The principal item in March’s Telecare LIN eNewsletter is a list of all the references to technology relevant to telecare and telehealth in the White Paper Building the National Care Service. (See TA item re the latter.) There are also… Read moreMarch's Telecare LIN eNewsletter published

In normal times a Government White Paper (the precursor to legislation in the UK) on the establishment of a ‘national care service’, with huge implications for social care, the NHS and – amongst others – the telecare/telehealth community, would be the cause of great interest and debate. However, these are not normal times. With the formal announcement today of a general election on 6th May normal Government and civil service activity goes into minimal mode. So last week just before the shutters came down, the White Paper Building the National Care Service made it to publication. However, most people will live the next few months without giving it much attention as they put the proposals into the ‘hmm…’ zone. What did it contain, and what were the implications for telecare/telehealth? Click on ‘Read more’ for briefing links.

Another Doubting Thomas(ina) picks apart the FCC ‘National Broadband Plan’. [Telecare Aware 22 March] Gienna Shaw notes that it ‘gushes about health IT, e-health, m-health, telehealth, and electronic medical records (EMRs)’, while technology ‘is only part of the solution. And comes with problems of its own.” In the glowing example in the report of a stroke victim receiving the right treatment en route to the hospital, she writes…

This article from Texas is a bit pedestrian, but shows how ‘digital delivery’ (the AirStrip OB phone app, developed in San Antonio) and telemedicine linking metropolitan to regional and rural hospitals (Polycom) are becoming more commonplace.  Even interactive TV (remember this?) makes an… Read moreAirStrip OB, interactive TV and telemedicine networks in central Texas