World hospitals and health services : the official journal of the International Hospital Federation
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World Hosp Health Serv · Jan 2010
Nutrition and patient safety a report from the National Patient Safety Agency (United Kingdom).
The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA), established in 2001 as part of the U. K. ⋯ In the summer of 2009 the NPSA were invited by the International Hospital Federation to join the Improving Infant and Child Food Safety in Health Facilities project as a member of the Advisory Group. This opportunity allowed for the NPSA to share their experience and knowledge of nutrition patient safety themes.
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World Hosp Health Serv · Jan 2010
At the crossroads: NRTRC white paper examines trends driving the convergence of telehealth, EHRs and HIE.
From the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the newly passed healthcare reform legislation to emerging reimbursement models and shifting consumer health trends, a confluence of events are driving radical change in the nation's healthcare system and bringing about the convergence of telehealth, electronic health records (EHRs) and health information exchange (HIE). That is the focus of "The Crossroads of Telehealth, Electronic Health Records & Health Information Exchange: Planning for Rural Communities," a new white paper from the Northwest Regional Telehealth Resource Center (NRTRC). "Accelerating adoption and utilization of telehealth technologies, telemedicine in particular, will be critical to a successful stakeholder response to the disruptive changes that are underway in healthcare," said NRTRC Executive Director Christina B. Thielst, FACHE. "By leveraging telehealth networks and their existing infrastructures, Regional Extension Centers, HIEs and other data-sharing initiatives will be better-positioned to fulfill their commitments to the healthcare delivery system of the future--a system in which even the most rural and remote populations have timely access to care and their health records." The white paper explores emerging trends and recent disruptors impacting the healthcare delivery system and examines the opportunities they present for the advancement of telecommunications-based health solutions and the broadband infrastructure available through telehealth networks. ⋯ Adds Thielst: "Crossroads is a valuable planning tool for any healthcare stakeholder, but it is especially important for rural communities wanting to address health information exchange. It is just one of many resources available through the NRTRC to help advance the involvement of teleheatlh networks in HIE initiatives and to help transform the telehealth infrastructure into the 'superhighway' across which remote and rural areas will finally be able to participate in the widespread exchange of electronic health information." One of five TRCs in the nation, the NRTRC leverages the collective expertise of 33 telehealth networks across Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and United States-affiliated Pacific Islands to share information and resources which assist in the development of new telehealth programs. The NRTRC is focused on further growth and new provider adoption of telehealth technologies to enhance delivery systems and reduce organizational and patient costs.
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Migration of health professionals has been an important issue on the agenda of governments in recent years. The European Union directive on the recognition of professional qualifications coupled with labour shortages in the health sector has led to a growing mobility of physicians from both European countries and non-European Economic Area (EEA) countries. This study takes a deeper look at these migration phenomena in the Portuguese case. A significantly convergent dual pattern of migration is shown to emerge, in which the growth of intra-European migration has broadly continued to coexist with the maintenance of traditional overseas immigration channels.