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An innovative alternative to visiting a doctor has upset some GPs ON NOVEMBER 1st the Lillie Road Health Centre in south-west London had just 4,970 patients on its books. Three [...]

Social media's rise to prominence is changing the way we communicate with each other at a rapid rate. With the dick of a button we can send and receive information [...]

As part of healthcare reform, accountable care organizations (ACOs) are a growing foundation for the future of healthcare. However, what will exist within that foundation? Health information exchanges (HIEs) may [...]

Objective. To study the relationship between elements of public health infrastructure and local public health emergency preparedness (PHEP). Data Sources/Study Setting. National Association of County and City Health Officials 2005 National Profile of Local Health Departments (LHDs). Study Design. Cross-sectional. Principal Findings. LHDs serving larger populations are more likely to have staff, capacities, and activities in place for an emergency. Adjusting for population size, the presence of a local board of health and the LHDs' experience in organizing PHEP coalitions were associated with better outcomes. Conclusions. The results of this study suggest that more research should be conducted to investigate the benefit of merging small health departments into coalitions to overcome the inverse relationship between preparedness and population size of the jurisdiction served by the LHD. Key Words. Emergency preparedness, public health system research, survey, Since 9/11, the United States has invested over U.S. $7 billion in the state and local public health infrastructure to enhance its ability to respond to public health emergencies. Despite [...]

* The role of the Internet in health care information access and delivery is increasing rapidly as evidenced by the fact that 86% of adults with Internet access have used it for health-related information and health queries represent 37% of their total Internet usage. * Consumers (50%) demonstrate significant interest in accessing their own medical information via the Internet as well as describe themselves as likely to switch providers in order to communicate electronically with their physician (33%). * While privacy and information quality present notable risks, the opportunity for e-health technology to improve access to information, reach rural or underserved populations, reduce care delivery costs, and integrate health care services and information is significant. * The role of nursing in this growing e-health market will be best supported if nurses play a role ranging from system architect to expert end-user, all requiring additional basic training and continuing education., THERE ARE OVER 100,000 Web sites worldwide with varying quality of health information that are used by consumers and professionals (Kwankam, 2004). Additionally, several hundred million people worldwide use the [...]

Web sites sponsored by states are enabling people to compare hospital and physician costs and performances. The issue of whether such state efforts to create Web sites that offer quality and cost comparison shopping are worth the political hassle it takes to get them up and running is discussed.

With the advent of the Web, consumers have come to expect easy access to information and a personalized experience in virtually every business encounter, from online banking and booking airline [...]

Byline: Andis Robeznieks Barriers to international travel instituted since the 9/11 terrorist attacks have helped drive the use of telehealth for international clinical consultations and continuing medical education, while the [...]

Byline: Joseph Conn Issues surrounding the law and medical records always have converged, but the advent of powerful electronic health-record systems in healthcare have added whole new levels of complexity [...]

Scotland Callers can talk to pharmacists As part of ongoing improvements being made to NHS 24, Scotland's NHS helpline, the public will be given the option to speak to a [...]

If search engines shape the way consumers find things on the Web, they do the same for the way advertisers find consumers. A fledgling network of consumer health sites wants […]

Consumer-driven health care advocates envision a day when purchasing and paying for health care services is an experience comparable to shopping for a plane ticket on Expedia.com. The concept is [...]

It's said that tragedy often brings adversaries together, and that adage certainly rings true for many players in the healthcare industry who have pulled together quickly to assist victims of […]

Chasing the Sun will allow health professionals in the south west of England to have access to out-of-hours librarian support to reach life-saving information, courtesy of their Australian counterparts. And [...]