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News: Newsletter 29

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December 7, 2004

In this newsletter:

  • Med-e-Tel 2005: Secure your participation now
  • Call for abstracts
  • Telenursing survey to describe current state and future direction of telenursing practice
  • Role of the internet in healthcare delivery
  • Swinfen Charitable Trust bringing relief via simple telemedicine links
  • Telemedicine and eHealth in Georgia
  • Telemedicine and eHealth in Ukraine
  • News from ISfT
  • Med-e-Tel Matchmaker
  • News from the Med-e-Tel media partners
  • Newsbriefs
  • Conferences


Med-e-Tel 2005, the International Trade Event and Conference for eHealth, Telemedicine and Health ICT, takes place on 6-8 April 2005 at Luxexpo, Luxembourg.
For the opening session on April 6th, Jean-Claude Healy, Director of eHealth Strategy at WHO, and Michael Nerlich, President of ISfT, are already confirmed as speakers, and will be providing an international perspective on ehealth/telemedicine implementation and development.
Other sessions include topics such as "eHealth Standardization and Interoperability" by the eHealth Standardization Coordination Group, "Satellite Applications in eHealth" by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, "Telemedicine for Developing Countries" by WHO/ITU, "Informatization of Hospital Logistics and Administration" by CRP-Santi, and "European eHealth Projects" by the European Commission IST Programme.
Don't miss the opportunity to present your products, services or projects to an international audience of healthcare decision makers at Med-e-Tel and to secure your participation in the exhibition or as a sponsor.
Visitor registration can be done here. Registration includes access to the exhibition, all conference programs and social events.
A list of hotels, where special rates have been negotiated, and online hotel reservation facilities will be available shortly at www.medetel.lu.
More information about the event can be found at www.medetel.lu or by contacting .


The abstract submission deadline for the Med-e-Tel 2005 conference program is approaching fast. Deadline is December 20th. If you are interested in making a presentation at Med-e-Tel, please refer to this page for abstract submission guidelines.
General themes of the conference will include ehealth standardization, telemedicine for developing countries, electronic medical recors, home telehealth application and vital signs monitoring, current ehealth projects and realizations, informatization of hospital logistics and administration, satellite applications in ehealth, economic benefits and efficiency, and more.
Questions? Contact Dr. Malina Jordanova, Med-e-Tel's Educational Program Coordinator, at .


In an effort to describe the current state and future direction of telenursing practice around the world, a telenursing survey is currently being conducted. The survey is jointly sponsored by Mount Aloysius College Division of Nursing (USA), iTelehealth Inc (USA), a nurse owned telehealth company, and the International Council of Nurses in Geneva (Switzerland).
The purpose of the survey is to identify satisfaction with the telenursing role, find out specific knowledge and skills that telenurses possess, discover perceptions about the current and potential effectiveness of telehealth as a nurse extender to assist in the nursing shortage, determine what the demand is for telehealth nurses worldwide, and learn about the types of knowledge and skills needed by telenurses.
Nurses in call centers, telemedicine programs, web-based telehealth sites, technology companies and others that provide or support care and education for patients remotely, are encouraged to participate in the survey.
To participate, go to http://fs10.formsite.com/itelehealth/telenursing/index.html and use the pass code 125. For more information or results, please contact Dr. Janet Grady () or Dr. Loretta Schlachta Fairchild ().


To date, the Internet has been used principally as a tool for commerce and as a cost-effective communication medium by the European healthcare industry. Increasingly however, the Internet's potential is being harnessed to transform healthcare delivery at the patient level. Trends indicate that higher Internet usage for the purpose of providing patient healthcare is imminent. From growing e-mail use by healthcare professionals and consumer eCommerce in the drug market to rising electronic procurement by hospitals and Internet diagnosis and eHealth, the use of the Internet in active healthcare delivery is poised to soar.
Explaining the expanding role of the Internet in healthcare delivery, Frost & Sullivan Healthcare Research Analyst Chris Cherrington says, "Cost saving is emerging as the main driver since the Internet is a public data network that offers low cost data transfer. Increasing public use of the World Wide Web is forcing industry vendors to use websites to advertise and spread information about their products and services."
"At the same time, e-mail has become ubiquitous and is now accepted as a mainstream method of business communication. Another reason for the rapid adoption of the Internet has been that healthcare giants and pharmaceuticals companies are using eProcurement to streamline operations."
As insurance companies and governments seek to make more efficient use of limited budgets, the Internet is anticipated to gain popularity as a cost saving tool.
Tight healthcare budgets are pushing governments to explore various Internet-based alternatives. In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service's (NHS's) simple, self-diagnosis service is the first operational eHealth programme in the European Union. The success of such direct, online health initiatives is expected to be replicated by other EU countries.
"A common standard for electronic patient records throughout Europe; initiatives to introduce electronic booking systems and connect primary healthcare providers, hospitals and healthcare payers through an integrated 'health supply chain'; as well as the rapid adoption of the Internet by private medical treatment facilities; are all likely to boost the relevance of the Internet in European healthcare delivery over the long term," notes Mr. Cherrington.
More information at http://healthcare.frost.com or e-mail .


The Swinfen Charitable Trust (SCT), a registered charity in the UK, assists "poor, sick and disabled people" in the developing world. It does this by operating simple telemedicine links between remote hospitals in the developing world and medical specialists who offer their expert advice free of charge.
Since its inception in 1998, SCT has developed links with numerous remote hospitals across the world and those in post-conflict situations. Hospitals in countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Cambodia, East Timor, Uganda and Uzbekistan are using these links regularly to assist their doctors with advice on complicated medical questions.
To date, there are 37 remote hospitals using SCT's system with access to consultant medical opinion from 8 countries, in 70 specialties and sub-specialties. The charity uses digital cameras and e-mail to provide the links. Referrals are monitored, archived and re-directed by SCT's automatic e-mail messaging service with systems operators working in Kent, UK, and Queensland, Australia, providing 24/7 cover. Patient confidentiality is scrupulously maintained.
The Trust believes that telemedicine's core growth potential is in the developing world and in conflict and post-conflict zones.
More information at www.swinfencharitabletrust.com or e-mail to [email protected].


The Georgian Telemedicine Union (GTU) is a driving force behind the introduction and popularization of telemedicine in Georgia, mainly through the organization of medical consultations and lectures. According to GTU, telemedicine is the modern tool of medicine by excellence to ensure safe and effective medical service in developing countries. It offers a perfect combination of IT and telecom technologies with medical practive.
GTU's initial projects and achievements were presented earlier this year at Med-e-Tel 2004 (see www.medetel.lu/education/parallel_sessions_2004.html). GTU was also accepted as the national member for Georgia within the International Society for Telemedicine (ISfT).
At present GTU is implementing three pilot projects for telepathology, teleoncology and tele-education.
Telepathology is the most promising and also challenging field of telemedicine. It can be used for 2nd opinion tele-evaluation and telequantification of images.
Another aspect of telemedicine that is becoming increasingly popular is teleoncology. GTU is implementing a teleoncology pilot program, through on-line consultations, via e-mail or web-page technologies.
Tele-education is successfully used in basic and continuous medical education. GTU organizes teleconference courses focusing on different medical problems affecting the Georgian community. The teleconferences are conducted following the new official recommendations (guidelines) in diagnosis, screening, prophylaxis and rehabilitation.
GTU is now also looking to implement new projects in the fields of teleradiology, telecardiology, teledermatology, telepaediatrics and others. Other initiatives include the creation of a database and telemedicine grid, prevention and screening of cancer and infectious diseases and the most important - providing better and safer healthcare in the country. All current projects will again be presented by GTU at Med-e-Tel 2005 (April 6-8, 2005).
More information at http://georgia.telepathology.org.


Also Ukrainian telemedicine is basically being developed around teleconsultations and distance education. In 2000, the Donetsk R&D Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics (DNIITO) founded, as a premier for Ukraine, a Department of Informatics and Telemedicine. Over the past few years they have established a theoretical base for telemedicine in Ukraine, published a Ukrainian-Russian telemedicine glossary and developed indicies for teleconsultations. Currently, over 100 teleconsultations are carried out per year in different medical specialties (trauma, neurosurgery, orthopedics, oncology, pediatrics, rheumatology, obstetrics, dermatology) involving doctors and patients from 30 countries. An Internet-based system for distance education was created, called "TeleTrauma", focusing specifically on trauma surgery. Several other telelecture courses for medical students are also carried out every year.
In 2004 the creation of a telemedical network for the entire Donetsk region was begun, aiming to link up several hospitals and universities in the region as well as other international specialists.
More information about the Ukrainian telemedicine activities of DNIITO and their projects can be found at www.telemed.org.ua. Or e-mail Dr. Anton Vladzymyrskyy, Regional Telemedicine Director and Head of the Dept. of Informatics and Telemedicine, at to set up a meeting at Med-e-Tel 2005.


n this section of the Med-e-Tel newsletter, we report news from the ISfT (International Society for Telemedicine), supporting partner of the Med-e-Tel event.
- At its recent Board Meeting and General Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, ISfT accepted new national members from Brazil (Brazilian Council of Telemedicine and Telehealth), Bangladesh (Bangladesh Telemedicine Association), and Russia (Russian Telemedicine Foundation). Discussion with organizations in several other countries to become national member for their country are currently also underway.
- The current ISfT Board was re-elected during the General Assembly and will serve a term of 3 years. The board members will put continuous efforts into building up the ISfT membership and establishing relations with industry and policy leaders with the aim of creating a global network and society of telemedicine and ehealth specialists, that can assist wherever and whenever telemedicine/ehealth knowledge, experience, advice and even services or equipment are needed.
- During the activities in Geneva, ISfT also conducted meetings with the WHO (World Health Organization) and ITU (International Telecommunication Union) and steps are being taken to become an organization in official relation with these international institutions. Earlier, a special partnership with UNOOSA (United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs) in Vienna, Austria was also already established. These cooperations will serve a coordinated and efficient approach to the deployment of ehealth strategies and telemedicine activities around the world.
- The ISfT newsletter can be found at www.isft.net/newsletter/newsbrowse.php. Free subscription can be done at www.isft.net/cms/index.php?subscribe_newsletter.
- For more information or to contact ISfT, see www.isft.net.


The Med-e-Tel matchmaker aims to facilitate contacts and links between various telemedicine and ehealth professionals and providers around the world. Below is a list of requests. To obtain more details or to provide your services, contact us at and we will put you in touch with the source of these requests. If you would like to submit a request of your own, e-mail us and we will publish it in a next newsletter.
- India: Postgraduate Student with M.Sc in Physics and MBA and with interests, experience and several papers published in health ICT, telemedicine, electronic medical records is looking for opportunities to work, get trained or pursue research in telemedicine/ehealth. Member of Indian Association for Medical Informatics and WHO's HIF-net.
- USA: Developers of a new course in telemedicine as part of BSc degree in Biomedical Engeineering Technology are looking for assistance in determining course content.
- Malta: Paediatric Gastroenterologist looking to establish a videoconference-based virtual outreach clinic in Malta (with links to other countries) in the field of parental nutrition and other medical disciplines.
- UK - South/Central America: UK Medical student looking to work in a Spanish speaking country in South or Central America during summer 2005 in the specialties of paediatrics, tropical diseases or accident and emergency.
- Rwanda: Non-profit organization setting up a health ICT project to bridge the gap between local Rwandese medical staff and those from the developed world, is looking for contacts with "telemedicine" vendors and service providers.
- Russia - Belgium: Russian government agency looking to establish cooperation with telemedicine companies and hospitals in Belgium to setup videoconsultations (mainly for heart related problems) and interactive tele-education.
- Italy - Africa/South America: eHealth research center writing a new book is looking for contributors from Africa and South America (or experts in the local problematics). Possible topics are "medical education via the Internet" and "digital divide".


For information on publications, journals, magazines, reports and on-line information services that will help you to stay abreast of what is going on in the field of ehealth and to make better informed decisions in your daily business or healthcare practice, check out the list of Media Partners on www.medetel.lu. To follow is a review of just some of the publications that will be featured at the Med-e-Tel Media Corner during Med-e-Tel 2005 (April 6-8, 2005):
 
- Infomedix is a contact magazine for the medical industry, and it is sent free of charge in about 13.500 copies only to manufacturers, distributors, dealers, importers, exporters, wholesalers and agents in over 140 countries worldwide. To gain visibility or to enquire about Infomedix's services, please contact [email protected] or visit www.infomedix.it.
 
- Federal Telemedicine Update, published by Bloch Consulting Group, is an online publication that goes to healthcare professionals, corporate executives, college and university directors, academic medical centers, researchers, hospital administrators, and others in the field that need up to the minute data on telemedicine, telehealth, and health information technology activities in the U.S. Federal Government, Universities, and State governments. Two reports are published annually "Federal agencies: Activities in Telehealth, Telemedicine, and Informatics" and a companion report aquot;University and State Activities: Telemedicine, Telehealth, Informatics, and Research". More info at www.federaltelemedicine.com.
 
- Content and full text version of the new issue of the Ukrainian Journal of Telemedicine and Medical Telematics is available at www.telemed.org.ua/wwwtm_eng/n2cont.html.


To follow are links to some interesting and recently published articles and studies (if you would like to suggest an article for inclusion into a following newsletter, feel free to send details to ):

  • Mobile phones become PACS workstations (Diagnostic Imaging)
  • Treatment Outcomes in Depression: Comparison of Remote Treatment Through Telepsychiatry to In-Person Treatment (The American Journal of Psychiatry)
  • Quantitative and Qualitative Usage Data of an Internet-Based Asthma Monitoring Tool (Journal of Medical Internet Research)
  • Using telemedicine to virtually manage gestational diabetes (Medical News Today)
  • VA Studying Effectiveness of Telehealth for Congestive Heart Failure (ATSP)
  • Use of a Patient-Accessible Electronic Medical Record in a Practice for Congestive Heart Failure: Patient and Physician Experiences (Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association)
  • Diabetics helped by smart bandage (BBC News)
  • VoWi-Fi keeps nurses on call (NetworkWorldFusion)
  • eHealth and the Elderly: a new range of products and services? (The IPTS Report)
  • The Interdisciplinary eHealth Team: Chronic Care for the Future (Journal of Medical Internet Research)
  • Stepping Out from the Crowd with an EMR (Advance for Health Information Executives)
  • Thumbprints access health records (BBC News)
  • The ABCs of Teleradiology Quality Control (Health Imaging & IT)
  • Design and Implementation of a Calibrated Store and Forward Imaging System for Teledermatology (Journal of Medical Systems)
  • Wireless PDAs may prove useful for image interpretation (Diagnostic Imaging)
  • Your patient wait may be at an end: telemedicine says the E-doctor is in (scotsman.com)
  • Apollo Hospitals to link India and Pakistan through telemedicine (Virtual Medical Worlds)
  • Disease Management and the Internet (Journal of Medical Internet Research)
  • Telemedicine: On, under and out of this world (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
  • Using Telehealth to Address the Nursing Shortage (Home Healthcare Nurse)
  • Managing Congestive Heart Failure Using Home Telehealth (Home Healthcare Nurse)
  • What You Need to Know About Home Blood Pressure Telemonitoring But May Not Know to Ask (Home Healthcare Nurse)
  • European IT Vendors Could Derive Revenue Growth by Building Home Telehealth Solutions for the Elderly New Report Shows (ATSP)
  • Assessment of Patients Acceptance of and Satisfaction with Teledermatology (Journal of Medical Systems)
  • Factors Affecting the Adoption of Telemedicine-A Multiple Adopter Perspective (Journal of Medical Systems)
  • Information Technology in the Future of Health Care (Journal of Medical Systems)
  • Shortening time to stroke treatment using ambulance telemedicine: TeleBAT (Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases)
  • Telemedicine centres planned for ECape (ITWeb)
  • New Portal Gives Patients Scheduling Power, Fast Access to Info (Health-IT World News)
  • Quality healthcare requires better integration of PACS with patient record (Diagnostic Imaging)
  • Monitors move into OR, tackle interconnection (Diagnostic Imaging)
  • An e-mail saved this boy's life (BBC News)


- Personalised Health: The Integration of Innovative Sensing, Textile, Information & Communication Technologies will take place in Belfast, Northern Ireland on December 13th to December 15th 2004 and is organised with the collaboration of the European Commission IST Programme. This prestigious event will address key themes in personalised healthcare. Many of the world's leading academics, industrialists, clinicians and administrators in this field will be taking part.
The event is timed to coincide with the 4th call for proposals by the IST programme in the 6th Framework Programme of the European Commission, and it will be used to facilitate consortium and proposal building between academic partners and industry, with the assistance of the key personnel from the European Commission. The Workshop will focus on topics identified by the Commission as important to the future of Personal Health Management Systems, such as the synergies between advanced textiles, sensors, nanotechnology & computing. For more information please visit www.phealth2004.ulster.ac.uk.

 
 

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