Dear Healthcare Informatics Insider,
A digital infrastructure can make a huge contribution to the safety of patients. Finland has fully implemented PACS, and an article published today shows how access to the entire imaging history of a child can prevent unnecessary and inappropriate exposure to radiation doses. Click here to read more.
"Going digital" within a hospital has had an impact on radiologists in many ways. While some may feel they have become isolated, many clinical specialists are interacting successfully with their colleagues. Columnist Dr. Neelam Dugar explains here.
Going digital is also empowering patients and this was emphasized last month in London at the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare. Contributing writer Becky McCall reports on a futuristic look at healthcare in 2050 by Lucien Engelen, director of the REshape & Innovation Center at Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands. Click here to read.
Universal patient IDs are becoming increasingly valuable. You can learn about what progress has been made by a selection of European countries by reading this article.
Another change relates to updating patient consent forms. Staff writer Rebekah Moan reports on a survey about this very subject. Learn what was discovered by clicking here.
Telemedicine has been around for more than 30 years, but it has not been adopted as rapidly as might have been expected, due in large part to cost and payment-related issues. Staff writer Wayne Forrest reports on a study from Germany that explores the cost -- and potential viability -- of the use of telemedicine services at rural hospitals. Get the story here.
Finally, do you know it's eHealth Week 2013? Perhaps you're reading this newsletter in Dublin, where the World of Health IT Conference, the mHealth Symposium, the High Level eHealth Conference, and the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise Symposium are all taking place.
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Europe has been the lead coordinator of this mega-event, but credit must also go to at least seven other actively participating European organizations. AuntMinnieEurope.com is keeping a close eye on activities in Dublin, so watch out for coverage over the coming weeks in the Healthcare Informatics Digital Community.
