Furore over Patriot Act power to seize records
Doctors in the US have reacted angrily to news that patients’ medical records could be seized for investigation without warrant or "probable cause" under the Patriot Act. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons have created a pressure group, Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances, to campaign for […]
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Traffic doubles on new NHS24 website
The Scottish health helpline NHS24 has set up a new-look website with health advice and doubled the number of hits compared with its old site immediately. NHS24.com was launched two days before Christmas with new content, including a health encyclopaedia and self-help guide, created by NHS Direct but tailored for Scottish users and the Scottish […]
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C+B certificate granted for MedWay PAS
Healthcare systems and solutions specialists, System C, has achieved Choose and Book compliance certification from NHS Connecting for Health for its MedWay patient administration system (PAS). System C says this means hospitals using MedWay will be able to publish appointment slots electronically to the central Choose and Book system and, in turn, it will be possible to book […]
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CSC implements new theatre system at Royal Liverpool
Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust has become the latest trust to go live with a new theatre system, provided by Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) as part of the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT). CSC, the local service provider for the North West and West Midlands region of the £6.2 billion NPfIT […]
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Hammersmith chooses Technidata for blood transfusion
Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust has signed a contract with Technidata to replace its two existing blood transfusion systems with TD-BloodBank, a component of the firm’s TD-Synergy integrated Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). The trust has also signed up to pilot Pocket TD-BloodBank, a portable version of the software that provides access from networked and handheld […]
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Asthma sufferers get help from space
Mobile phone users with asthma in south London are getting pollution alerts via SMS thanks to satellite technology from the European Space Agency (ESA). The AirTEXT project uses data from weather instruments on the ESA’s Envisat satellite. Around 45 texts per year are sent over the system, with air quality warnings sent out the […]
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Good outlook for IP VPNs in European healthcare
Industry analysts Frost & Sullivan have predicted positive, if qualified, growth of Internet Protocol Virtual Private Networks (IP VPNs) in healthcare across Europe over the next few years. IP VPNs allow external access to networks so that clinicians can access patient information and health records. Internally, VPNs they can be used both for sharing data and […]
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Call for wider use of decision support
A charity is calling for more widespread use of decision support systems in general practice after a survey it commissioned found nearly two out of three patients fear being misdiagnosed when they go to see their GP. Doubts have been voiced, however, about the usability of decision support systems in general practice. The Isabel Medical Charity, […]
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GP calls for judicial review of NCRS consent
A GP is calling for a judicial review of the government’s consent plans for the NHS Care Records Service (NCRS). Dr Paul Thornton, a GP in Warwickshire with a special interest in patient privacy and confidentiality law, has prepared a nine-page document setting out why he believes the government’s proposals for the NCRS are unlawful […]
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Value of infection control software highlighted
Infection control software is a worthwhile investment for trusts, but care must be taken in staff training, configuration and connecting the systems to existing laboratory software, says a report into the experiences of nine trusts by the Health Protection Agency. The three month pilot, which involved three software companies, EpiQuest, ICNet and ICE, across 11 sites […]
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