€150 Million for Brain Research Launches EU 'Month of the Brain'
At the start of its 'European Month of the Brain' initiative, the European Commission has earmarked some €150 million of funding for 20 new international brain research projects. It will bring the total EU investment in brain research since 2007 to over €1.9 billion. The 'European Month of the Brain' (#brainmonth) will highlight European research and innovation in the area of neuroscience, cognition and related areas through over 50 events across Europe this May.
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MyHealthAvatar to Reshape the Future of Healthcare
Research to set up an online system enabling doctors to access patient's health records from all across the European Union, has been launched. The University of Bedfordshire is leading the European Commission project, MyHealthAvatar, which is designed to give people more knowledge and control of their health via their computers and mobile phones.
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Social Media Can Support Healthiness of Older People
The use of social media by older people can offer valuable additional support in cases of sickness and diseases, new research from the University of Luxembourg has shown. In a new publication, Dr Anja Leist from the University's Research Unit INSIDE, concludes that possibilities for a systematic application in clinical practice seem promising.
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Smartphone Way to Lose Weight
Their study is the first to evaluate a smartphone app as the sole method for monitoring weight loss, with researchers creating My Meal Mate to trial against similar products for monitoring food intake, an online food diary and the traditional paper version. The My Meal Mate app allows users to monitor their food intake and exercise, set a weight loss target and sends a weekly update on progress via text message.
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Computer Based Interventions Provide Limited Support
Self-management interventions delivered by computer and mobile phone currently provide limited benefits for people with diabetes, according to a systematic review published in The Cochrane Library. Although computer and mobile phone-based self-management programmes had small positive effects on blood sugar levels, these effects seemed to be short-lived.
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Telehealth Unlikely to be Cost Effective for Patients with Long Term Conditions
Telehealth does not seem to be a cost effective addition to standard support and treatment for patients with long term conditions, finds a study published on bmj.com. The findings follow a BMJ study showing that telehealth does not improve quality of life for patients with long term conditions.
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Earthquake Crisis Accelerates Healthcare Reform in Christchurch, New Zealand
In these austere times, when the NHS is charged with delivering efficiency challenges of £120 billion, the adoption of an integrated, IT-driven healthcare system is seen as an important move, enabling the introduction of new services, saving time (and money) and providing more efficient operations and better informed decision making.
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