Talking cure
Steve Tocker from Softech Global outlines how voice recognition and digital dictation can be used in the healthcare sector, and what issues users need to remember.
Feature
Tech industry concerned about NICE appraisal cuts
The Association for British Healthcare Industries (ABHI) has expressed concern that the National Institute for Clinical Excellence’s reduction in the number of its appraisal committees will result in patients "missing out" on new technology. The ABHI, a trade association that represents several computer hardware and software suppliers to the NHS as well as medical […]
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RFID tags in the NHS could lead to job losses
The introduction of wireless tagging such as RFID technology in the NHS could result in job losses due to the removal of administrative burdens, according to consultants Wireless Healthcare. The new report published by the company into the advance of wireless technology, ‘Selling Wireless Tagging To The Healthcare Sector’, argues that while the new systems could […]
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Live appointment booking cuts waiting times
The introduction of a live patient booking system has resulted in a dramatic reduction of waiting lists and missed appointments for specialist therapy care in Leicestershire, according to the software manufacturers. Ethitec, makers of the Tiara 9 specialist administration, records and appointment-booking software, have claimed that introducing a live appointments system based in a call […]
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IT skills need improving to see savings, think tank warns
The Work Foundation has urged caution that the Chancellor’s plans to save money through IT projects in the NHS and in other government organisations could be flawed due to a general lack of IT skills by end-users and managers. “The public sector does not have an encouraging track record in the procurement and use of IT,” writes David Coats, […]
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Granger promises to make PACS ‘deployable’
A promise to deliver at least 50% cuts in the pricing of Picture Archiving and Storage Systems (PACS) and make it a “deployable technology” came from NHS IT Director General Richard Granger in his address to Healthcare Computing 2004. Local Service Providers (LSPs) are due to submit their latest proposals on how they would deliver Picture […]
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Granger repeats PACS warning
The head of the NHS’ £5bn IT modernisation programme has again warned suppliers of Picture Archiving and Storage Systems (PACS) to cut their prices, or be subjected to ‘radical surgery if they don’t come back with lower bids. In an interview with the Financial Times, NHS IT director-general repeated his warning, first reported by E-Health […]
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Final Long-List for National Programme Reached
The National Programme for IT (NPfIT) in the NHS has reached the latest milestone in the procurement process for Local Service Providers (LSPs) and National Application Service Providers (NASPs) to deliver 21st Cenury IT to the NHS with selection of a slightly shorter long-list of candidates. The new list of firms, 22 prospective LSPs and […]
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Texting Temps Could Help Trusts Fill Vacant Shifts
Software that enables employers to send text messages to temporary staff needed for shifts has been launched by SkillsFlow. The development is recent addition of the company’s SkillsBid module which is designed to help organisations manage temporary and shift vacancies, offering work directly to bank staff and to competing agencies.The overall aim is to help […]
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PDA Programme Cuts Nursing Paperwork by
A group of American community-based nurses say that using personal digital assistants cuts time spent on their "paperwork" by up to 50% and improves both the speed and accuracy of documentation. The programme, which is attracting international attention, also makes decision support software, backed by extensive medical resources, available to the nurses while they are […]
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