E-mail consultations must be documented, says study
A study in Finland has found that communication by e-mail between doctors and their patients is already extremely common, so much so that electronic patient record systems that are being developed should contain the functionality to document all communication. Johanna Castren and Marja Niemi, from the University of Tampere, Finland, and Marja Niemi, from the […]
News
First spine-connected GP system goes live
Undercliffe practice in Batley, West Yorkshire has become the first in England to go live with a primary care computer system connected to the NHS data spine. The connection to the data spine – the new national database of key information about patients – will enable summary electronic patient records to be held for the […]
News
Medical equipment firm set to acquire IMPAC
Elekta AB, a Swedish-based medical technology firm specialising in cancer treatment, has acquired healthcare IT software house IMPAC Medical Systems, who manufacture specialist oncology support and infrastructure software. The move comes after a sales consulting agreement was signed between the two companies last October. The two companies had previously worked jointly to develop common interfaces. Dr […]
News
This time it’s personal
Why do we need electronic health records, anyway? Gerry Yantis and Manuel Lowenhaupt of CapGemini argue that the challenges faced in implementing them shouldn’t detract from their importance.
Feature
MHRA to let patients report side-effects online
The DH have implemented changes to the way that adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are reported and publicised, including allowing patients to report reactions by submitting electronically through a new website and making drug reaction data available online. The new forms, which are being set up at www.yellowcard.gov.uk, will allow medication users to report any ADRs they encounter, as part […]
News
Computer generated brain surgery to help trainees
Researchers at the University of Nottingham have developed a virtual reality brain surgery simulator for trainee surgeons that combines haptics with three-dimensional graphics to give what they claim is the most realistic model in the world. A ‘map’ of the brain surface (below) is produced by the software, which also renders the tweezers (on the […]
News
Virtual chaperone keeps watch on clinicians
Recording devices such as a ‘virtual chaperone’ for clinicians have been developed in Imperial College, London in the hope that they will improve the accountability of health services and also protect staff should something go wrong. The chaperone project, led and patented by Professor Sir Ara Darzi, Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College, was […]
News
EMIS installed in revamped London ‘super surgery’
A new implementation of EMIS Enterprise in a ‘super surgery’ has been opened by Health Secretary John Reid as part of a partnership between the NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust and Newham PCT, east London. The software represents a new contract win for EMIS in London outside of the National Programme for IT within London. […]
News
Information map deal secured for southern cluster
Medic-to-Medic, manufacturers of the Map of Medicine, have announced a deal with Fujitsu, the LSP for the Southern cluster, to make the software available to all clinicians within the area. The deal is part of a series of negotiations with LSPs by the company to make the software available nationally under NPfIT. The software, developed […]
News
Implementing PACS
Dr Mahibur Rahman explains the benefits and costs of introducing picture archiving, and shows what can happen if things go wrong.
Feature