Car emergency call system gathers pace
A European Commission proposed system, aiming to provide cars in Europe with a direct contact to the emergency services, is gathering momentum after three more countries agreed to take part in the scheme. eCall is a pan-European in vehicle emergency call system which uses the European emergency number 112 in the event of an accident. […]
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Picis expands presence in Europe
Picis, a providers of acute information systems, has announced a further five deals in Europe in the first quarter of this year. The company have been working in Europe for almost 15 years now and now has their systems used by more than 1000 hospitals in 19 European countries. Picis’s executive vice president of global […]
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European ‘Connect-a-thon’ tests interoperability
Over 60 healthcare software companies and organisations from all over the world have gathered together in Spain to test the interoperability of their systems. A total of 700 combinations of system and 1600 tests were carried out over four days in Barcelona in a yearly European ‘Connect-a-thon’, organised by Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise in Europe […]
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Epocrates launches in UK and Europe
Epocrates Inc., the US firm specialising in mobile systems for the healthcare industry, has announced its expansion into the global market today with the introduction of local brand and generic drug names integrated into its clinical applications. The company’s mobile applications, including the Epocrates Rx free drug reference and its Epocrates Essentials premium drug, disease […]
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iSoft in £10.6m deal to buy Spain’s Novasoft
iSoft the UK based healthcare solutions specialist, has bought leading Spanish healthcare IT provider, Novasoft Sanidad, in an agreement structured to cost up to £10.6m (€15.6m). The acquisition covers 100% of Novasoft and will involve paying an initial £6.1m (€9 million) in cash and 470,119 iSoft ordinary shares. iSoft’s announcement says a further consideration of […]
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E-health and the EU
The UK’s presidency of the EU promises to be a significant one for e-health, Lyn Whitfield reports.
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UK is Europe’s “star” in health information websites
The United Kingdom’s health services have come top of a European-wide healthcare survey for patient access to information due to the number of health websites despite being labelled overall as "mediocre" and ranked ninth out of 12 for health service quality. The 2005 EuroHealth Consumer Index, which was published by Brussels-based so-called ‘do-tank’, Health Consumer Powerhouse, […]
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Intelligent joint supports use wireless technology
Joint supports for patients with arthritis or poor muscle strength could soon get an injection of artificial intelligence and wireless technology, thanks to the Instituto de Automácia Industrial (IAI) in Madrid. The device, called ‘GAIT’, incorporates electronic sensors into each support bandage (orthosis) that respond to the way the ankle, knee or elbow is moving, […]
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Minister upbeat on ID card benefits for NHS
Health minister, John Hutton, says ID cards will help NHS staff check whether patients are eligible to receive treatment and deter people who abuse the UK’s healthcare resources. Hutton gave evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee this week as controversy flared around the government’s plans to speed up the introduction of ID cards. […]
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Basque GPs Suspended over Centralised Data Protest
Two GPs from the Basque Country in northern Spain have been suspended without pay, apparently for refusing to use a centralised database of patient records, writes SA Mathieson. The Basque health service, Osakidetza, last year implemented a central database called Osabide. According to Dr Juan Gérvas, a Madrid doctor and visiting professor at Baltimore’s Johns […]
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