Compuware Corporation and the Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems have announced that they have collaborated to launch www.meaningfuluse.org. The Web site will promote and advance the national dialogue and education around "meaningful use."
After news reports about an outbreak of swine flu in Mexico, health officials in Allegheny County, PA, tested 15 different courses of action in a virtual model of the country. A team at the University of Pittsburgh had built a virtual world, similar to Second Life or SimCity, with the county's 1.3 million residents represented by digital characters. It ran through 15 scenarios, with a variety of government reactions.
Engineers at Washington University in St. Louis have created a USB-based ultrasound probe that can connect to a smartphone and create a low-cost ultrasound imaging platform. Once connected to a smartphone, the probe acts like any other ultrasound device, serving as an imaging tool for screenings and biopsies. In the developing world, where there is a shortage of trained medical personnel, the system can help field workers transmit data to specialists in a centralized location, said William D. Richard, one of the project's lead researchers.
Examining stroke patients via videoconferencing is as effective as a bedside exam and can increase patient access to stroke specialists, says a statement released by the American Heart Association. Stroke patients require rapid assessment in order to determine if they're eligible for time-sensitive treatments such as tissue plasminogen activator, which can save brain function and reduce stroke-related disability, the AHA explained in a news release. These patient evaluations often need to be done by stroke and brain imaging specialists, but there are only about four neurologists per 100,000 people in the United States.
For more than 2 1/2 years, Farrah Fawcett's battle with cancer has sparked a flurry of headlines, but it has also stripped the actress of her ability to seek treatment while maintaining her privacy, she said. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Fawcett denounced the National Enquirer for publishing leaked details about her illness, including some that she said were false. And she criticized UCLA Medical Center for failing to protect her medical records from snooping employees.
Backers of the push for electronic medical records such technology will cut costs and save lives. But a growing body of research illustrates the potential challenges such as getting doctors to use the safety-enhancing features the systems offer and the patchwork of privacy regulations in different states. A study on electronic medical record adoption by researchers at Harvard Medical School surveyed Massachusetts doctors in 2005 and 2007. Over that time, the study found, electronic medical record adoption jumped to 35% of practices, from 23%. But it also found that over the same time, there was little change in the use of many of the system features thought to increase the safety and efficiency of medicine.