January 2001
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the first newsletter of the new year.
This is an important time for everybody involved in telemedicine
and telecare. The recent "refresh" of the English IM&T strategy,
Building on the Information Core, sets out a clear agenda for modernising
the NHS. It states:
The better capture, management and use of information –
analysed, communicated and shared through modern systems and networks –
is central to managing change and modernising the front-line delivery of care,
treatment and services to patients. It is central to improving the day to
day working and skills of staff. It is about improving the very nature of
care itself – information, communication and understanding.
It also states that
"More diagnosis [will be] carried out using video and tele-links
to hospital based specialists – giving patients more equitable access
to care, less waiting and travelling and clinicians more appropriate referrals,
improved use of resources and better continuing professional development."
"Telecare and telemonitoring is already making independent
living possible in a working pilot for older people in sheltered housing in
Tyneside. Other pilots in home distance monitoring of patients with high blood
pressure demonstrate enhanced efficiency, improved outcomes and the more active
involvement of individuals in their own care."
The next few years will be an exciting time for all involved
in telemedicine and telecare. The UKTA is proud to be part of the culture
change.
Terry Dennis
Acting Chief Executive
The December newsletter welcomed David Chell, from the Medical
Devices Agency to the UKTA. Please note that this was incorrect and should
have read Ian Chell. Apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused
to Ian.
A warm welcome to our new members this month:
Great Ormond Street Hospital
The Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Trust
MEMBERS QUESTION TIME
David Jackland from the Greater Manchester Ambulance Trust would
like to ask and receive comment from members on the following question
How will the Ambulance Services and the A&E Departments
attempt to deliver the telemedicine requirements contained within the NHS
Plan and what benefits do the two organisations believe it will deliver?
Please return your comments to david.jackland@gmas-tr.nwest.nhs.uk
It would be helpful if you could also copy your comments to
monica@denwales.freeserve.co.uk
so that they can be compiled into a document and circulated to other members
of the UKTA who might be interested in the discussion that is generated
If you would like to put a question to members in future editions
of the newsletter please email Monica at the address above.
NEWS UPDATE
The next UKTA members meeting will be held on Tuesday 13 March
2001 in the Conference Room,Terminal 2, Manchester Airport. The programme
and booking form will be circulated soon.
Ortivus have kindly agreed to host a members meeting on 6 July
2001 in Southampton. The full programme and venue details will be circulated
in the near future.
A groundbreaking scheme in West Yorkshire is leading the way
in the delivery of healthcare. Community Telemedicine provides at home 24-hour
monitoring, treatment and reassurance to patients with severe respiratory
conditions. The scheme has been developed by West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance
Service, Pontefract Emergency Respiratory Team (PERT) and Tunstall Group Ltd,
a leading provider of the technology. The system works by monitoring a patient's
vital signs. Any signs of deterioration are quickly detected, the PERT nurse
alerted and treatment initiated. For further information please contact: c_lugar@tunstall.co.uk
Biodata Information Technology, global leader in network and
communications security, have been security certified under Common Criteria.
The certification process approves Biodata's Research and Development (R&D)
process for IT security products in Germany, where the world-wide products^
R&D are centralised. The certification testifies Biodata follows international
security criteria by protecting R&D data and other company knowledge.
Biodata products that are developed follow security standards required under
Common Criteria including testing of the security methods, R&D processes
and documentation www.biodata.com
The Common Criteria Certificate is valid until 31 December 2001,
and will then be revised on a yearly basis. In 1998, Britain, France, Germany,
Canada, the Netherlands and the US documented objective criteria for security
companies. The specific requirements are published as "Common Criteria
for Information Technology Security Evaluation". More information on
Common Criteria can be found at www.commoncriteria.org
The need for faster, high quality assessments of health technology
that are accessible to both health professionals and the public and can inform
health policy is driving the development of the National Health Technology
Assessment Programme (HTA), http://www.medexonline.com/news/item.cfm?ID=698&source=Medexonline
The UK's Chief Nursing Officer Sarah Mullally has launched her
own website http://www.doh.gov.uk/cno/index.htm.
The new site provides information about the Department of Health's Nursing
Group, part of the Nursing, Quality and Consumers Directorate headed by the
Chief Nursing Officer.
Researchers in a study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
found that caring for very low birth weight babies is helped with telemedicine.
The researchers studied 56 infants who were in the neonatal intensive care
unit. For more details http://www.federaltelemedicine.com/n012201.htm
Doctors at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee have
discovered the healing power of light through technology originally developed
to grow plants on board the space shuttle. Doctors are examining how this
innovative lighting technology can be used to help treat hard-to-heal wounds,
such as diabetic skin ulcers, serious burns and severe oral sores caused by
chemotherapy and radiation. The project, which includes laboratory and human
trials, is being funded through a NASA small business innovation research
contract http://www.medexonline.com/news/item.cfm?ID=680&source=Medexonline
The National Rehabilitation Hospital in Washington D.C. has
a TeleHealth Center that provides live, interactive consultation and diagnostic
services for patients with rehabilitation needs resulting from strokes, brain,
spinal cord, and orthopedic injuries. NRH uses specialised equipment and standard
telephone service to provide remote diagnostic services, videoconferencing
for remote consultations, custom designed live interactive training courses,
and other services. http://www.federaltelemedicine.com/n012201.htm
USEFUL AND INTERESTING SITES
ECRI – Health Technology Assessment Information Service
provides detailed evidence based reviews of new and established health technologies
www.ecri.org
NCCHTA – National Co-ordinating Centre for Health Technology
Assessment www.ncchta.org
TeleHealth Net – a leading provider of teleHealth and e
health information and organisations http://teleHealth.net
Systematic review of Studies of Patient Satisfaction with Telemedicine
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/320/7248/1517
Department of Health Research Findings Electronic Register (ReFeR).
http://www.doh.gov.uk/research/rd3/information/findings.htm
A database which provides "prompt sight" of the findings of completed
research from the NHS R&D programme and the Department of Health Policy
Research Programme
Practicenurse http://www.egroups.com/group/practicenurse
an electronic discussion group to support Practice Nurses. It provides opportunities
to network and share information
UKTA CIRCULATIONS IN THE LAST MONTH
An executive summary of Telemedicine in USA: opportunities for
UK’s healthcare sector http://www.londonmedicine.org.uk/newsfrm.htm
Patients to Get Web at Bedside http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/09/technology/09HOSP.html
Members meeting Tuesday 13 March 2001, Manchester monica@denwales.freeserve.co.uk
Partnerships in Healthcare, Hilton Brighton Metropole, 14-15
May 2001 www.partnershipsinhealthcare.co.uk/UK eHealth Association
Visit the DoH NHS Executive website for an update on telemedicine
www.doh.gov.uk/nhsexipu/strategy/update/index.htm
E Health to be at the heart of the new NHS
Medexonline 15-Jan-2001
Making Medical Informatics Work Conference, 15th and 16th February
2001, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester www.it-p.co.uk/mmiw
Email: mmiw@meridian74.freeserve.co.uk
Intelligent Data Analysis in Medicine and Pharmacology A Workshop
at the Medinfo2001 London, UK, September 4th, 2001
http://magix.fri.uni-lj.si/idamap2001
AND FINALLY…….
The success of the newsletter depends very much on you! We want
the newsletter to be a tool for you to raise awareness to other members of
the work in which you are involved. This might be the development of new clinical
services, telecare products or new initiatives.
If you would like to contribute to the next circulation please
email monica@denwales.freeserve.co.uk
with your information
Please forward this e-mail to other colleagues who may find it of interest.
Monica Dennis
Administration Officer
UK eHealth Association
Britannia House,
11 High Street,
Cowbridge
Vale of Glamorgan
CF71 7AD
Tel and fax: 01446 775189
Mobile: 0780 844 2079
Email: monica@denwales.freeserve.co.uk
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