Check the Med-e-Tel 2017 conference program for some recent updates and additions to the schedule.

The Luxembourg eHealth Agency ( Agence eSanté Luxembourg) has announced details of their conference sessions on " Digital Health Tools in Oncology" (focusing on artificial intelligence, telemonitoring and teleconsultation, telepathology, ePrescription, as well as on patient experience, comfort and health literacy) and on Big Data for Public Health.

The BRICS Telemedicine Expert's Group will be presenting and discussing on  Telemedicine Cooperation and Models of Telemedicine. BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) are home to 43% of the world's population, 37% of world GDP and 17% share of world trade. Telemedicine has been identified as an area of co-operation with the opportunity to become a leader in the field. The BRICS Telemedicine Experts' Group has proposed several goals based on improving universal access to care across the countries through income generating local and international telemedicine. These include the development of complex compatible telemedicine systems, opening an international BRICS telemedicine educational center, developing uniform standards and specifications for telemedicine, and harmonizing national legislation in this area.

Overall, the Med-e-Tel program features presentations of practical and daily experiences with telemedicine/telehealth services and m/eHealth solutions, presented by doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, IT specialists, and user/patient advocates.

Details of the conference program are available at www.medetel.eu. The main Med-e-Tel conference program runs from April 5th till April 7th. The event also features 2 pre-conference sessions on the afternoon of April 4th, on the topics of " Telecardiology" and " Social Media & Beyond: The Interaction Between Patients and Health Professionals".

Join us and be a part of this exciting program and networking event. Hear from and meet with colleagues from around Europe and the rest of the world, and develop new partnerships and collaboration. Register now at www.medetel.eu. Or contact [email protected] for more information.

The early-bird registration option for Med-e-Tel 2017 is still available until this week Friday (March 17th). Register by Friday latest and still save up to 25% on regular rates. Registration provides access to all conference sessions and to the expo/networking area, as well as two evening networking receptions. There are also options for 1-day registration. Fees and conditions can been found here.

The Luxembourg electronic health record (DSP, dossier de soins partagé), developed and managed by the Luxembourg eHealth Agency (Agence eSanté Luxembourg) is playing an increasingly important role in cancer care. Cancer is a chronic disease with a high complexity with multiple interventions and multiple actors such as oncologists, radiation therapists, pathologists, home nursing and social care services. This pathology requires a very high level of coordinated care. It is therefore necessary to ensure that all actors have access to the patient's health and medical information. The DSP is that information hub. It allows healthcare professionals to have access to and share information in a secure way to ensure the coordination and follow-up of patient care.

The DSP also comes with a "business" application for professionals such as radiation therapists and oncologists on particular functions. This tool is intended for all those who enter the sphere of oncology and follow the patient. Its purpose is to organize the Multidisciplinary Consultation Meetings ( RCPs, réunions de concertation pluridisciplinaire). As a technical expert, the eHealth Agency, in collaboration with the National Cancer Platform and the National Cancer Institute, defines the best solution for the organization of these consultation meetings for all hospitals in Luxembourg.

These topics, as well as the use of artificial intelligence (IBM Watson) for decision support, the use of big data, data protection and data privacy will be presented and dicussed by the Luxembourg eHealth Agency and their partners at this year's Med-e-Tel conference on April 5th and April 6th.

The Med-e-Tel Opening Ceremony on the morning of April 5th will feature the presentation of the ISfTeH 'Louis Lareng' Lifetime Achievement Award (named after it's first recipient and French telemedicine pioneer, Louis Lareng) to another telemedicine pioneer and Founder/Chairman of the Apollo Hospitals Group, Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, who has brought world class healthcare to India, in part through numerous telemedicine and telehealth services and initiatives!

Also the Medgate Student Award will be presented to Jonathan Teoh from the University of Melbourne (Australia) who won last year's ISfTeH Student Webconference Session (during Med-e-Tel 2016) with his presentation on " Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Implementing Teledentistry for Rural Paediatric Patients in Victoria, Australia."
The ISfTeH Student Webconference Session is a yearly feature at Med-e-Tel, in which ISfTeH Student members remotely present their work via webconference, and are judged by a panel of ISfTeH members. The winner receives the Medgate Student Award (supported by Swiss telemedicine provider Medgate) which allows him/her to participate in person at the next edition of the Med-e-Tel conference.
This year will actually see the 10th anniversary edition of the ISfTeH Student Webconference session!

The " Telecardiology Workshop" (scheduled on the afternoon of April 4th, as a pre-conference session to the Med-e-Tel conference) now also features input and case studies from leading telehealth suppliers Aerotel Medical Systems and Comarch Healthcare.

The workshop, which focuses on long-time experiences of telecardiology and tele-ECG services as well as new approaches and successful applications in cardiac monitoring and data analysis, and technological solutions and platforms.

Program details of the workshop are available here.

The workshop is aimed at professionals from both the health sector (doctors, nurses) and IT areas, and at hospital administrators, medical centers or organizations providing or looking to expand their (tele)cardiology services or to introduce telecardiology services, as well as interested professionals coming from regions and institutions where there is a shortage or lack of cardiology assistance.

Workshop supported by:
Educational Program Endorsed by:

If you would like to attend this Telecardiology Workshop, contact us at [email protected] for more information and registration.

There is an increasingly high potential for information and communication technologies to improve maternal health. Given the expansion of telecommunication networks and penetration of mobile phones in rural areas in developing countries, this gives rise to the possibility of connecting previously unconnected pregnant women to healthcare through the technology of mobile health. Mobile phone networks cover 96% of the world's population, with 77% of mobile subscriptions held by nearly 90% of the population in low- and middle-income countries.

Mobile health tools can help minimize time barriers and facilitate urgent maternal care, as well as support health promotion through mobile messaging services. Systematically applying ICT solutions to reduce maternal and newborn mortality is the primary aim of the mobile apps developed at the Women Observatory for eHealth ( WeObservatory) of the Millennia2025 Foundation, through a unique private partnership that seeks to bring mobile health solutions to pregnant women to increase their access to healthy pregnancy information and emergency care.

The Zero Mothers Die app is a source of essential maternal, newborn and child health information for pregnant women, new mothers and health workers who provide this care to their community. Twin2twin is an innovative and sustainable method for twinning midwives from The Netherlands and Morocco, improving their education and protecting the health of mothers and babies. The Happy Baby, Happy Mom app for Mongolia helps the midwives to dialogue with women on over-weight during pregnancy, thereby helping them to avoid putting themselves or their babies at risk of various health issues.

Hear more about these developments and others in two sessions on " Telenursing, Women's and Maternal Health" at Med-e-Tel 2017, presented in collaboration with the Millennia2025 Foundation WeOberservatory, the ISfTeH Telenursing Working Group and the ISfTeH WoW Working Group.

Additional presentations in these sessions will include:

• Telehealth Nursing in Care Settings and Specialties Worldwide
• Remote Prenatal Follow-Up of Hypertension Diseases in Pregnancy
• Telemedicine and New Technologies in Healthcare - Lessons Learned from Poland and Germany
• A Web-Based Clinical Decision Support System for Osteoporosis in Brazil, an Ageing Country
• Implementation and Assessment of a Teledermatology Strategy for Identification and Treatment of Skin Lesions in Elderly Persons
• Implementing and Monitoring the Teleconsulting Service of the National Network of Specialists in Cervical Cancer
• Implementation of the eHealth Strategy of the Finnish Nurses Association
• Tele-Education in Nursing Continuing Education Programs

Registration for Med-e-Tel is available here.

The Transatlantic Telehealth Research Network (TTRN) is a collaboration between Aalborg University in Denmark and CITRIS (Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society) and UC Davis Health System in the USA. Additional members include Cleveland Clinic and Odense University Hospital.

The Network is dedicated to developing cutting-edge innovation in telehealth. The research is interdisciplinary (medicine, engineering, nursing, organizational, economic, policy) and focuses on developing new diagnostic, preventive care and treatment methods/technologies for patients in their own homes utilizing telehealth. Problem-based, user-driven innovation is a key issue in the international and interdisciplinary TTRN.

TTRN develops synergies between telehealth programs in the United States and Denmark and collaborates on developing and testing new and emerging telehealth technologies. It had initiated a joint research program on telehealth and cardiology with a focus on new technologies for preventive care, treatment and rehabilitation of cardiac patients. It also develops a mutually beneficial program for exchange and knowledge-sharing for clinicians, Master's students, PhD students and researchers within the field of telehealth.

Meet TTRN representatives in the Med-e-Tel '17 expo and hear from them during the Telecardiology Workshop and in the main conference program.

The Med-e-Tel venue, i.e. the Luxexpo Exhibition and Congress Center, has acquired a new graphic identity to meet the expectations and demands of the meetings market and promote events for the largest possible audience, with both current and new international clients.

The venue is now known as Luxexpo The Box. It's still in the same place, but when you come to Med-e-Tel, look now for Luxexpo The Box or signs with the new logo (see above).

For a map and driving directions, click here.

To follow are links to some interesting and recently published articles, books, studies, interviews and reports (if you would like to suggest an article for inclusion into a following newsletter, feel free to send details to [email protected]):

• Spain calls on regions to implement eHealth system (Joinup)
• Can Clinical, Commercial Uses Coincide on a Telehealth Platform? (mHealthIntelligence)
• 4 sins of mobile apps for patients (Medgadget)
• Use of remote patient monitoring technologies increased worldwide in 2016 (TechTarget)
• A Blue Cross survey says many who try telehealth become frequent users (Internet Health Management) 
• Smooth start for cardiology tele clinics (Otago Daily Times)
• mHealth Management Tools Sought by Younger Diabetic Patients (mHealthIntelligence)
• All systems go for mobile health and true connectivity (The Pharma Letter)
• Telemedicine Growing in Adoption and Efficiency, but Obstacles Persist (Definitive Healthcare)
• Continuous, Connected Care - Remote patient monitoring is critical in terms of care and forging patient and referral partner relationships. Where does it stand and where is it heading? (HME Business)
• Why the utilization conversation in telemedicine is bigger than dollars and cents (MobiHealthNews)
• Women in Zambia want Telehealth services to cater for pressing health needs (Spider)
• Southern DHB launches cardiology telehealth clinic from Dunedin to Dunstan (Pulse+IT)