eHealth updates - 29 November 2012

New policy, guidance and e-health initiatives from across the UK. For more information about the e-health theme see Quality and Safety e-Bulletin: e-health.

Some of the resources linked to are in PDF format - see how to access PDF files.

BMC Health Services Research: An organisational analysis of the implementation of telecare and telehealth: the whole systems demonstrator. Conclusions drawn from the findings of this study highlight the tensions between the need for a complex intervention such as this to "organically evolve" and the "imperative to gather robust evidence", and the need for this tension to be resolved "if government ambitions for the evidence-based scaling-up of remote care are to be realised.” 

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making: Healthcare provider attitudes towards the problem list in an electronic health record: a mixed-methods qualitative study. "The problem list is a key part of the electronic health record (EHR) that allows practitioners to see a patient's diagnoses and health issues. Yet, as the content of the problem list largely represents the subjective decisions of those who edit it, patients' problem lists are often unreliable when shared across practitioners. The lack of standards for how the problem list is compiled in the EHR limits its effectiveness in improving patient care .... The purpose of this study is to discover practitioner opinions towards the problem list and the logic behind their decisions during clinical situations."

Cabinet Office: Government’s Digital Strategy. This strategy sets out how the government will become digital by default. It fulfils the commitment the Government made in the Civil Service Reform Plan. By digital by default, the Government means digital services that are so straightforward and convenient that all those who can use them will choose to do so whilst those who can’t are not excluded.

DH: Health technologies to improve the lives of people with long-term conditions. Across the country 100,000 people are set to benefit from new health technologies as Jeremy Hunt set out his vision for improving the lives of people with long-term conditions.  The vision includes the roll out of telehealth, the use of electronic information and technology to help people manage their health independently, as a way of giving people with long-term conditions control over their own care.

Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR): The Impact of Electronic Patient Portals on Patient Care: A Systematic Review of Controlled Trials. “Modern information technology is changing and provides new challenges to health care. The emergence of the Internet and the electronic health record (EHR) has brought new opportunities for patients to play a more active role in his/her care. Although in many countries patients have the right to access their clinical information, access to clinical records electronically is not common. Patient portals consist of provider-tethered applications that allow patients to electronically access health information that are documented and managed by a health care institution. Although patient portals are already being implemented, it is still unclear in which ways these technologies can influence patient care.”

JMIR: Increasing Physical Activity With Mobile Devices: A Meta-Analysis. “Research utilizing mobile devices is gaining in popularity, and this study suggests that this platform is an effective means for influencing physical activity behavior.”

JMIR: Young Men, Mental Health, and Technology: Implications for Service Design and Delivery in the Digital Age. This study aimed to “explore young people’s attitudes and behaviors in relation to mental health and technology use. The aim was to identify key gender differences to inform the development of online mental health interventions for young men."

JMIR: To Use or Not to Use – Practitioners’ Perceptions of an Open Web Portal for Young Patients With Diabetes. “Practitioners expressed positive perceptions toward a tailored open Web portal. They suggested that future benefits could be derived from systems that integrate factual information and online dialogues between practitioners and patients (ie, exchanging information for everyone’s benefit).”

NHS Connecting for Health (NHS CFH): The future of NHSmail is confirmed. The NHS Commissioning Board has confirmed, at a meeting of its executive team chaired by Sir David Nicholson, that it supports the continuation of NHSmail. 
Have your say about NHSmail2. Existing NHSmail users and interested organisations are being asked to offer their opinions to help shape the replacement service for NHSmail.

NHS CFH: PACS: New world map. The map shows who trusts are choosing as their new supplier for the Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) and Radiology Information Systems (RIS).

NHS CFH: N4. "N3, the NHS national network, is recognised by NHS staff, the Department of Health and Government as a successful and indispensible part of national and local IT services therefore, there is a need to continue and build upon the success of N3 through the N4 project". The N4 project will develop options for what happens when the current N3 contract comes to an end. These options will be driven by the requirements of health and care organisations in consultation with potential suppliers.

NHS CFH: Electronic Prescription Service (EPS): EPS video: benefits and top tips. Jan Norgate, Practice Manager at White House Surgery in Folkestone, explains the benefits seen at the practice from using the Electronic Prescription Service and offers some helpful advice for making the most of it.
EPS video: Benefiting GP practice staff and patients. Dr Nick Morley-Smith, GP and partner at the same Folkstone surgery, describes how the Electronic Prescription Service is helping him and his colleagues to manage prescriptions more efficiently and the benefits to patients and practice staff.

Patient View: European Directory of Health Apps 2012-2013 (PDF 5MB). This Directory contains facts about 200 smartphone health apps capable of helping patients self-manage their medical conditions. The health apps described have all been recommended by patient groups and empowered consumers, then categorised and indexed in several ways (including by local language), to make the details easy for readers to find. Another distinction about the Directory is that it lists health apps on all of the major operating systems (Android, Apple, BlackBerry, Nokia, and Windows Phone).

Scottish Government: eHealth Strategy 2011-2017. The strategy has been revised to include a sixth strategic aim.

Scottish Government: New technology for nurses. A £1 million fund will make sure healthcare professionals working in the community have access to the latest mobile technology. The fund is designed for staff working in community settings and will mean that they will be able access important information about their patients or to update patients’ records electronically, reducing the time spent on administration.

Scottish Government: Virtual surgery for doctors. The first virtual 3D surgical programme has been developed to train the doctors of the future in Scotland. It allows medical students, trainee doctors and clinicians to practise surgical techniques on 3D models and animations.

Wales Information Governance Board. The Wales Information Governance Board (WIGB) now has a dedicated website that provides information about the role of the board and provides advice on national standards. WIGB is an independent, non statutory organisation, using existing processes established by the Welsh Government, the Minister for Health and Social Care and NHS Wales. The board provides advice and guidance to health and social care organisations promoting consistent and high standards of information governance across both sectors. It will also consider specific uses and sharing of information across Wales.