An article in American Journal of Psychiatry states that excessive gaming and email/text messaging should be added to psychiatry's official guidebook of mental disorders. The article outlines distinct symptoms displayed by sufferers, including withdrawal and an associated sense of anger or depression when users cannot reach a computer, the constant need for better equipment, and the feeling of social isolation and fatigue.
During a recent health-tech conference in San Diego, dozens of companies presented online products designed to make U.S. healthcare smarter, stronger and better looking. The products, most notably entries by Google and Microsoft, have the industry energized, focused and at least a little bit frightened. This Washington Post article examines where Microsoft's and Google's personal health record programs are now and where they may be headed.
There needs to be greater incentives for tech departments to become greener by reducing their overall energy consumption and carbon footprint, says Dennis Szubert, principle analyst at the research firm Quocirca. Szubert says data centre managers would take more responsibility if they were given more information about what their hardware consumes.
Doctors and pharmacists say patients and caretakers are increasingly turning to tech-based drug-tracking tools, including interactive, consumer-friendly websites, to help keep medication regimens running smoothly and reduce errors. One such device is the Med-eMonitor, a device connected to a drug database through the patient's phone line and programmed remotely via the Internet. The monitor beeps and a large-print message pops up on the display screen as a voice announces when a pill is to be taken, reminds the patient when doses are missed, and alerts them to potentially dangerous medication interactions.
In a bid to save costs and stem a rising tide of medical waste, hospitals are recycling a growing number of medical devices labeled as single-use. The practice, which involves shipping devices to reprocessing facilities to be cleaned, sterilized and tested for reuse, has raised concerns about safety. Medical device makers say their single-use products pose a higher risk of failure and harm when recycled.
Electronic medical-records systems developer Misys Healthcare Systems will merge Chicago-based rival Allscripts. The merger will create a company that will quickly become a leader in the medical software field, said Misys CEO Mike Lawrie. The combined company will have about 150,000 U.S. physicians and 700 hospitals as customers.