EHI’s news roundup 21.07.08

E-Health Insider’s news round up for the week beginning 21 July 2008 featuring supplier news, awards and information on newly published research reports.

Supplier news

Poole to deploy Alcatel-Lucent wireless network

Poole Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Dorset is deploying an Alcatel-Lucent Wireless Local Area Network to help improve patient care at its 789-bed hospital. The new network, to be installed by Khipu Networks, will be used in association with printed patient wristbands to ensure patient safety by automating blood tracking and ultimately streamlining the drug dispensing.

BMJ moves to publishing online first

The British Medical Journal (BMJ), the UK’s most read medical journal, is now publishing content continuously on BMJ.com. The website is now being updated several times a day with the latest research, news and comment. This means that all articles are being published online as soon as they become ready without linking them to a specific issue. In the past, most content was published online weekly to coincide with the print issue.

Online course can help staff tackle hospital-acquired infections

Online courses are helping staff to develop the skills they need to tackle hospital-acquired infections, such as MRSA and C.difficile, and this expertise could also prove vital in a pandemic, according to a study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Advanced Nursing. Staff who took part in a specially developed online infection control course said that it had improved their infection control procedures and the advice they gave to patients, visitors and other staff.

Acquisitions

t+ acquires Vivatec

t+ Medical has announced the acquisition of telecare provider, Vivatec. The company say the deal will allow them to aggressively expand by offering an integrated solution covering medical devices, communication technology and nurse call centres to its customers. Vivatec is one of13 companies selected as a supply partner to the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency for telecare products and services.

Product News

SafeStick made available to the NHS

BlockMaster has announced its SafeStick drives are now available to be deployed by the NHS. SafeStick is a secure USB flash drive, which encrypts and password-protects all information stored on the drive. The hardware protection is designed to ensure that only the rightful owner can access information stored on the SafeStick.

New spa and wellness online guide to be launched

A new health and wellbeing community and marketplace called Wahanda is set to be formally launched in September by the co-founder of lastminute.com and others. The website will offer the spa and wellness market a new way of engaging with its customers, offering detailed searches, expert reviews and an opportunity for customers to leave feedback.

Appointments

ExtraMed appoints Keith Nicholson as Managing Director

ExtraMed have announced Dr Keith Nicholson has joined the company’s management team as the new managing director. Nicholson joins ExtraMed from Sumerian Europe where he was director of consulting.

Awards

Winners unveiled for Health and Social Care Awards

The winners of the national Health and Social Care Awards, which recognise breakthrough ideas from people on the front-line to improve care and access to services, have been announced by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and the Department of Health. Winners ranged from a text messaging system for people with bipolar disorder, which allows them to keep their GP up-to-date with how they’re feeling, to a pioneering scheme in Hackney, which trains teenagers to provide sex education to their peers; the winners highlight the scope of ideas emerging across the UK.

Research Reports

EHI publishes report on web 2.0

Internet developments that brought us sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Wikipedia are now set to revolutionise healthcare, according to a new research report from E-Health Insider. Titled ‘Web 2.0 in the Health Sector: Industry Review with a UK perspective’ the report concludes that new applications based on social health networks and content generated by health service users themselves will rapidly evolve to challenge existing healthcare systems and create new ways of delivering our healthcare. An executive summary of the ‘Web 2.0 in the Health Sector: Industry Review with UK Perspective’ report is available here.