Group items tagged

A recent news article on the introduction of Electronic Medical Records being used in the UK. Page also links to other related articles on BBC News

"Stanford Hospital discovered last month that a contractor had posted a private database containing medical records of 20,000 patients to a public homework assistance Website in search of help on how to create bar graphs."

A number of issues are raised here: lack of policies, privacy, security. Also combines technologies: use of databases to create examples of charts in spreadsheets; medical records. It's a great article to build on some terms/technologies and introducing more.

"http://www.warcosts.com Since 2004, up to 884 innocent civilians, including at least 176 children, have died from US drone strikes in the North Waziristan region of Pakistan. A new report from the Stanford and New York University law schools finds drone use has caused widespread post-tramatic stress disorder and an overall breakdown of functional society in North Waziristan. In addition, the report finds the use of a "double tap" procedure, in which a drone strikes once and strikes again not long after, has led to deaths of rescuers and medical professionals. Many interviewees told the researchers they didn't know what America was before drones. Now what they know of America is drones, death and terror. Follow the conversation @WarCosts #UnderDrones"

"When Dave deBronkart learned he had a rare and terminal cancer, he turned to a group of fellow patients online -- and found the medical treatment that saved his life. Now he calls on all patients to talk with one another, know their own health data, and make health care better one e-Patient at a time."

Amazing video showing new developments in medical training. Shows 'CPR' 'dummies' that feature an array of electronics to simulate a human being - including real pulses, airways, and respiratory system (the chest actually raises and falls as the 'dummy' breathes). Looks like a great training tool and can also be used to measure the effectiveness of the first aid given. Also talks about future development such as real 'skin'. Could also be useful to discuss limitations of models, such as the lack of 'blood' and other vital systems.

Manufacturers of medical simulations including iStan and BabySIM, as well as surgical simulators.

"This past month in the journal Pediatrics, researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York published the results of a study showing that text messaging could significantly improve the rate of adherence among young liver transplant patients. Using a program called CareSpeak, the researchers issued text messages to a group of 41 pediatric liver transplant patients. The text messages reminded the patients to take their medications, which ranged from one to three different pills once or twice a day. "

An older article, but relevant nonetheless.

Good article on the computerization of medical records. Gives examples of some of the challenges that were faced, as well as the benefits of implementing such a system. Might also be useful for the 2010 Case Study.

Article about medical students breaching patient privacy by posting stories on Facebook.

An introduction to Microsofts Medical Records solution

A learning centre that explains Microsoft's solution to storing medical records

stereotactic radiosurgery, or SRS, is one of the fastest-growing radiation therapies, a technological innovation designed to target tiny tumors and other anomalies affecting the brain or spinal cord, while minimizing damage to surrounding tissue. Because the radiation is so concentrated and intense, accuracy is especially important. Yet, according to records and interviews, the SRS unit at Evanston lacked certain safety features, including those that might have prevented radiation from leaking outside the cone. The mistakes in Evanston involve linear accelerators - commonly used for standard radiation therapy - that were redesigned by the manufacturer, Varian Medical Systems, so they could also perform SRS. As the devices became more versatile and complex, problems arose when vital electronic components could not communicate with one another.

"Hussam al-Yaqoub, a 22-year-old medical student, is glued to his laptop in an internet cafe in downtown Damascus, catching up with friends on Facebook."

"A medical privacy breach led to the public posting on a commercial Web site of data for 20,000 emergency room patients at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, Calif., including names and diagnosis codes, the hospital has confirmed. The information stayed online for nearly a year. "