E-Health Insider special reports 2010:
January: Business Intelligence
Think tanks and policy makers are predicting harder financial times for the NHS from 2011. Managers are being told to prepare to do more with less by focusing on the QIPP (quality, innovation, productivity and prevention) agenda. To do this, they need good data on what is happening in their organisations and the tools to be able to use it. This special report will survey the business intelligence market and trust priorities.
February: Security/information governance
Making sure that patient identifiable information is secure has been high on the NHS agenda since HM Revenue and Customs lost the details of 25 million child benefit claimants in November 2007. Trusts have taken steps to secure USB sticks and encrypt email, and are showing new interest in managing information internally. This special report will look at the latest policy developments, the technology available for securing sensitive data, and trust priorities.
March: Systems integration
Getting systems to work together so organisations and healthcare teams can share and use the information they contain has been a long-term goal in NHS IT. However, the drivers for systems integration have changed over time, and so have the technologies available for achieving it. This special report will look at the latest developments and case study what trusts can achieve.
April: Digital dictation
Digital dictation systems can make a huge difference to the way trusts handle reporting and the production of other documents and lay the foundations for speech recognition. This special report will look at the latest developments in the sector and case study what trusts can achieve.
May: Document management
Paper is still widely used in healthcare for records and correspondence; even organisations that have migrated to electronic systems may have large paper archives. In this special report, document management specialists will outline new developments in their field and discuss best practice.
June: PACS/RIS
NHS Connecting for Health may have completed the initial roll out of PACS across England, but there is still plenty to be done, not least in ensuring the security of PACS data and sharing it between NHS organisations. This special report will look at the latest developments ahead of UKRC, the leading radiology event.
July: Blood, medicines and assets tracking
The Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2009-10 stressed the need for trusts to roll out and improve their wireless infrastructures. With a good network in place, trusts can not only improve staff access to computers and communications devices, but deploy tracking technologies that can significantly improve patient safety and staff efficiency. This special report will look at what is being achieved.
July: Security/beating malware
These days, trust IT systems are not just under threat from viruses. There’s a whole range of malware out there. And it’s not just trying to infect computers. Networked equipment, mobile phones and PDAs are all potentially at risk. This special report will look at the real threats to the NHS, the technology and services available to combat them, and best practice.
August: no special report this month
September: Information for World Class Commissioning
World class commissioning is vital. If primary care trusts and other commissioners are to cope with smaller budgets and an ageing population, they are going to need to plan effective campaigns, services and treatments for their populations. To do that, they need good information on needs and outcomes and the capacity and tools to use it effectively. This special report will look at this developing agenda.
October: E-prescribing
In 2001, the Audit Commission published a report on medicines safety called A Spoonful of Sugar. This influential report called for e-prescribing systems to be introduced to hospitals to cut the number of medication errors that harm or even kill patients. Progress has been slow, but the spread of wireless infrastructures and QIPP’s focus on improving efficiency by improving quality is changing things. This special report will look at e-prescribing now and in the future.
November: Systems integration
This edition of our regular special report on systems integration will look at what’s new and what’s driving trust projects.
Events report: E-Health Insider Awards in association with BT
Events report: E-Health Insider Live 2010.
December: Voice Recognition
Voice recognition is traditionally associated with digital dictation systems in laboratories. But there is more to it than that. Voice recognition can be used to support many other document and information production processes, to transform staff communications, and even to help them find equipment and other assets. This special report will look at what’s happening and how trusts are using these technologies now.