Horizons and Perspectives eHealth

EHealth platform represents the combined use of IT technologies and electronic communications in the health field, using data (electronically transmitted, stored and accessed) with a clinical, educational and administrative purpose, both locally and distantly. eHealth has the significant capability to increase the movement in the direction of services centered towards citizens, improving the quality of the medical act, integrating the application of Medical Informatics (Medical IT), Telemedicine, Health Telematics, Telehealth, Biomedical engineering and Bioinformatics. Supporting the creation, development and recognition of a specific eHealth zone, the European Union policies develop through its programs FP6 and FP7, European-scale projects in the medical information technologies (the electronic health cards, online medical care, medical web portals, trans-European nets for medical information, biotechnology, generic instruments and medical technologies for health, ICT mobile systems for remote monitoring). The medical applications like electronic health cards ePrescription, eServices, medical eLearning, eSupervision, eAdministration are integral part of what is the new medical branch-eHealth, being in a continuous expansion due to the support from the global political, financial and medical organizations; the degree of implementation of the eHealth platform varying according to the development level of the communication infrastructure, allocated funds, intensive political priorities and governmental organizations opened to the new IT challenges.eHealth, telemedicine, telehealth, bioinformatics, telematics

Organic Trends 8

Newsletter on Organic agriculture and food development in China

spotlight no. 5, 2018 - #SmartHealthSystems Digitalization requires an effective strategy, compelling political leadership and a coordinating institution with a national mandate

In terms of digitalizing its healthcare sector, Germany trails far behind several other countries as the potential for quality and efficiency in German healthcare remains untapped ●● Countries that are succeeding in digitalizing their healthcare systems feature an effective strategy, political leadership and a coordinating institution with a national mandate ●● Taking pragmatic steps that are driven by the expected benefits for patients and the healthcare stem alike is key to shaping digital transformation positively ●● Promoting acceptance through strategies such as co-design measures is essential to success ●● German health politics must take on a stronger pro-active role and strengthen its leadership in this are

The size and performance of public sector activities in Europe

The obvious difference in the economic performance of countries has led to the question why some countries are so much wealthier than others, and whether the size, the structure, and the organisation of the public sector contribute to cross-country income and growth gaps. Public sector activities may have an effect on overall productivity and growth either directly by the level and changes of productivity within the public sector, or indirectly by triggering off productivity changes in private production. This paper is concerned with the former aspect. It provides an overview of the size and the structure of the public sector in Europe and compares it with the US and Japan. This is related to the more recent empirical literature on public sector performance. After reviewing some of the measurement issues related to public services, the evidence on the size of government and its performance is analysed. The results on industrial countries are not fully conclusive, but seem to attribute more efficiency to smaller rather than to larger governments. Public sector reforms to consolidate the size of government are therefore likely to enhance the sector's own productivity and thereby positively contribute to overall economic performance.public sector size, performance of public sector

e-Health for Rural Areas in Developing Countries: Lessons from the Sebokeng Experience

We report the experience gained in an e-Health project in the Gauteng province, in South Africa. A Proof-of-Concept of the project has been already installed in 3 clinics in the Sebokeng township. The project is now going to be applied to 300 clinics in the whole province. This extension of the Proof-of-Concept can however give rise to security aws because of the inclusion of rural areas with unreliable Internet connection. We address this problem and propose a safe solution

A register-based census: what is the potential for New Zealand?

Some countries, including Finland and Denmark, are now conducting their population censuses using administrative data registers rather than a nationwide survey of households. This information paper describes the main features of a register-based census, and the necessary pre-conditions for this approach. The pre-conditions are: a strong legal basis, public approval, unified identification systems, and comprehensive and reliable register systems developed for administrative needs. The administrative registers would need to include a population register and a national address register. We consider how well-placed New Zealand is for meeting these pre-conditions

IT adoption of clinical information systems in Austrian and German hospitals: results of a comparative survey with a focus on nursing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>IT adoption is a process that is influenced by different external and internal factors. This study aimed</p> <p indent="1">1. to identify similarities and differences in the prevalence of medical and nursing IT systems in Austrian and German hospitals, and</p> <p indent="1">2. to match these findings with characteristics of the two countries, in particular their healthcare system, and with features of the hospitals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 2007, all acute care hospitals in both countries received questionnaires with identical questions. 12.4% in Germany and 34.6% in Austria responded.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The surveys revealed a consistent higher usage of nearly all clinical IT systems, especially nursing systems, but also PACS and electronic archiving systems, in Austrian than in German hospitals. These findings correspond with a significantly wider use of standardised nursing terminologies and a higher number of PC workstations on the wards (average 2.1 PCs in Germany, 3.2 PCs in Austria). Despite these differences, Austrian and German hospitals both reported a similar IT budget of 2.6% in Austria and 2.0% in Germany (median).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Despite the many similarities of the Austrian and German healthcare system there are distinct differences which may have led to a wider use of IT systems in Austrian hospitals. In nursing, the specific legal requirement to document nursing diagnoses in Austria may have stimulated the use of standardised terminologies for nursing diagnoses and the implementation of electronic nursing documentation systems. Other factors which correspond with the wider use of clinical IT systems in Austria are: good infrastructure of medical-technical devices, rigorous organisational changes which had led to leaner processes and to a lower length of stay, and finally a more IT friendly climate. As country size is the most pronounced difference between Germany and Austria it could be that smaller countries, such as Austria, are more ready to translate innovation into practice.</p

The SWOT Analysis of the Romanian Health Care System

The complexity of the problem the national health care program confronts with and which must be solved through the measures of the respective reform lead to a SWOT analysis, particularly for this reform. The strong points consists of the voting And coming into force of the Law concerning the health care reform, the large number of services suppliers, for every type of medical assistance, the existence of medical excellence centres leading to an afflux of patients, regardless of the area where they live. The implementation of the hospital financing system - DRG – financing based on solved case – represented a process approved through a MH project that has benefited from the financial support of the European Union, through PHARE 2003 program. The Romanian health care system consists of the following weak points: - The necessity to increase the financing level of the Romanian health care system; - The lack of a unique integrated information system; - The lack of real self-sufficiency; - The high rate of infectious and chronic diseases; - The rate of problems related to the lack of knowledge of related servicesindicators system, SWOT analysis, strong points, weak points, financing health care, health care expenditure.