Hull-York students learn with virtual patients
Students at the Hull-York Medical School have become the first in England to incorporate the use of online virtual patients into their studies. The school, part of the new generation of medical schools in England, has adopted the use of virtual patients to support its problem-based approach to learning which brings students in contact with […]
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NPfIT launches patient and clinician advisory groups
The National Programme for IT (NPfIT) has launched two new consultative groups to help shape the future direction of the programme. Healthcare professionals will be represented through the National Clinical Advisory Board (NCAB), while patients will have a voice through the Patient Advisory Board (PAB). With the first contracts for the national programme now only […]
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Missing IT Funds Threaten GP Contract
One of the BMA’s leaders on IT issues has warned that the new GP contract is at risk unless the Department of Health honours its pledge to provide funding to reimburse practice IT maintenance and upgrade costs as specified under the terms of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract. Improved primary care IT systems […]
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First LSP Contract Award Dates Slip
The National Programme for IT (NPfIT) in the NHS has confirmed that deadlines have slipped for the award of the initial Local Service Provider (LSP) contracts, meaning that the first major contract award deadline set by the programme will be missed. Contracts for the first two LSPs – London and the North East – were […]
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Reader Comment: ‘NPfIT Viewed from Scotland’
The following ‘reader comment’ was supplied in response to recent E-Health Insider reports on the development of the National Programme for IT. The author is a consultant anaesthetist at a leading Scottish acute trust, who leads on IT issues locally. There is much about the current national programme procurements and what they entail, and the machinations […]
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ETP Pilots Evaluation Challenged
One of the three consortia set up to test electronic transmission of prescriptions (ETP) says an official evaluation does not take account of its later work on the project when the volume of prescriptions processed picked up. The evaluation commissioned by the government was published on 17 September as part of package of announcements from […]
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UK Doctors Still ‘Out of Office’ to Patients Online
Email may be the most powerful new communications tool since the telephone. But despite its clear potential in health, the BMA remains sceptical and few British doctors have yet embraced email communications with patients. Stephen Pincock reports on why most doctors remain ‘out of office’ online. Ask the British Medical Association about its view on […]
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Schlumberger to Sell SchlumbergerSema to Atos Origin
The announcement this week that Schlumberger Limited will sell the majority of its SchlumbergerSema business to Atos Origin, will see two of the bidders for contracts under the NHS National Programme for IT (NPfIT) come together in a further consolidation of the European IT services industry. Paris-based IT services firm Atos Origin will acquire the […]
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US Medical Insurance Group to Subsidise PDA Software
A US physician liability insurance organisation, MedAmerica Mutual Risk Retention Group, is to offer its members a subsidy towards the purchase of copies of the eProcrates handheld clinical reference source for handheld personal digital assistants (PDAs) in order to improve patient safety and reduce drug errors. California-based MedAmerica Mutual will subsidise the ePocrates Rx Pro application, […]
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Yahoo Targets Online Diabetes Monitoring
Two major US Internet portals have begun to provide remote monitoring services to have their condition monitored online for a monthly fee. Monitoring of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, is emerging a practical application of the Internet to directly support patient care. Online monitoring can contribute to the effective management of chronic […]
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