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UK trial allows patients to book doctor visits via remote
Amidst the recent boom in home healthcare gizmos that are enabling the elderly to better care for themselves, it's no surprise to see a trial hit the UK which allows patients to book GP appointments via their TV. The system was devised by EMIS, and was initially available "through the Looking Local portal on the interactive menus on Sky, cable, and Freeview boxes with a modem or broadband connection." Additionally, users could access the menu via WAP-enabled mobile phones, and customers in participating areas were able to "access information from the doctor's receptionist along with a password which allowed them to log in to the system." Results from the pilot program included fewer missed appointments and less time spent chatting with the ill over the phone, but we don't foresee any of these productivity savings being passed along to the consumer in the form of pounds and pence.
Intel unveils mobile clinical assistant platform
Intel took the wraps off some of its latest handiwork yesterday, showing off plans for a new mobile computing platform for healthcare professionals at its Developers Forum in San Francisco. The platform, dubbed the mobile clinical assistant, is designed to streamline the work-flow of doctors and nurses, letting them digitally record patient's vital signs, progress charts, and prescription information on specially-designed tablet PCs, and wirelessly transfer that information to pharmacists or anyone else that needs to check up on your vitals. Anything in the way of specific details are still pretty vague at the moment, but the first devices based on the platform are set to be developed by Motion Computing and introduced in the first half of 2007. Among the possibilities for the devices are RFID-scanning to identify patients (better pack that tinfoil hat for your next hospital visit), barcode scanning for prescriptions, and integrated digital cameras. We're all for improving healthcare through technology but, to be honest, we'd kinda like to have a couple of these around Engadget HQ for ourselves -- especially given the spill-proof, drop-tolerant casing.[Via Geekzone]
