Personal health data

Meaningful use

Canadian doctors spend millions of hours on unnecessary paperwork each year

Report says Nova Scotia is leading the way in reducing administrative burden. Dr. Leisha Hawker said reducing unnecessary administrative work can help doctors have a better work-life balance and lead to more employee retention. Brian … READ MORE

Canada’s health-care system has a data problem, experts say. And it puts patients at risk

‘It’s not good to be flying blind,’ says one doctor pushing for change. Nurse Dave Riar checks on a patient in the intensive care unit at the Royal Columbia Hospital in New Westminster, B.C., on Thursday, March 31, … READ MORE

Wearable tech offers up-close look at infant development

Researchers at the Beckman Institute have developed a tool to measure stress regulation and parent-child bonding in young children. The device enables infants as young as one month to provide useful information from the comfort of … READ MORE

Experts plead for more pediatric telehealth

A specialty group is asking federal and state governments to preserve and expand access to telehealth services for children with developmental and behavioral problems. Monterey County pediatricians adjust to shelter in place. Monterey … READ MORE

UArizona researchers develop ultra-thin ‘computer on the bone’

Engineers and physicians teamed up to develop a wireless device to monitor and protect bone health. Osseosurface electronic devices, which attach directly to the bone, could one day help physicians monitor bone health. It’s show … READ MORE

The doctor won’t see you now: Why access to care is in critical condition

In addition to patient care, many doctors also have heavy administrative burdens, including insurance company requests and government forms that advocate for their patients’ needs, as well as all the challenges of running an office. … READ MORE

Scribes can help transform health care by creating better clinical data

“Insurers, drug companies and large HMOs are mounting an extensive effort to use medical data to decide which treatments are best, which doctors are best and which plans keep people the healthiest.” That quote, seemingly … READ MORE

Skin in the game: Transformative approach uses the human body to recharge smartwatches

UMass Amherst team designs prototype charging system for wearable devices. ShaZam charging via steering wheel. N. Mohammed et al. Nick Bild, Cut the Cord Patty Shillington, University of Massachusetts Amherst July 1, 2021 As smart … READ MORE

Pediatric telemedicine services can work well under the right conditions

Interviews with pediatricians show that providing remote medical consultations is highly stressful and challenging, but this can be managed with extra skills and training. Telemedicine for children with disabilities in remote … READ MORE

A national electronic health record for primary care

The Canada Health Act states that health care should be portable — but health records are not. Despite billion-dollar efforts to promote information transfers between jurisdictions,[1] sharing health information today often requires … READ MORE

Wearable motion detectors identify subtle motor deficits in children

Could lead to early intervention, help prevent disability. Noah Drozda shows off a pair of motion detectors that he wore around the clock for a study on motor deficits in children. Researchers at Washington University School of … READ MORE

Telemedicine broadening access to care for those with cerebral palsy

Dr. Loren Davison at UC Davis is projected from a monitor, as he watches physical therapist Janet Freeman work with a patient during a telemedicine session at Hoover Elementary School. The Stockton school is the site of a pilot … READ MORE

Industrial designers and biomedical engineers team up to address unmet needs of wounded veterans

Outcomes of the course might include assistive device prototypes, smartphone apps that better connect patients with providers, or virtual reality systems that enable remote therapy. Elham Morshedzadeh, Chris Arena, and Pamela … READ MORE

Digital humanism and healthcare

Patients not only have to be put in the center of care, but also in the center of health technology. In a more general manner that’s what digital humanism is about. The Medical Futurist 13 July 2019 ▽ Table of Contents Overview … READ MORE

Virtual care can make all the difference when treating the most vulnerable patients

Beyond the pandemic, we need to ensure virtual medicine remains a permanent fixture of health care system. A pediatrician takes part in a telemedicine call with a patient over a secure video connection. While it isn’t perfect, … READ MORE

U of A robot rehab project hopes pandemic increases user comfort with virtual health care

Increased video-conferencing may boost willingness to book virtual appointments. A demonstration at the University of Alberta rehabilitation robotics lab shows how a robot with a video screen allows a specialist to monitor patient … READ MORE

Veterans can now use an iPhone to pull up their health records

Apple has teamed up with Veteran Affairs (VA) to allow those who’ve served our country to now access their health records via iPhone. Health records access via Apple’s Health app has been available to iPhone users since the … READ MORE

Disabled people marginalised by paperwork and programmes which aim to help them

Disabled people face being marginalised by the very programmes that are designed to help them. Research shows disabled people face being marginalized by the very programs that are designed to help them. Projects and welfare systems … READ MORE

In Canada, Albertans wary of ‘big brother’ with use of COVID-19 digital-tracing app

More users needed: Lessons from Alberta’s coronavirus contact tracing app. Alberta released its contact tracing app, ABTraceTogether, last week. But early uptake figures and a key design quirk show how challenging it will be for … READ MORE

Wearables track social distancing and sick employees in the workplace

As companies re-open, employees may don wearable tech to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Blackline Safety. By Emily Waltz, IEEE Spectrum 1 May 2020 As shuttered businesses make plans to resume on-site operations, many plan to outfit … READ MORE

New smartphone app gives Albertans access to virtual health care during COVID-19 pandemic

Babylon mobile app allows you to check symptoms, consult with doctors. Using Babylon, an app developed by Telus Health, patients can have one-to-one video consultations with doctors, with the cost of those virtual visits covered by … READ MORE

Alberta nurses have ‘grave concerns’ with rollout of Connect Care

A new electronic system that will eventually be used across all Alberta Health Services facilities is scheduled to launch at some Edmonton locations at 4 a.m. Sunday. WATCH: Some Edmonton health facilities are bracing for potential … READ MORE

An example of why patients need to control all their health and social care records

This blog is suffused with conflict of interest, but I hope that you’ll agree that it’s about improving the NHS rather than making money for me. Richard Smith. BMJ Richard Smith, BMJ Opinion July 1, 2019 Without being paid I have … READ MORE

Apple opens iPhone EHR features to all healthcare organizations

Apple has announced that it will allow any US healthcare organization with a compatible electronic health record (EHR) to register with its mobile Health Records feature, according to a tweet from Ricky Bloomfield, MD, Apple’s … READ MORE

Finnish healthcare and social welfare system provides a variety of e-services to citizens

The system presses on towards the next level of usability and interoperability for professionals. THL studies population health and welfare, effectiveness of health and welfare policies and services, environmental health as well as … READ MORE

Once its greatest foes, doctors are embracing single-payer

When the American Medical Association — one of the nation’s most powerful health care groups — met in Chicago this June, its medical student caucus seized an opportunity for change. Doctors for the 99 Percent march from Zuccotti … READ MORE

Death by 1,000 clicks: where electronic health records went wrong

Inside a digital revolution that took a bad turn. The U.S. government claimed that turning American medical charts into electronic records would make health care better, safer, and cheaper. Ten years and $36 billion later, the system … READ MORE

Empathetic technology: can devices know what you’re feeling?

For some, the word “technology” might evoke cold imagery of steely robots and complex computer algorithms. But a talk on “empathetic technology” at this year’s Wired Health conference did a lot to change … READ MORE

Small new shoe sensor may be a driving ‘force’ to help prevent injuries, improve athletic performance

Sensor can show athletes, trainers where foot impacts are strongest to detect and correct inefficiencies in movement and reduce injuries, also can help diabetics avoid foot blisters. Elite female runners Becky Wade, left, Caroline … READ MORE

Apple to offer veterans access to medical records on iPhone

The Wall Street Journal reports today that Apple is in talks with the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer electronic health record access to military veterans. This comes as Apple continues its push into the health industry with … READ MORE

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