eHealth News Roundup for 21st March – 4th April, 2

Physicians, patients and even healthcare companies were equally well catered for by a number of important eHealth announcements that came to light in the past fortnight. The prospect of remote medical care moved a step closer, after services were launched permitting patients to choose a doctor online and even to have a virtual consultation. Important new disease and treatment websites were also launched in MS and anemia, while the needs of the industry were met in the shape of an international recruitment service for nurses and the use of electronic methods of data capture in clinical testing. For your free Datamonitor eHealth report please click here. HEALTHCARE ONLINE Patients increasingly turn to Internet to find their doctor online Thanks to a collaboration between several of the nation's largest health plans and Medem, a secure physician communication network, over half a million consumers per month are now searching for, and selecting, their physician online via physician web sites. National surveys indicate that patients are more likely to select a doctor who has a website, one who uses email, even going as far as changing physicians to get this access. Read full article Ball State University pioneering remote medical consultations for students Indiana's Ball State University is pioneering the delivery of remote medical consultations and healthcare via the internet. Thanks to partner MediaLogic's interactive TV technology, students will have access to a medical expert after clinic hours, seven days a week, through their dorm PCs. Read full article DISEASE, TREATMENT AND COMPANY WEBSITES Berlex launches Betaseron patient education resource for multiple sclerosis patients Berlex Laboratories has introduced the Betaseron Patient Education Network, a program for people with MS and users of Betaseron for SC Injection that combines Web-based technology with exclusive patient support services. Read full article Anemia LifeLine launches online support resource Anemia LifeLine has launched the Anemia Connections program, an online support network where patients, families and caregivers can help each other cope with the physical and emotional hardships of anemia. Read full article Chiron launches newly designed website Chiron Corporation has introduced its newly redesigned corporate website. The redesigned site, found at www.chiron.com, provides visitors with detailed and up-to-date information about the company, its products and its pipeline. Read full article Company Information: Chiron Corporation TECHNOLOGY FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS New 'virtual' recruitment services to tackle shortage of trained nurses Solutionrecruiters.com, an online recruitment company, has initiated a 'Super Nurse' program to tackle the growing problem of a shortage of trained nurses in American hospitals. The initiative allows hospital administrators to communicate with nurses around the world, so speeding up the time it takes to recruit from foreign countries. Read full article Cypress Bioscience endorses use of electronic diaries to record pain assessments Cypress Bioscience has released data demonstrating the superiority of electronic diaries over traditional pen and paper methods for obtaining patient self-report information on pain in clinical trial settings. These results were presented at the 22nd Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society in Chicago. Read full article Company Information: Cypress Bioscience