eHealth Inititive Foundation releases national report on health information exchange (HIE) efforts
This report analyzes the results of our 2005 Annual Survey of State, Regional and Community-Based Health Information Exchange Initiatives and Organizations—a representation of more than 100 efforts across the country who are actively pursuing the goal of connectivity to support patient care.

Handheld computers and the 21stcentury surgical team: a pilot study
Doctors equipped with a personal digital assistant rather than a pager, responded more quickly to a call and had a lower failure to respond rate. Clinicians had a significant reduction in perceptions of nervousness to the technology over the six-week study period.

Protect Computer-Based Medical Devices from Viruses and Other Threats
The integration of computer hardware has exposed medical devices that rely on commercial software and operating systems to damage by computer viruses and other malicious programs. ECRI offers the following planning steps to avoid pitfalls: assemble a team, examine existing devices, request patches and upgrades, consider isolating devices on the hospital’s network, and protect new devices.

Towards an E-Health Interoperability Framework for the Australian Health Sector
The Interoperability Framework (IF) documents the approaches, policies, information, and tools that are shared across the health sector to deliver an interoperable E-Health environment. It delivers a single source of guidance on which all parts of the health care community can agree and use as the basis for business and systems integration.

BrainGate™ Neural Interface System
The principle of operation behind the BrainGate™ System is that with intact brain function, brain signals are generated even though they are not sent to the arms, hands and legs. The signals are interpreted and translated into cursor movements, offering the user an alternate "BrainGate™ pathway" to control a computer with thought, just as individuals who have the ability to move their hands use a mouse. (Note: The BrainGate™ Neural Interface System is currently the subject of a pilot clinical trial being conducted under an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) from the FDA.)

Health Literacy: The Gap Between Physicians and Patients
For optimal comprehension and compliance, patient education material should be written at a sixth-grade or lower reading level, preferably including pictures and illustrations. All patients prefer reading medical information written in clear and concise language. Physicians should be alert to this problem because most patients are unwilling to admit that they have literacy problems.

The Internet MD's Virtual Housecall
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