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Digitization: Hospitals as Popular Targets?
02/11/2018
It’s safe to say that patients and their prompt medical care take center stage at any hospital. Digitization of the healthcare sector is quickly advancing to make this a reality: data is stored in a digital medium, devices are linked together. But how safe are hospitals in the age of innovation?
"Dr. Algorithm suggests the best treatment option"
02/11/2018
The technology of the 20th century is progressing faster than ever – and this also applies to technology in the field of medicine. That’s why it is only a matter of time before hospitals are fully driven by artificial intelligence - data-driven medicine that suggests the best treatment and facilitates zero error surgeries. A path that doesn’t just require openness!
Brain-inspired methods to improve wireless communications
31/10/2018
Researchers are always seeking more reliable and more efficient communications, for everything from televisions and cellphones to satellites and medical devices. One technique generating buzz for its high signal quality is a combination of multiple-input multiple-output techniques with orthogonal frequency division multiplexing.
Scientists call for unified standards in 3D genome and epigenetic data
31/10/2018
Studying the three-dimensional structure of DNA and its dynamics is revealing a lot of information about gene expression, expanding our knowledge of how cells, tissues and organs work in health and disease. Properly producing and managing this large amount of data is both challenging. Now top researchers call for unified standards and suggest guidelines in this research area.
Lung Imaging – Keeping the Respiratory System Healthy
05/10/2018
Many people have damaged or suboptimally functioning lungs. An accurate diagnosis and subsequent treatment are vital to protect this life-sustaining organ. Modern imaging solutions help physicians and patients understand what happens inside the lungs.
New test procedure for diagnosis of multi-resistant hospital pathogens
21/09/2018
A team of researchers at the University of Cologne's Faculty of Medicine and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) has achieved a scientific breakthrough in the accelerated diagnosis of multi-resistant hospital pathogens. Using a novel immunochromatographic method, the researchers detected bacteria that are resistant to the antibiotic group carbapenemes.
Master plan Smart Hospital: well-connected is half cared for
03/09/2018
Artificial intelligence makes the diagnosis, robots perform the surgery and physicians manage all processes via touchscreen – is that what hospitals of the future will look like? And how far away are we actually from this future? Many hospital facilities are already on their way to becoming Smart Hospitals with the latest technology and where everything and everyone is linked and connected.
Smart Hospital: How devices communicate in the OR
03/09/2018
In a Smart Hospital, all devices are designed to be connected and integrated, thus increasing efficiency and reducing time loss – at least, that is how things are meant to work in theory. In reality, there are still countless vendor-specific point solutions that cannot be integrated. That's why there is a need for solutions that bridge the gap between the different applications and formats.
Video streaming, apps, and smart glasses: telemedicine on standby
02/07/2018
Looking at the trends and innovations in emergency medicine, it is apparent that the idea of an ambulance as a kind of mobile emergency room that comes to patients, connects them with health professionals and makes a diagnosis en route to the hospital, is gaining momentum. The increased usage of telemedicine plays a big part in this development.
Augmented Reality: supporting sterile processing services?
08/06/2018
Every day, hospital staff has to manage complex processes to guarantee quality and patient safety. Yet in some areas, the use of checklists and manuals tends to be more cumbersome and not useful – as is the case in sterile processing. A new project studies how augmented reality can take all the necessary information into the staff's field of view.
Organ Care System: treatment under extreme conditions
08/05/2018
Multidrug-resistant organisms that are treated with a dosage that exceeds the regular dose a hundred times and at temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius – the human organism is unable to handle it. Yet if the diseased organ is treated outside of the body, extreme conditions are an option. For the first time, physicians have succeeded in treating a severe case of pneumonia by using the OCS.
Hospital logistics: guarantor of quality and efficiency
01/02/2018
Medical supply distribution, supplying operating rooms with sterile instrument kits, the provision of food and catering services for patients – these are some of the around-the-clock care processes at a hospital. Efficient logistics are crucial to guarantee smooth processes. All of these pieces ultimately come together at the hospital’s in-house logistics center.
Everything flows: transportation and material flows in hospital logistics
01/02/2018
During a visit to the hospital, patients naturally expect to receive comprehensive care. Not only does this include the proper treatment, but also a hospital bed and regular meals for example. Patients typically don't ask about the transport logistics this entails for the hospital.
Eye on material flow: network solutions for hospital logistics
01/02/2018
Hospitals need an accurate assessment of the location and quantity of their materials to eliminate sources of error. Automated processes can also help employees to make these materials available at the right time and at the right place. Digital network systems will substantially support the logistics in the hospital of the future.
Surgical navigation systems: Safely guiding the scalpel
04/01/2018
Imaging, navigation, integration – these are terms that describe the modern operating room. All of these components play a key role in accurate surgical procedures. They are integrated into surgical navigation systems, which make complicated medical surgeries considerably safer.
Eye surgery: precision and prevention with femtosecond lasers
03/07/2017
Precision work is absolutely essential in eye surgery since the surgical site is very minute and sensitive. This is why eye surgeons have been using lasers for years. Femtosecond lasers are especially well suited to serve this purpose because they are able to cut tissue with great precision and little energy, which prevents unwanted side effects of surgery.
Physician Assistant - profession with perspective
22/06/2017
The doctor's profession is exhausting and involves many different activities. For a long time, there have been discussions about how doctors can be supported by other specialists. One solution: help from so-called physician assistants.
Modular Emergency Hospitals – Quick disaster response
08/06/2017
After earthquakes or other types of disasters, infrastructures are often damaged and local hospitals destroyed. A modular hospital, developed under the direction of the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department is designed to be ready for these types of disaster situations and support the emergency response.
SilverFit – Training and gaming for the elderly
01/06/2017
Movement is good for health, but people do it less and less as they age. The Dutch company SilverFit wants to counteract this. Their devices that combine sport and game are primarily aimed at elderly people. Their goal: to give people joy, fun and motivation to move – both in rehabilitation and in daily life.
Project A.L.I.N.A: Training in the interdisciplinary emergency room
08/05/2017
How can emergency room associates continue to educate themselves in a fast manner and without bureaucratic hurdles? The A.L.I.N.A Project, which gives associates new tools with special assistance services and learning environments, delivers the solution. We spoke with Prof. Sabine Blaschke at the University Hospital Göttingen about these tools and how they work.
Medical Technology for India – Market of the Future?
02/05/2017
India is a land of contradictions. On the one hand, it has densely populated cities with state of the art technology. On the other hand, two-thirds of the population still live under challenging hygienic and financial conditions in the rural areas. Despite these conditions or perhaps because of them, more and more medical technology companies from all over the world are interested in this market.
Hospital-acquired infections: pathogens know no borders
03/04/2017
Many aspects are uniformly regulated in Europe, however, hospital hygiene and MRSA prevention, for example, are not. The Netherlands plays a pioneering role in the fight against hospital-acquired infections. The country is an often-cited role model. But can other countries simply adopt the same system? And what makes it so different? MEDICA asked expert Prof. Alexander W. Friedrich.
Laboratory medicine: confronting infections with speed and foresight
03/04/2017
The laboratory is one of the most important and pivotal bastions in patient care. In the laboratory, acute, chronic and genetic diseases are diagnosed, the progression of diseases such as diabetes is regularly checked or specialists look for biomarkers to adapt cancer therapies.
Pneumonia in Children: Ultrasound or X-Rays?
08/03/2017
Pneumonia is the most frequent respiratory disease in children and can even cause death. That is why it is extremely important to make an accurate diagnosis as quickly as possible. If this requires imaging tests, normally X-rays are taken. But there is an alternative: ultrasound.
Collect Data? Utilize Data! – The Blessings of Big Data
01/03/2017
Genome data, MRI images, and blood test results – data collected in the medical sector is not only very heterogeneous but also extremely extensive. However, it is important to not only collect this data but to also utilize it. After all, processed, linked and analyzed data provides many opportunities in research, hospital management and ultimately also for the individual patient.
Medical Databases: One for All, All for One
01/03/2017
In the "KDI – Clinical Data Intelligence Project", researchers are trying to consolidate various types of data to make them useable and useful to both medical professionals and scientists. This is a tremendous undertaking, considering the data volumes from different sources. In this conversation with MEDICA, Dr. Martin Sedlmayr explains the project setup.
Smart versus big: how data can assist in the OR
01/03/2017
The OR is the centerpiece of every hospital and also the most expensive resource that should be used efficiently. Yet in reality, there are often delays when interventions are not intelligently scheduled and take place back-to-back. This is why the InnOPlan Research Consortium wants to make surgical device data usable and useful to improve the operating room planning process.
Stents versus Eye Drops: a new approach to aid glaucoma patients
01/02/2017
Using stents to treat glaucoma is not a new procedure but they have not been implanted into patients on a regular basis until only recently. But this is about to change, which is why MEDICA.de asked what these glaucoma mini-stents are able to do and who may be a good candidate for them. Professor Norbert Pfeiffer answered our questions.
Hospital construction: infection prevention through architecture?
09/01/2017
Hospitals apply many infection prevention and control measures. They all have one thing in common: they are individual parts of an overall concept that is aimed at preventing the spread of highly infectious and resistant pathogens in hospitals. Nevertheless, previous hygiene concepts ignore one aspect of hospitals: the architecture of the actual hospital facility itself.
Working with children with cancer – More than just a job
02/01/2017
Our topic title "pediatric (children’s) oncology" evoked strong emotional reactions from several mothers and fathers of our staff. "This hits too close to home for me, I couldn’t write about it", or "How do people manage to deal with this?". And we are only on the sidelines; physicians, caregivers and nurses at the hospital, hospice or families at home are the ones that have the real tough job.
"Always be honest" – How to communicate with critically ill children
02/01/2017
When children suffer from a critical or terminal illness, the first impulse of adults is often to not tell the children and sugarcoat the situation. Yet it is just this type of behavior that frequently causes children to emotionally withdraw.
Children's Tumor Center: consolidated treatment under one roof
02/01/2017
Treatments for children need to be different from treatment for adults – this also applies in oncology. Having said that, children do not just need new and different treatment concepts that still necessitate research. They also require the support from their families, who need to be nearby during treatment.
Medical emergency management in hospitals: there is a need for action
08/11/2016
Emergency situations do not just occur outside the hospital - life-threatening situations can also take place in patient rooms. Aside from the intensive care units, this also pertains to general hospital wards, where patients are not as closely monitored. Nursing staffs need to pay special attention in this case because emergencies sometimes announce themselves with certain symptoms.
Telediabetology: Telemedicine to fight diabetes
02/11/2016
World Diabetes Day is on November 14 of this year. This is reason enough to get informed about the options available in medicine on the subject of "diabetes". One area is telediabetology, a combination of telemedicine and diabetology. It is still not widespread in Germany, but that is about to change because the benefits for patients, physicians and hospitals are obvious.
Infection prevention with networked devices
02/11/2016
It is possible to save resources in a hospital by using networked devices – processes work more properly and more quickly this way. But there is also a certain amount of risk: If a device is infected with malware, the infection will spread very fast. Therefore, it is important to protect the networked devices and especially the sensitive patient data.
Networked healthcare – Apps and co.
04/10/2016
Digitization is on the rise and doesn't even stop with medicine. A video doctor consultation, a fitness app or a collection of data for a better cancer treatment: eHealth combines the possibilities of the internet with the demands of medicine and opens up entirely new possibilities for the medical industry.
Intraoperative imaging – added benefit or high-tech gadget?
01/09/2016
Monitoring individual results during surgery with an angiography system? This is already an option in approximately 200 hospitals in Germany. Thanks to intraoperative imaging, major medical procedures can be replaced by minimally invasive surgery because physicians are able to monitor the results immediately. This is gentler on patients and decreases the number of subsequent revision surgeries.
Hybrid Operating Room: The OR of the Future Today?
01/09/2016
Patients take center stage during surgery. Their treatment should be as gentle and effective as possible, which is why there is a trend towards minimally invasive surgery (MIS). But minimal procedures require better supporting technologies. The hybrid operating room combines surgery and imaging systems and increasingly replaces conventional open surgery approaches with MIS.
OR of the future: technology benefits surgeons
01/09/2016
When it comes to the future of medicine, we often ponder how we would like to be treated. On the other hand, there is the issue of how physicians would like to treat their patients. The surgical procedures are determined by the technology that doctors are surrounded by. That’s why technology development also needs to be adapted to the needs of surgeons in the operating room of the future.
MRI scan: Video projections help children overcome their fear
22/08/2016
A beautiful field of flowers, a trip to the beach or a visit to the zoo. Children can experience all of these at the Clinical Center Dortmund in a 270- degree projection on the wall. The Center created a space that is designed to help its little patients overcome their fear of MRI scans.
Hospital Logistics: Ecology vs. Economy
01/08/2016
Hospitals logistics is a very broad field and encompasses many areas – ranging from surgical planning to patient transport but also including categories such as laboratory and waste disposal. But how does this broad spectrum fare in terms of sustainability?
Blue versus Green Hospital: Economical in all departments
01/08/2016
Hospitals seldom operate economically and sustainably - old building structures and the intricate logistics operations involving expensive patient care are costly. To get out of the red, hospitals need to become more efficient in all areas. One way to achieve this goal leads through the Blue Hospital Concept.
Sustainability: Hospitals can achieve a trifecta
01/08/2016
Humans leave large ecological footprints on the planet. Nevertheless, sustainability - that being resource-conserving and environmentally oriented action - is still far from being a concern everywhere. The public sector, in particular, has a difficult time with this because sustainability requires initial funding to renew and adapt processes and technology. This applies especially to hospitals.
Textiles used in hospitals and medical offices – germs don’t stand a chance
01/06/2016
Some hospitals have long banned the status symbol of physicians – the white coat. Research has shown that especially the sleeves were contaminated with various types of bacteria. But it’s not just lab coats that can spread germs in healthcare settings. This field uses a variety of different textiles. Wouldn’t it, therefore, make sense to apply antimicrobial finishes?
Gram-negative bacteria pose a major challenge for hospitals
01/06/2016
Every day, people are admitted to the hospital, discharged or they visit patients. This large number of people increases the risk of bacteria transmission. Preventative measures such as short-sleeved uniforms and copper surfaces can help by improving hospital hygiene but they cannot replace the legal requirements for hygiene measures.
Plasmasterilization: active ingredient cocktail to fight bacteria
01/06/2016
Until now, plasma, the fourth state of matter,was consideredfascinatingonly to astrophysicists and science fiction fans. But at this point, it also attracts the interest of medicine because plasma can have many uses in this field. In the future, plasma sterilization could become an important component of hospital hygiene-provided that the right device is being used.
Safe or Not Safe? "The AB-DES has not gained market access in countries like Japan or the U.S."
01/05/2016
Antibody-coated, drug-eluting stents (AB-DES) feature an exterior coated with immunosuppressant drugs and an interior that is coated with antibodies to accelerate the adhesion of endothelial cells. In theory, this makes it possible to shorten the duration of therapy with blood thinners, which can mean relief for patients from an already difficult situation.
Knee at your fingertips
22/04/2016
How can you print ceramics, what purpose do they have and how benefits medical technology? Answers provides Dr. Tassilo Moritz from Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems IKTS.
Melt electrospinning writing: polymer fibers for tissue engineering
01/02/2016
Sometimes, soft tissue in our body needs to be replaced after surgery or an injury. But surgeons are not always able to take tissue from other body parts as a replacement. Then, they need to use implants. The production of soft implants that can constantly endure load and stress like our own tissue is a big challenge for research. Melt electrospinning writing can be a solution.
Rapid Tests: valuable helpers for use in the field
04/01/2016
Infectious diseases are widespread in conflict areas. When basic medical care is lacking on location, people cannot be appropriately treated. Laboratory tests are limited in the field. Rapid diagnostic tests make it possible for medical personnel to quickly and accurately test patients for several infectious diseases, for instance for the presence of malaria or HIV infection.
A new world: hybrid operating room workstation
02/11/2015
Performing surgery in a hybrid operating room is meant to be a relief for the staff and offer patients new options for treatment. What is actually so different about this hybrid operating room, what can you expect and what should you keep in mind during the planning process?
Fighting myomas with ultrasound
01/10/2015
A proper diagnosis is a part of great therapy. However, it can also be beneficial to be able to quickly respond to changes during a treatment. One example of this is the treatment of uterine myomas. Female patients at the University Hospital Bonn are treated using so-called high-intensity focused ultrasound, HIFU in short. Prof. Holger Strunk explains this procedure.
Small companions: How wearables change our lives
01/09/2015
They can be seen everywhere: at the wrists, in the ear, clipped to the belt. Wearables are small technical assistants who are built to collect and partially also to analyze data. Some of them collect measurable health data, others "only" count their user’s steps or measure the surrounding UV radiation. The fact is, however, that wearables are en vogue and are used for many different cases.
Transcatheter Pacing System: The world’s smallest cardiac pacemaker
01/07/2015
In the case of cardiac arrhythmia, the normal heart rate gets out of balance due to various reasons. In some cases, it is necessary to implant a cardiac pacemaker. Just like with any intervention, this type of surgery also involves risks. In the worst-case scenario, this can lead to abnormal wound healing or obliteration of the vascular system.
Crisis Management: Keeping the big picture in mind
02/03/2015
How should a hospital best respond to an emergency and which types of crises should it be prepared for? We spoke with Professor Ronald Glasberg at the SRH Hochschule Berlin on this subject.Communication: How does the neighbor actually do it?
02/03/2015
In Europe, or rather: at least between Germany and the Netherlands, the answer to this question often is not more than a subject for jokes. A current research project about strategic communication in hospitals now wants to show that and how neighbors actually are able to learn from each other when they look to the other side of the fence.
Hospital crisis communication: A crisis knows no rules
02/03/2015
Crises come in many shapes and sizes. Whether it’s poor hygiene, thefts or treatment errors – once the crisis has arrived, things need to move quickly. For hospitals in particular, the right crisis communication is key. Yet many medical facilities still neglect the fact that crisis communication starts before the actual crisis takes place.
Pediatric pathology: Specialized knowledge for the youngest
02/02/2015
When children are sick, their parents take them to a pediatrician. A pediatric pathologist is needed when pathology exams need to be conducted. This branch of pathology requires specialized knowledge. The Society for Pediatric and Fetal Pathologists is championing the transfer and preservation of this knowledge.
Digital pathology: From microscope slide to virtual microscopy
02/02/2015
The digitization of medicine moves on. Researchers, physicians and patients equally benefit from this development – thanks to improved diagnostics with highly sensitive devices, today findings can be comprehensively analyzed and treatment decisions made on a broadened basis. Digitization also offers the area of pathology interesting fields of application.
Making Your Own End-of-Life Decisions: “All options of palliative care, pain management and continued life need to have been explained to the patient“
01/12/2014
How does a physician handle a patient, who wants to die and what rights do I actually have as a patient? Legal practitioners do not automatically answer these and other questions. We talked about this subject with MD-PhD Ralf Jox from the Institute of Ethics, History and Theory of Medicine at the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich, Germany.Persistent vegetative state: brain stimulation with laser beams
01/09/2014
The public only notices diseases when celebrities become patients: in the spring of 2014, Formula One driver Michael Schumacher fell into a coma for several months as the result of a head injury caused by a skiing accident. These types of accidents show how delicate the brain responds to injuries. Brain stimulation could possibly support the rehabilitation of vegetative patients.The intensive care unit of the future - speedier recovery through feel good architecture
01/09/2014
The rooms in German intensive care units are cold and dreary. Hectic movements determine the patient’s everyday life along with noisy surveillance systems. Artificial light often also promotes a disturbed circadian rhythm. Sleeping pills are meant to solve this problem, but they also increase the risk of delirium at the same time.Hospitals: many small measures against infections and sepsis
01/08/2014
If neither the immune system nor antibiotics are able to control an infection, a sepsis can arise out of it - an infection that attacks several organs at the same time and causes the immune system to overreact. This is a life-threatening condition.Hygiene: "The sensor applies the principle of so-called photonic structures"
01/08/2014
Detecting infections quickly and reliably with the naked eye: This is what many doctors in hospitals and in the doctor's surgeries wish for. To make this dream come true, Prof. Holger Schönherr, a scientist from Siegen, is researching a sensor that should show an infection by a color change.Multi-resistant bacteria want to conquer the world
01/08/2014
Bacteria lurk everywhere: on the skin, in the intestines and in every puddle. Most of them that are hanging out in the human body are good bacteria. But not all of them. Those pathogens that exhibit resistance and are thus very hard to combat are the most dangerous kind. Their spread threatens people all over the world.Fat is the best medicine: "Adipose tissue contains many multipotent stem cells, approximately 500 times more than bone marrow"
01/07/2014
The not so popular “love handles“ could revolutionize medicine in the near future. In cooperation with the University of Rostock (Professor Hermann Seitz), the human med AG Company currently seeks to develop a device that is able to gently remove adipose tissue during surgery and subsequently isolate stem cells.Sports and cancer: no panacea, but a necessary aid
02/06/2014
When are sports healthy, how often should you engage in sports and what effect do sports have on the body – over the past few decades, there were always different answers to these questions. Many studies that were conducted in the past however confirm the assumption that sports and exercise always support health, even if someone is already sick.Medical apps: functionality and safety is key
02/05/2014
Successful communication is most important in medicine. The most modern channels have been utilized in this area for quite some time now. Medical apps need to meet several requirements at once. For their use to pay off, they need to be beneficial for prevention or therapy. And to ensure a safe application, they also need to be both technically and medically flawless.Study approach: surgical trials mean more safety in the operating room
06/01/2014
Whether a surgical suture is better applied manually or with a surgical stapler can be determined through trial and error. Determining which method guarantees patient safety best should also not just be based on a surgeon’s experience. Controlled studies are the method of choice to assess both well-proven and new techniques in the operating room.