Telemedicine and the future of healthcare | Articles | FutureGov - Transforming Government | Education | Healthcare

Thousands of children have benefitted from the telepaediatric service carried out by the University of Queensland’s Centre for Online Health in Brisbane. Dr Anthony Smith, Deputy Director of the Centre, talked to FutureGov about the expanding scope of telemedicine and what it means to the future of healthcare.

“Since the service began in November 2000, more than 10,000 telehealth consultations have been carried out for children living in 97 regional and remote areas in Queensland. This amount of activity makes it the largest telepaediatric service ever reported throughout the world,”...


Telemedicine and the future of healthcare | Articles | FutureGov - Transforming Government | Education | Healthcare

BBC News - Non-emergency 111 health number to be piloted

Trials of a three-digit telephone number for those needing non-emergency medical care in England have been launched in the North East.

NHS County Durham and Darlington Primary Care Trusts are to pilot the free 111 number, to act as an alternative to 999, followed by Nottingham, Lincolnshire and Luton.

The government service will not initially replace NHS Direct, but may do so in the longer term if successful...

BBC News - Non-emergency 111 health number to be piloted

HealthLeaders Media: Patient Portals - The New Platform for Health Communications

Many hospital CEOs recognize the strategic importance of deploying digital technologies. This heightened awareness is driven by the reality that 160 million Americans use the Internet for health information, and two-thirds of physicians use the Internet for clinical information (WebMD). In a 2008 Deloitte Survey of Healthcare Consumers, “60 percent [of respondents] want physicians to provide online access to medical records, test results and online appointment scheduling; one in four said they would pay more for the service.”...

Guest Post: Patient Portals — The New Platform for Health Communications

Healthcare Workforce Shortages

Investment in health IT workforce is an emerging challenge not only by developed, but by developing countries as well.

"The U.S. health care industry is facing two emerging workforce challenges as it prepares to meet demands both from more patients for more care, and from
consumers and regulators for cost, quality and other reforms. The first is the widely documented shortage of caregivers (see “U.S. Health Care Workforce
Shortages: Caregivers”). The other is a growing shortage of health information technology (HIT) workers that is becoming significant as the industry aims to
expand use of electronic health records (EHR), health information exchanges (HIE) and other HIT tools. Evidence of an HIT workforce shortage is coming from at least two sources..."

CSC_US_Healthcare_Workforce_Shortages_HIT.pdf (application/pdf Object)

Medical News: OMG, Texting No Help 4 Adherence 2 The Pill - in OB/Gyn, General OB/GYN from MedPage Today

Sending text messages to remind women to take their oral contraceptive pills doesn't seem to work, according to researchers...
... Most of the women getting text-message reminders said they would at least consider continuing to use the system (86%) and would even be willing to pay a monthly fee for it (57%).

Every patient in both groups rated remembering to take the pill as highly important (median 10 on a scale in which 10 was "the most important thing she can do to prevent pregnancy").

Medical News: OMG, Texting No Help 4 Adherence 2 The Pill - in OB/Gyn, General OB/GYN from MedPage Today