by medicaltechont | Nov 9, 2013 | Education, Google, Technology
University of Alabama at Birmingham surgical team has performed the first surgery using a virtual augmented reality technology called VIPAAR in conjunction with Google Glass, a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display. The combination of the two technologies could be an important step toward the development of useful, practical telemedicine.
VIPAAR, which stands for Virtual Interactive Presence in Augmented Reality, is a UAB-developed technology that provides real time, two-way, interactive video conferencing.
UAB orthopedic surgeon Brent Ponce, M.D., performed a shoulder replacement surgery on Sept. 12, 2013 at UAB Highlands Hospital in Birmingham. Watching and interacting with Ponce via VIPAAR was Phani Dantuluri, M.D., from his office in Atlanta.
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by medicaltechont | Nov 8, 2013 | Google, Technology
In the future will everyone be connected? This is an amazing development, however what does this mean to our society and how we interact with others?
by medicaltechont | Oct 26, 2013 | Software, Technology
Open-source software may seem like a cheap way to equip your organization with the tools it needs to compete in today’s information economy, but beware: open-source software does have its risks.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING as a free lunch, so they say. And while one might be tempted to argue with that line when it comes to open-source freeware, remember this: if time is money, then programmers and designers have already donated millions of dollars toward writing codes and designing user interfaces for that open-source freeware.
Open-source freeware is not just expensive to produce, however. As many companies have found out, open-source solutions can also be quite pricey – and risky – to maintain over the long run. True, it does not cost you anything to download a program and install it. But what happens after that? Is the program as secure as it says it is? Can you trust the guy who operates the download website? Will the freeware receive upgrades into the foreseeable future? Is it even compatible with other software?
“My firm was spending so much time and effort trying to save a few thousand ringgit, but in the end, we decided it just wasn’t worth the risk,” says Subramaniam, a lawyer who recently experimented with an open-source office suite at his law firm but who quickly abandoned it in favour of a proprietary solution. “Being prudent is one thing; being cheap is quite another.”
Read more at Microsoft
by medicaltechont | Oct 25, 2013 | emr, Technology
Ninety-six per cent of Canadians think it’s important that the health care system make use of digital health tools and capabilities, and 89 per cent feel it is important that they personally have full advantage of digital health tools and capabilities, according to a new survey by Harris/Decima, released by Canada Health Infoway (Infoway).
Other key findings from the Harris/Decima report include:
86 per cent of Canadians agree that digital health will provide health information to a care team in an emergency situation
86 per cent of Canadians believe it is important that their doctors use electronic medical records
90 per cent of Canadians who access their own health information online describe the experience as positive
Every day, more of Canada’s health care system goes digital. It’s a private, secure and effective way to make health care better, for all of us. Today, patients like Alexa Thompson use digital health to help manage their care and wellness.
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by medicaltechont | Oct 8, 2013 | e-Health, eHealth
After more than a decade of hard work and collaboration, digital health is making treatment safer, more efficient, and, ultimately, better for Canadians.
Consider the following:
Use of electronic medical records (EMR) in community-based practices in Canada has yielded efficiency and patient care benefits valued at $1.3-billion since 2006.
Drug information systems reduce prescription errors and result in fewer adverse drug events with annual estimated benefits of $475-million.
Tele-health saved patients over 47 million kilometres in travel and $70-million in personal travel costs in 2010 alone.
Through investment with our jurisdictional partners, Canada Health Infoway has already established the foundational requirements for securely capturing, storing, sharing, accessing and managing health information. And while every province and territory is at a different stage of development, they are all working on these foundational elements according to their local priorities and needs.
Canadian consumers are comfortable with digital tools and are global leaders in the adoption and use of information technologies such as social media, online shopping and digital banking. Coupled with a growing desire to manage our wellness and to take on more active roles in the management of our chronic diseases, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment in our digital health journey.
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