippo21 is used predominantly in Wales, Scotland and the South of England. The sale brings together two businesses both offering business intelligence products to the health sector and Ardentia says the two companies will continue to operate separately. […]
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