News From Around the Web
> San Francisco-based CollabRx, a healthcare IT company focused on clinical decision making in molecular medicine, will release mobile application later this year as part of a multi-year agreement with Everyday Health's MedPage Today. The app, which will target oncologists and pathologists, will focus on the molecular aspects of laboratory testing and therapy development, the foundation of "precision" oncology in which "each patient's cancer treatment plan is individually tailored to reflect the genetic profile of their tumor." Article
> Given the increasing use of tablets in clinical settings, a German study looked at ways to disinfect iPads to ensure patient safety and to minimize risks posed by microbiological contamination. Ten new iPads were randomly deployed to members of a nursing staff at 10 clinical wards that were used in a clinical setting over a period of four weeks. A pre-installed interactive disinfection application (deBac-app, PLRI MedAppLab, Germany) was used on a daily basis. The study resulted in a 2.7-fold lower bacterial load on the devices used in the clinical environment that underwent a standardized daily disinfection routine with isopropanol wipes following the instructions provided by "deBac-app". Article
> Interim HealthCare of Texas and New Mexico, based in Lubbock, has released a new app, called "Interim TX NM," which features four self-help tools in one console: symptom evaluation, disease management, symptom exploration and a medical library. These functions allow users to do everything from look up the meaning of symptoms to access information vital to effectively managing chronic diseases, such as diabetes. One main feature of the app is the "Symptom Triage" tool created by emergency room doctors, which gives possible diagnoses based on the information selected by the user: this is the same technology that hospitals have been using for the past ten years. Article
Imaging News
> The global market for ultrasound devices--valued at approximately $5.6 billion in 2011--is predicted to grow by 6.2 percent annually and reach $8.1 billion by 2017, according to a new report. Ultrasound applications in the fields of cardiology, radiology, obstetrics, gynecology, urology and musculoskeletal constitute the conventional market for diagnostic ultrasound devices. But, according to the report, the areas driving this growth will be emergency medicine, anesthesiology and musculoskeletal applications. In addition, the demand for point-of-care diagnostics has been driven the market for the last five years, and will continue to do so through 2017. Article
Healthcare IT News
> Despite a plethora of claims that IT tools like information exchanges and geographic information systems could help to combat health epidemics, research published out of Australia concludes that organizations worldwide would not be adequately prepared to use e-health systems in the event of a massive pandemic disease. The study's authors, who published in the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology, said that despite the promise of such tools, organizational preparedness is essential, yet lacking. To that end, the adoption of those tools would be too disruptive to current protocols, they said. Article
And Finally… A prescription for a haircut. Article