Gartner awarded market intelligence contract
The National Programme for IT has awarded a one-year £154,000 contract to IT analysts Gartner to provide it with market intelligence services. The deal follows the award of a £117,000 contract to Ovum for ‘supplier relations’ services in July. According to NPfIT the market intelligence to be supplied by Gartner will help it monitor the […]
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Laptop and mobile ban lifted in new MHRA guidelines
The Medicines and Health Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued new guidelines about the use of wireless communication and electronics in hospitals and clinics, saying that they ought to be seen as managed risks, rather than banned outright. A ban on mobile phones, laptop computers, handheld gaming devices, 2.5G and 3G is now “not required, and impossible […]
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Tele-echography robot allows remote patient scans
A university research team has developed a robotic device that allows a doctor to examine a patient in a remote location by ultrasound, with the scans relayed back to the doctor in real-time. E-Health Insider has been the first in the UK to see OTELO (mObile Tele-Echography system using an ultra-Light rObot) in action. It […]
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C&W win NHS email and directory contract
Cable & Wireless is the new contractor appointed to manage central e-mail and directory services for the NHS, the Department of Health (DH) announced today. A spokesman for the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) confirmed that the nine year contract was worth £29.3m with the current user base which stood at 65,000 (25,000 active users) last […]
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BMA asks for clarity on care record issues
Doctors at the British Medical Association’s Annual Representative Meeting at Llandudno have demanded that the NHS Care Records System should not be fully implemented until issues over accuracy, consent and data protection are ironed out. The motion, proposed by Dr Mary Hawking from the South Bedfordshire Division, asked that “before total dependence on joint electronic patient […]
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Croydon PCT merges database with social services
A south London PCT has pooled its patient database with the council social services system in order to improve patient aftercare and data quality. Croydon PCT and Croydon Social Services are using MultiVue, by VisionWare, to synchronise the two record systems. The software allows both health and social care professionals to access the integrated records […]
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WAP can be used for reporting symptoms, study finds
Italian researchers have shown that aftercare and patient communication might be improved if patients are asked to fill in daily questionnaires using WAP on their mobile phones. The research, published in BioMed Central’s journal, found that a Wireless Health Outcomes Monitoring System (WHOMS) greatly increased the flow of information between cancer patients at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan and […]
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Report challenges hospital mobile ban
A new report on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) and electromagnetic interference (EMI) in healthcare facilities challenges the wisdom of blanket prohibitions on mobile phones and other wireless devices in hospitals, writes Neil Versel from the annual Toward an Electronic Patient Record (TEPR) conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to a white paper issued by the US-based Mobile […]
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Best of European E-Health Announced
The 2004 awards for the best e-health projects in Europe have been announced, with three winners chosen from over 32 projects from across Europe. Sponsored by the European Commission, the eEurope Awards for eHealth were presented at the eHealth Europe Conference, held in Cork, Ireland, on 6 May. The winners were chosen from 32 different finalists […]
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Basildon and Thurrock notches up wireless “first”
Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Trust has become the first NHS Trust to implement a fully wireless-enabled network. Staff at the trust will now be able to roam wirelessly and access critical information at the point of care, meeting patient needs faster and reducing errors. Administration staff and management will also be able to access files and […]
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