5 research outputs found

    Information and/or medical technology staff experience with regulations for medical information systems and medical devices

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    Objectives Regulations heavily control medical technology (MT), which often includes information technology (IT), but staff experiences related to these regulations are unknown. The study aim was to assess Swedish IT/MT staff experiences regarding regulations for medical devices and medical information systems. Methods An anonymous, ten-item, self-report questionnaire was administered to IT and MT staff (N=228) who attended a 3-h training course on IT and information security and MT regulations in 2014. Results Most of the 228 (86%) IT and MT staff who completed the survey strongly agreed that IT security and MT security are relevant to patient safety. One third of the IT staff reported feeling that their knowledge about regulations within MT was sufficient. Less than half of the respondents experienced that healthcare professionals generally had sufficient knowledge of IT or MT regulations (41% versus 46%, IT and MT regulations, respectively). Conclusions Although IT/MT staff felt that they had knowledge of regulations for medical devices and medical information systems, they reported that maintaining and increasing this knowledge is important and that there is a need for recurring training programs in IT and MT regulations. Improved knowledge in IT and MT regulation, and a better understanding of clinical healthcare, could lead to an increased quality in the daily operations and support to the healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals may need education to develop their knowledge of IT or MT regulations, which in turn will ensure higher patient safety

    Technical feasibility and ambulance nurses’ view of a digital telemedicine system in pre-hospital stroke care – A pilot study

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    Background: High-quality telemedicine in cases of suspected stroke has comparable precision with on-site medical examinations. A novel technical concept was developed in order to deliver a video/audio system to achieve more efficient patient assessment and diagnostic support. Aims and objectives: The aim of the present pilot-study was to evaluate in a clinical setting the quality of a linked image and sound transmission in the prehospital assessment of patients with suspected stroke. In addition, we wanted to elucidate how ambulance nurses experienced the use of this innovative technology. Design: The study used a quantitative method using questionnaires with fixed response options, combined with a qualitative approach to assess complementary statements of prehospital emergency care nurses (PEN)that had used the system. Methods: The study was conducted in one ambulance care office and one hospital in southern Sweden. Six PEN and one neurological specialist (Dr)expressed their perceptions based on 11 cases with suspected stroke. Responses were assessed in the dimensions of the technology (Dr – image quality/sound quality; Dr and PEN), safety, sense of increased control and uniform assessment. A questionnaire technique was used, complemented with a qualitative part of the content analysis (PEN views). Results: In the technology dimension, the Dr evaluated the image quality as Very good to Good (100%)while 75% of PEN answered that the digital stroke concept felt reliable to use and the digital stroke assessment is believed to increase uniform assessment. Asked if the present digital concept should be further developed and if further digital systems should be developed in general, the PEN were split in their responses (50 vs 50%), which could be related to a conception of unclear efficacy of the concept. Descriptions of the decisive comments emerged in three categories; Minor operating interference, Physician's competence crucial and Unclear efficacy. Conclusion: All respondents seem to have confidence in the assessed digital stroke concept. The image quality is perceived suitable in the assessment situation but the nurses expressed ambiguity about the efficiency of the entire concept. The ambulance nurses also highlighted the physician's skills and personality as important factors for further development of the concept

    Questionnaire-based evaluation of mobile phone interference with medical-electrical equipment in Swedish hospitals

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    National recommendations in Sweden recommend a safety distance of 3 meter (m) between mobile phones and medical-electrical (ME) equipment in hospitals. A questionnaire was used to investigate how often mobile phones were reported to interfere with ME products in clinical practice across Sweden. The results confirmed that ME equipment can be affected by mobile phone use but, the risk of the patient's outcome being affected were minimal; no cases were identified which led to injury or death. In conclusion, the results support recommendations for a general safety distance of 0.5 m between mobile phones and ME equipment in care environments

    Dataset on multichannel connectivity and video transmission carried on commercial 3G/4G networks in southern Sweden

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    In this data article, we report real-world data on multichannel connectivity and videotransmission carried on commercial 3G/4G networks in the region of Skåne, southern Sweden. The data reported here complement the research article “Technical feasibility and ambulance nurses’ view of a digital telemedicine system in pre-hospital stroke care – A pilot study” (1). The dataset was originally collected as part of a project aimed to test in a clinical setting the quality and usefulness of a linked image and sound transmission in the prehospital assessment of patients with suspected stroke. The project built on previous studies indicating that using high-quality telemedicine in stroke cases is feasible and has already impacted local stroke care Schwamm et al., 2009. In addition, studies support the hypothesis that stroke telemedicine consultations, compared with telephone-only, result in more accurate decision-making Demaerschalk et al., 2012. Cellular networks for 3/4G networks have been greatly improved, a prerequisite for the use of these networks for e. g. medical applications. However, connectivity maps for planning purposes are usually based on theoretical values that do not consider smaller features of the terrain such as large trees, hills, rocks etc. and that may interfere with connectivity. To leverage several networks, multichannel devices have been developed that split the original transmission onto several independent channels and recombine the transmission on the receiver side. This setup allows to increase the available bandwidth and introduces at the same time an element of redundancy, provided that several providers with independent networks are used
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