|
Welcome to the Med-e-Tel newsletter!
This newsletter is your source for Med-e-Tel updates, news from the Med-e-Tel partners, exhibitors and speakers, as well as other telemedicine and ehealth news from around the world.
We look forward to seeing you at Med-e-Tel 2008 on April 16-18 in Luxembourg. For Med-e-Tel 2008 program details and registration, go to www.medetel.lu. Avoid queuing at the entrance, and submit your registration in advance! Med-e-Tel 2008 is accredited by the EACCME to provide CME credits to healthcare professionals (see first article in this issue of the newsletter). |
|
Featured Partner
The World Health Organization (WHO) is Med-e-Tel's Edcuational Program Partner.
The Fifty-eight World Health Assembly in May 2005, adopted Resolution WHA58.28 establishing an eHealth Strategy for WHO. The resolution urged Member States to plan for appropriate eHealth services in their countries. The same year, WHO launched the Global Observatory for eHealth (GOe), an initiative dedicated to the study of eHealth, its evolution and impact on health in countries. The Obervatory's mission is to improve health by providing Member States with strategic information and guidance on effective practices and standards in eHealth.
During the Med-e-Tel 2008 Opening Session, Dr. Yunkap Kwankam, eHealth Coordinator at the Department of Knowledge Management and Sharing within the WHO, will provide an update on the eHealth Strategy of the World Health Organization.
Med-e-Tel works together with a distinguished academy of organizations, associations and institutions who are active in the fields of ehealth, telemedicine, and health ICT.
Click here for a full list of supporting organizations and partners. |
Featured Media Partners
The healthcare industry continues to evolve and expand into one of the largest individual industries, and with the dawn of new and innovative technology to increase the standards of patient care, comes a vast increase in financial investment. Future Healthcare provides an invaluable service to physicians and healthcare professionals in print and online. The publication and website both evaluate new and emerging technologies and therapies, whilst examining how these innovations will impact end-users who are committed to increasing levels of patient care. Click here to view a recent issue of Future Healthcare.
ICT Results showcases the brightest and best of EU-funded ICT research, from new products and services to behind-the-scens technological developments that really improve European quality of life.
Federal Telemedicine News, 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 IT activities in the U.S. Federal Government, Universities and State governments. Two reports are also published annually: Federal Agencies: Activities in Telehealth, Telemedicine, and Informatics and a companion report University and State Activities: Telemedicine, Telehealth, Informatics and Research.
SIR medical, a specialised magazine for ICT and new technologies in medicine and the healthcare business, helps to keep track of the healthcare ICT developments in Switzerland and critically tackles questions on the development of e-healthcare. From the same publishers are also available SAR, the Schweizerische Arzt und Spital-Revue (the Swiss doctors' and hospitals' revue), and its Swiss-French counterpart RMH Revue de Médecins et Hôpitaux.
The swiss-ICT-healthnet is an eHealthcare web project accompanied by a new printed publication, both with main focus on medical IT & eHealth communication in Switzerland and the EU. Both targeting governmental decision makers, CIOs, IT managers, specialists and practitioners in the fields of ehealth, health ICT and telemedicine (from hospitals, private and public clinics, healthcare institutes, insurances, ...) in Switzerland.
The Journal of CyberTherapy and Rehabilitation (JCR) is a quarterly peer-reviewed journal which explores the uses of advanced technologies for behavioral healthcare. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, cognitive rehabilitation, neurorehabilitation, oncology, obesity, eating disorders, AIDS, neurology, and autism, among many others. This journal is targeted to academics, psychologists, psychiatrists, sociologists, educators, computer scientists, and those interested in the use of advanced technologies for the enhancement of traditional healthcare.
The Med-e-Tel media partnerships provide you with a look at a wide range of healthcare and medical journals, magazines and on-line news and information services that will help you to stay abreast of what is going on in the field of ehealth, telemedicine and healthcare IT and to make better informed decisions in your daily business or healthcare practice.
Pick up your personal copy of these publications in the Media Corner at Med-e-Tel 2008! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Med-e-Tel 2008 accredited to provide CME activity for medical specialists  Med-e-Tel 2008 is accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME) to provide CME activity for medical specialists (for a maximum of 18 hours of European external CME credits).
The EACCME is an institution of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS, www.uems.net) and acts as a clearinghouse for certification of CME credits in Europe.
This system of accreditation and its designation number of CME credits are recognized by all the national authorities of the countries of the European Union. EACCME credits are not only recognised Europe-wide but can be exchanged for National CME credits by contacting your National CME Authority. In the USA, EACCME Credits are automatically converted into American Medical Association (AMA) credits upon presentation of the certificate of attendance including the EACCME formula to the AMA.
|
|
Med-e-Tel 2008: what to expect?
You are all set to participate at Med-e-el 2008? Registration done, hotel reserved, flights booked, or GPS set for Luxembourg city? And what now?
Check if you have well received your confirmation of registration, which will allow you to pick up your entrance badge and conference materials upon arrival at Med-e-Tel. Have any questions about it? Contact info@medetel.lu.
Venue address (Luxexpo Exhibition and Congress Center) and local directions are available at www.medetel.lu/index.php?rub=hotel_travel&page=venue.
And what to expect when you get to Med-e-Tel?
Med-e-Tel is a networking, discussion and learning forum bringing together people from nearly 50 countries from around the world. A place to give and take information about telemedicine and ehealth research projects and real-life experiences, about barriers and solutions for large scale implementation; a place to find new partners, new customers, new suppliers, new ideas; a place to discover new ways of conducting your business or running your organization, to hear about novel solutions for training and educating healthcare personnel, and to evaluate new manners in which to provide care for your patients.
The extensive Med-e-Tel conference program starts off with a plenary opening session on Wednesday morning (April 16th), followed by a number of concurrent sessions and meetings on Wednesday afternoon, Thursday and Friday (see www.medetel.lu for program details). The program is varied and offers a broad view on telemedicine and ehealth applications. Choices will have to be made about which sessions to attend! Unless you bring your colleagues too, which will allow you to share notes about the different sessions and presentations afterwards. We strongly encourage you to continue discussions with speakers and attendees inbetween and after the conference sessions on the central exhibition floor.
On the exhibition floor you will find several stands of companies and organizations showcasing their technology or activities in the field of telemedicine and ehealth (see www.medetel.lu for a list of participating companies and organizations). There is also a media corner where you can find details or pick up copies from over 30 publications and information services that are focusing exclusively or partially on telemedicine and ehealth topics (see www.medetel.lu for a list of media partners).
Last but not least, we invite you to join us at the Welcome Reception on Wednesday April 16th (at the Grand Théâtre in Luxemboug city) and at the Exhibitor and Attendee Reception on Thursday April 17th (at Med-e-Tel/Luxexpo). Two great networking opportunities to meet and mingle with all Med-e-Tel participants and invited guests.
|
|
eHealth in the European context  "eHealth and Public Health in the European Context" will be addressed in the Med-e-Tel Opening Session on April 16th by Nick Fahy, Head of the Health Information Unit at the European Commission's (EC) Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection. The presentation will focus on how the EC services are striving to develop ehealth (i.e. the use of tools based on information and communication technologies to
assist and enhance the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and
management of health and lifestyle) from a public health perspective.
Michael Palmer of the ICT for Health Unit at the Directorate-General for the Information Society of the European Commission, will shed light during the Med-e-Tel Opening Session on the EC plans to issue a communication on
telemedicine and innovative ICT tools for chronic disease management.
Recognising the potential benefits of ICT tools in healthcare, the
European Commission has been supporting efforts in the field of ICT for
Health for the last 20 years. But, despite the investments in research
and the advancement in technologies today, there still is a
relatively low take-up of telemedicine applications in real-life
medicine.
The objective of the communication will be to help Member States take advantage of the potential benefits of telemedicine according to
their specific needs and at the same time tackle important aspects
related to cross-border care issues linked to telemedicine practice. Issues that have been identified so far can be categorised into three
'families':
- technical (the need for standardisation, infrastructure/broadband accessibility issues and interoperability
requirements);
- organisational (lack of awarness/acceptance of
professionals and patients, need for quality standards, business models
and quantification of economic benefits);
- and regulatory/legal issues
(liability, reimbursement and privacy issues).
The Commission is
currently gathering information and consulting stakeholders on the
subject of telemedicine and will publish the communication later this year.
Obtain also more information about the European Commission's ehealth activities and programs from both the Directorate-General Health and the Directorate-General Information Society at their stand on the Med-e-Tel exhibition. |
|
Ambitious heart failure monitoring scheme with high GP involvement
A 3-year heart failure telemonitoring project is currently running at the St. Jan Hospital in the Brussels region (Belgium). The project, dubbed Belgium HF, focuses on the early detection and adequate follow-up of heart failure.
Belgium-based telemedicine technology provider Vitalsys delivers the expertise and devices that are vital for this project. Other partners include SSMG (GP's Scientific Association), the Brussels Heart Center of St. Jan Hospital, Touring and Belgacom Mobile. Combining the expertise in field medicine, cardiology, people assistance, telemedicine and telecommunication technologies is the key to the success of the project.
Initially, the project consists of the actual development of the protocol that will make it possible to detect the early signs of heart failure.
In a second fase, the study will focus on encouraging and implementing the pro-active intervention of the general practitioner, who will be required to take proper actions to reduce heart failure, in close collaboration with the cardiologist. The combination of GP's and telemedicine makes this clinical trial very unique and ambitious at Belgium as well as at European level.
Statistics have shown that 40 percent of heart failure patients leaving the hospital are expected to be re-hospitalised within 6 months. The ultimate purpose of the project is to reduce the frequency and duration of hospitalisation.
In a presentation on "Identification of Clinical Outcomes Predictors of Patients with Chronic Heart Failure Using Non-invasive Home Telemonitoring: The BELGIUM-HF Registry (Better Efficacy in Lowering events by General practitioner's Intervention Using remote Monitoring)", the experience with telemonitoring and the actual status of the registry will be presented in the Med-e-Tel 2008 conference program.
Also see Vitalsys and their VitalCare telemedicine platform for the monitoring of hypertension, heart disease, respiratory problems, diabetes and more on the Med-e-Tel exhibition.
|
|
Improved diagnostics for cardiac arrhythmias through telemedical monitoring
 Deutsche BKK, Germany's largest company health insurance plan, will offer those insured with heart disease increased telemedical diagnostics in select medical centers throughout the country. This is a result of a three year study which took place in the City Hospital Wolfsburg, Germany. The study showed that telemedicine clearly improved the diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmias and rendered it more efficient. In addition, unnecessary admissions to the hospital as well as in-patient care for the purpose of diagnostics were prevented. The City Hospital Wolfsburg is going to rely on the Tele-EKG-System from the Mannheim telemedical provider Vitaphone and will increase its stock of devices considerably based on the excellent results of the study.
"This system is technically fully developed, easy to handle and offers high-quality ECGs. In many cases, cardiac arrhythmias that the patients perceive as life-threatening turn out to be harmless. The patient can then remain at home and would not need to be admitted to the hospital. Without Tele-ECGs, we would be forced to make use of an ambulance and admit the patient to the critical care unit for observation in these cases. The ECG-Monitoring Card is a real milestone in diagnostics of cardiology," according to Dr. Birgit Gerecke Chief Attending of the Department of Internal Medicine in the City Hospital Wolfsburg.
"As a result of this study, we know that patients who use telemonitoring have a significant decrease in visits to the physician's office. In addition, there is also a marked decrease of times the patients come to the hospital due to cardiac arrhythmias that they perceive as life-threatening. Telemedicine can therefore decrease cost due to the simultaneous improvement of diagnostics and treatment. This is more than enough reason for the Deutsche BKK to offer this successful method to more areas in the coming months. In order to accomplish this, we are still looking for competent and dedicated partners in hospitals and offices," states Dr. Thorsten Heberlein, Dept. of Controlling and Care Management of the Deutsche BKK, in reference to the results and consequences of the Wolfsburg experience.
Find out more in the Med-e-Tel 2008 Opening Session on April 16th from Vitaphone's Medical Director, Dr. Harald Korb, about their overall experience with "Telemonitoring in the Management of Chronic Diseases". Also hear more from Vitaphone's Holger Morsitz about the Vitaphone technology for the "Telemonitoring of Patients with Cardiac Dysrhythmia" in one of the dedicated Telecardiology sessions as part of the Med-e-Tel conference program. And make sure to see the devices and technology at work on the Vitaphone stand at Med-e-Tel.
|
|
Aerotel and Medicronic-Vodafone launch innovative wireless homecare system in Spain  Aerotel Medical Systems, one of the world's leading manufacturers of advanced telemedicine and remote monitoring solutions, announced recently that Vodafone Spain in conjunction with Medicronic Salud have used Aerotel's e-CliniQ™ Wireless Home Monitoring System with successful results. Medicronic
Salud is a leading telemedicine service provider in Spain. Together
with Vodafone, the company has established Medicronic-Vodafone Spain, a
Medical Call Center Service, using both fixed and cell phone
technologies, combined with vital parameters measurements to be managed
by patients at home or at the retirement homes (more than 5.000 all over
Spain), with or without medical services.
The e-CliniQ™ Wireless Home Monitoring System enables patients to keep track of their health, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Using Bluetooth technology, Aerotel's Tele-Modem™ Homecare Hub remotely monitors the patient's vital signs from various homecare sensors, transmitting the data to Medicronic's central receiving station via the Vodafone cellular network, where it is stored and analyzed by Aerotel's Medical Parameters Monitoring (MPM™) software. "Flexibility and adaptation to patient needs has been key to e-CliniQ's success," commented David Rubin, Aerotel Medical Systems President & CEO. "In the modern age of wireless telecommunications and anywhere connectivity via cellular and internet networks, there is no reason why we cannot provide our patients with full remote and non-intrusive monitoring care, saving time and money in unnecessary visits to doctors and hospitals." In Spain where more and more old people use cell phones, it is easy for them to be connected instead of depending on a fixed place were the analogue lines exist like at home. Spain has the oldest rate of elder people in the European Union and one of the higher number of chronic patients, most of them over 65 years old.
"The consistence of Aerotel's technology," says Dr. José Antonio Amérigo, Medical Director of Medicronic-Vodafone Spain, "is a good example to use in Chronic Disease Management, where the patients take their own control of the situation, supervised from a distance by a group of doctors and nurses, at the Medicronic-Vodafone Call Center."
Aerotel's innovative technology also enables patients to monitor other values such as weight, blood glucose, ECG (electrocardiogram), cholesterol, blood oxygen saturation level (SpO2) and Spirometry. Meet Aerotel representatives on the Med-e-Tel exhibition to find out more about their vast telemedicine experience and solutions! And attend their presentation on the "Benefits of Cardiac Telemedicine in Primary Care", based on recent experiences in the UK.
|
|
Aipermon involved in large telemedicine study of chronic heart failure  A "Telemedical Interventional Monitoring in Heart Failure" began earlier this year in the Berlin Brandenburg and Baden-Württemberg regions in Germany and includes 570 patients. The study is scheduled to continue for one year. The goal of the study is to find out whether telemedical monitoring, in addition to already existing treatment, can decrease the mortality of patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and whether patients can be spared long hospital stays (and the costs associated with them) by early recognition of a worsening condition.
The study is a part of the research and development project "Partnership for the Heart". A consortium of partners from medicine, industry and health services are taking part in this project.
Aipermon developed its sensor platform of telemedical monitoring systems for this study. Medical devices have been equipped to measure weight, blood pressure and heart activity (ECG) telemetrically for use by the patient at home. A special version of the AiperMotion activity sensor enables the application of the new measurement devices in the study for regular 6-minute walking tests. The walking test has been established as an indicator to measure the capabilities of patients with CHF.
A "Mobile Medical Assistant" (MMA) enables the central communication of data between the patient and the Telemedical Center. This PDA with software from Aipermon receives all daily measurements automatically using wireless Bluetooth technology. Once received, the measurements are transferred to the Telemedical Center (TMC) over secure data lines. The intelligence of this system makes even more functions possible:
- The patient can indicate his condition on a small questionnaire using a scale ranging from very good to very bad. For this, he only has to select the appropriate estimate once on the MMA questionnaire.
- The TMC can transfer individual measurement plans to each patient. The MMA helps the patient stick to the plan.
- The system constantly checks its own operation so that, for example, defects in devices can be located automatically and repaired quickly without laborious searches for errors.
The Charité University Medicine in Berlin, led by Dr. Friedrich Koehler, is carrying out the study. Other partners in the consortium are the InterComponentWare Group (electronic patient record), Robert Bosch (systems integration) and the Robert Bosch Hospital (second TMC).
Find out more details about AiperMotion, the Mobile Medical Assistant and other Aipermon products and technologies at Aipermon's stand on the Med-e-Tel 2008 exhibition. |
|
Breaking down silos and building up patient care  Faced with overworked staff, excessive administration and a need for improved patient service, many healthcare organizations are looking to a new, digital business model. Based on a secure and seamlessly integrated voice and data communications system, the modern hospital enables its diverse professionals to concentrate on patient care, share knowledge in real time, and rapidly access potentially life-saving information - wherever they are.
Like many organizations, hospitals today are becoming ever more customer-focused. Indeed, one of the key challenges in healthcare is to assure better patient treatment. Unfortunately, many doctors and nurses are overworked with administrative as well as medical tasks, and optimizing their time constitutes a key challenge for the healthcare industry. Hospitals are faced with transforming their data, records, and reports into an electronic format that guarantees high security and reliability. Finally, the hospital network needs to be upgraded to transport a large volume of data such as video, RMI, X-Ray and, in the future, sounds and images coming from auscultation.
To resolve these challenges, hospitals must improve workflow by breaking down the information silos within and outside care units traditionally located across multiple sites. Thanks to its portfolio of solutions designed specifically for the healthcare sector, Alcatel-Lucent is well positioned to help them achieve this goal.
Find out more about Alcatel-Lucent's healthcare solutions on their stand at the Med-e-Tel exhibition, and catch their presentations that are scheduled in the Med-e-Tel conference program: - Digital Stethoscope: A Breakthrough Technology & Application to Support Diagnosis and Medical Training
- Implementing Successful Healthcare Transformation - eHealth Programs in Developing Countries
- Innovative Applications for Ambient Assisted Living and Telecare - Some Best Practices in Europe and North America
- Innovative Applications in eHealth
- Ambient Intelligence for Elderly (AmIE): An Empowering Way of Independent Living of Elderly
|
|
Newsbriefs To follow are links to some interesting and recently published articles, studies and reports (if you would like to suggest an article for inclusion into a following newsletter, feel free to send details to info@medetel.lu):
| |
|
|
|
