Soaring Internet use for European health
Internet use in healthcare is expected to soar in Europe in the next four years, bringing electronic communication into the frontline of care delivery, according to analysts, Frost & Sullivan. A strategic analysis of the role of the net in healthcare delivery predicts an explosive rise in electronic booking in Europe from around five million […]
News
BGS to help NHS Direct bridge language barriers
Bowne Global Solutions (BGS), has announced that it has signed a contract with NHS Direct to provide the nurse-led telephonic health advice and information service with interpreters 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The contract provides a framework agreement allowing other NHS organisations to use BGS at common pricing and levels of service. […]
News
NHS website becomes “gateway” in revamp
The NHS website, www.nhs.uk, has undergone a substantial refurbishment and has become a “gateway” page to give the public access to information, services and advice, underpinning the government’s agenda of “patient choice". According to the NHSIA, the site was redesigned to act as a one-stop point for information about all aspects of the NHS, from […]
News
NHS Direct web chat feasible but pricey, pilot finds
An NHS Direct Online Clinical Enquiry Service (CES), through which a nurse can discuss symptoms with patients over an web-based chat connection, could be expensive and take up too much time, a report from the Journal of Medical Internet Research shows. The pilot, which took place over six days in a GP’s practice in Coventry, concentrated on non-urgent […]
News
Mixed results for health websites in accessibility survey
The NHS Direct website is not accessible enough for disabled users and contains too many coding errors, whereas the new DH website has excellent accessibility and speed, a recent survey of government websites has found. The survey, carried out by SiteMorse on behalf of Business2WWW, found that only 0.4% of the pages on www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk fully […]
News
IT projects fail because best practice not applied
Billions of pounds are wasted every year on new IT systems, with only 16% that can be considered a true success, because of failure to apply established best practice, says a new report by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the British Computer Society. ‘The Challenge of Complex IT Projects’ says that despite many examples of […]
News
Records “a potentially powerful tool” to involve patients
Over a third of patients are very interested in viewing their records, according to a US study. The researchers conclude that healthcare providers "may be failing to use a potentially powerful tool, the medical record, to involve patients in their health care". The most common reasons stated for patients wanting to look at their medical […]
News
NHS Direct to provide BMJ’s ‘Best Treatments’
Thanks to a deal between the British Medical Journal and Department of Health millions of patients will be able to get expert advice on common medical conditions from NHS Direct Online. Under the new deal information from the BMJ’s ‘Best Treatments’ will now be included on NHS Direct Online. Over six million individuals visited NHS […]
News
Renal Services NSF information strategy published
The Department of Health has published its information strategy to help support delivery of the National Service Framework (NSF) for renal services. Local Service Providers (LSPs) and the National Application Service Provider providing the Data Spine project will have a central role to play in ensuring the success of the strategy. The new information strategy […]
News
Chair of NHS Direct announced
The Department of Health has appointed David Edmonds CBE as chair of NHS Direct, his appointment comes in advance of the establishment of NHS Direct as a special health authority in April 2004. Announcing the appointment, for an initial period of four years, health minister Rosie Winterton, said: “I am delighted with the appointment of Mr […]
News