HealthManagement, Volume 7 - Issue 1, 2012 HIT

Dear Reader,  

This years' HIMSS 2012 Las Vegas conference has once again highlighted the key importance of IT in successful healthcare deployment. Despite the fact that European IT solutions level up and even out-perform American counterparts, the US seems miles ahead in terms of information exchange amongst IT professionals and openness towards innovation. Therefore it is more than ever one of the key responsibilities of HITM to push IT into a pan-European level of understanding. We must move away from the local, national mindset and set our sights on Europe.  

We, as healthcare IT professionals are in a powerful position, we are the ones calling the shots. We are changing the healthcare world and others will have to listen to us. Our strategic vision and consistent implementation demands will push the industry to finally deliver open, interoperable systems like during the iRevolution. Apple has shown us how to do it. For decades running a Mac meant being deprived of different applications. Today, iPhone and iPad have changed their strategy, making them to the most successful IT company on the globe, by allowing others to create and sell applications running on these devices. It is up to us to create a similar situation in the world of healthcare.  

This year’s IT @ Networking Awards were proof of the power of healthcare IT and hinted that a revolution could well be on its way. Yet again we were spoilt for choice with great entries from across the globe. Projects varied from EMRs and telemonitoring to 3D PACS and whole genome sequencing. After two days of fierce competition, Ian de Vega took home first place with his South African primary healthcare information system.  

In this issue of Healthcare IT Management you can find in-depth articles on the three top prize winners of IT@2012 as well as information about all our finalists and nominees. Each of these projects strive for top quality in healthcare delivery and we hope they will be an inspiration to you.  

Other articles in this issue include an extensive report on the Systematisation of E-Health in Hungary from healthcare informatics expert Gyula Király and a look at The Use of Digital Pathology Software to Improve Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy.

We delve into E-Prescribing in the ICU with an interesting article from Scotland. Katie Went and her team explain the benefits of using an inter-disciplinary team made up of experts both in interactive systems and healthcare design and consultant anaesthetists, nurses, and pharmacists to design a new system. Another Scottish team introduce us to a new technology used for combating infection, Continuous Disinfection of the Hospital Environment Using High-Intensity Narrow-Spectrum Light (HINS-light).

This issue’s country focus is on Greece. Written before the current economic situation in the country, Prof. Nikos Maniadakis provides an overview of the healthcare system as a whole and Efstratia Mourtou looks specifically at health informatics in Greece.  

For comments, suggestions and criticism, please contact me at any time.  

Best regards,

 your CM (Christian Marolt) 

Secretary General and Editor-in-Chief   

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