Training Elderly in Social Media Improves Well-being and Combats Isolation
Training older people in the use of social media improves cognitive capacity, increases a sense of self-competence and could have a beneficial overall impact on mental health and well-being, according to a landmark study carried out in the UK. A two-year project funded by the European Union and led by the University of Exeter in partnership with Somerset Care Ltd and Torbay & Southern Devon Health and Care NHS Trust gave a group of vulnerable older adults a specially-designed computer, broadband connection and training in how to use them.
Read more ...
A European Blueprint for the Deployment of Telemedicine
The Momentum project has released the European telemedicine deployment blueprint to assist "telemedicine doers" introduce healthcare services at distance through information technology. Telemedicine can make healthcare delivery safer, better and more efficient and thus help address challenges to our healthcare systems, but it can disrupt conventional medicine. The blueprint for doers describes 18 critical success factors for telemedicine deployment with detail, context, indicators, and descriptions, including an attachment with case studies.
Read more ...
VTT Develops a Simple but Extremely Sensitive Magnetometer
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed an innovative magnetometer that can replace conventional technology in applications such as neuroimaging, mineral exploration and molecular diagnostics. Its manufacturing costs are between 70 and 80 per cent lower than those of traditional technology, and the device is not as sensitive to external magnetic fields as its predecessors.
Read more ...
eHealth Lessons for High School Students in the Veneto Region, Italy
There are 99 classes in 14 High Schools in all the 7 provinces of the Veneto Region that are involved in @Two!Salute!, educational experience promoted by Arsenàl.IT in collaboration with the Veneto Region (Italy) and all the regional public local health authorities. The project aims at involving students in innovation applied to healthcare, making them conscious users and active promoters of eHealth services. The first lesson is going taking place into the ITC Calvi High School in Belluno on the 24th November.
Read more ...
Improved Risk Communication During Infectious Disease Crises
As cases of the Ebola disease emerge in Europe, the crisis is gaining increasing levels of media coverage. Certain types of coverage can foster fear and stigmatisation which leads to harmful consequences for the individuals, communities and countries involved. Therefore communication strategies that maximise opportunities and minimise risks are vital.
Read more ...
Researchers Prove Accuracy of Mobile Phone Population Mapping
A study by an international team, including the University of Southampton, has shown population maps based on anonymous mobile phone call record data can be as accurate as those based on censuses. Their findings show maps made using mobile records are detailed, reliable and flexible enough to help inform infrastructure and emergency planners; particularly in low income countries, where recent population density information is often scarce.
Read more ...
Text Messages Could be Useful Tool in Fight Against Malaria
Each year, malaria kills over 600,000 people, more than half of them children. In a study published today in PLOS ONE , researchers with the non-profit Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) and Harvard University found that simple text message reminders to take malaria medication can help in the fight against the disease by boosting the rates at which patients complete their medication regimen.
Read more ...