Tight Timetable Set For NHS Technology Procurement
A newly published summary of the planned procurement strategy for delivering the national NHS IT programme ‘Delivering 21st Century IT Support’ makes clear that the strategy will depend on contracting out key components of the programme to consortia of suppliers led by heavyweight Prime Service Providers (PSPs) at both the national and regional levels. What […]
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Official Launch for NHS Broadband in Wales
The NHS took a step towards greater broadband access last week when Wales health minister, Jane Hutt, officially launched the roll-out of a broadband network which will link all the service’s organisations in the principality. Supplied and managed by BT, the service is up and running and delivering improved e-mail and web services. Within a […]
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IT “Certain to be Next Year’s Trick” for Chief Execs
If IT is not high on the NHS trust chief executives’ agenda this year, it will be next year, Chief Executive of the Institute of Healthcare Management (IHM), Stuart Marples, predicted this week. Responding to the government’s public spending review last week Mr Marples told E-Health Insider, “IT’s not this year’s trick but it’s certain […]
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Telemedicine Helps Babies, Parents and Staff in Neonatal ICUs
A telemedicine solution to the problem of maintaining high quality communication with the parents of babies undergoing neonatal intensive care (NIC) is to start a major pilot in the US. The solution, which links families to NIC units via a secure web site, claims to improve communication, increase family participation, enhance parent education and produce […]
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Three London Trusts Sign £5m Deal with iSOFT
NHS trusts in South East London’s Lambeth Lewisham and Southwark Collaboration have signed three contracts worth £5m with healthcare applications systems supplier, iSOFT. The three trusts involved – Lewisham Hospital NHS Trust, King’s College Hospital NHS Trusts and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust – will use iSOFT’s Patient Management System (PiMS). The eight year […]
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Steady Rise in US Doctors’ Internet Use
US doctors are using the Web more frequently and for longer periods according to a new study from the American Medical Association. This year’s study, conducted between August and December 2001, is the fourth conducted annually by the association. It shows that 78% of doctors use the Web and two thirds access it daily – […]
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Northern Ireland Issues Integrated ICT Strategy
The Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has issued a consultation document on developing integrated IT systems that sets out how it plans to use information and communications technology (ICT) to provide joined-up health and social care. The proposals are aimed at introducing fully ICT-enabled health and social care. Key elements […]
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Oxford Clinical Intranet Links Local NHS
The potential of networked local NHS communities is being demonstrated in Oxfordshire by the Oxford Clinical Intranet, which uses easy-to-use Internet technology to make test results electronically available to GPs. Where in the past getting test results depended on doctors making time-consuming phone calls or awaiting paper results by mail, the new system — developed […]
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Couch Potatoes Called to Account
Researchers have reported that nagging overweight patients with an automated phone call system, encouraging them to eat less and take more exercise, can have a positive effect. A project by the Centre for the Advancement of Health in Washington DC, involved almost 300 people with sedentary lifestyles and unhealthy diets. The study found that instead […]
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DrKoop.com Sold at Knockdown Price
DrKoop.com, the online health information provider, once a darling of Wall Street and stellar stock of the dotcom boom, has been sold to online vitamin retailer Vitacost.com for $186,000. During the dotcom boom DrKoop was at one stage valued at more than $1 billion. Founded in 1997 by the eponymous former US Surgeon General Dr […]
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