03/15/2013
Next month, Genetic Alliance will launch a new disease registry that allows patients to determine how their data are used for medical research. Proponents of the venture say giving patients more control over their data could boost participation in medical studies. MIT Technology Review.
03/14/2013
In a recent study, two experts identify ethical considerations for participant-led research that uses social networking websites. The authors recommend three categories of ethical oversight for such research based on the risk to participants. FierceHealthIT, Medical News Today.
03/08/2013
Three electronic health record vendors have pledged to embed obesity prevention tools in their products, a coalition of health care groups announced yesterday. The three vendors are Cerner, GE Healthcare and Physicians Computer Company. Politico's "Pulse," Avalere Health release.
03/07/2013
Scientists from Microsoft, Columbia University and Stanford University have developed new software tools that scan Internet search data. The tools potentially could identify unreported prescription drug side effects before they are detected by FDA. New York Times, Medscape.
03/07/2013
An analysis published in Nature Biotechnology examines a research project that resulted in a comprehensive map of human metabolism. The interactive map allows users to view metabolic functions from different perspectives, similar to the functions of a Google map. Time.
03/04/2013
California lawmakers have introduced a bill to upgrade a state database that monitors physicians who overprescribe certain drugs. In Pennsylvania, lawmakers are considering a bill to establish a database to identify prescription drug misuse. Los Angeles Times, Washington Observer-Reporter.
03/01/2013
Cancer Research UK is partnering with technology organizations like Amazon, Facebook and Google to develop a mobile game that could accelerate cancer research. The game will allow smartphone users to look at data sets and identify subtle mutations in tumors' DNA that likely could not be detected by computers. Cancer Research UK plans to launch the game in mid-2013. BBC News, Reuters.
02/27/2013
Some pharmaceutical companies are skirting Canadian law by using social media websites to advertise directly to consumers. The British Columbia Medical Association and other experts are calling for Canadian officials to crack down on such advertisements. Vancouver Sun.
02/27/2013
Today, pharmaceutical firm Roche announced plans to expand access to some of its clinical trial data. The company said it plans to work with an independent body to evaluate requests from researchers to access anonymized patient data from clinical trials. Reuters, BBC News.
02/26/2013
The White House has directed federal agencies to develop rules to publicly release the results of federally funded research within one year of publication. The directive is unlikely to significantly affect NIH, which already offers open access to studies. Washington Post, Reuters.
02/25/2013
A Regenstrief Institute study finds that infection preventionists underuse electronic health record systems. Only 20% of surveyed infection preventionists say they participated in the design, selection or implementation of their organization's EHR system. Healthcare IT News et al.
02/21/2013
A new study finds that image analysis software used by astronomers to identify indistinct celestial objects could be used to detect breast cancer biomarkers. The astronomy algorithms helped researchers analyze more than 2,000 tumor samples in one day. FierceHealthIT et al.
02/21/2013
A report released at a White House summit today states that health IT could help reduce disparities in care among ethnic and racial minorities. According to the report, health IT systems could help facilitate the collection and analysis of demographic data, and electronic enrollment portals could help improve participation in public health programs. Healthcare IT News, Consumers Union release.
02/21/2013
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association finds that primary care physicians who use advanced electronic health record systems are more likely than physicians without EHR systems to order routine women's health tests. Modern Healthcare.
02/20/2013
Families are pushing for researchers to share patients' medical data so children with rare diseases are not required to participate in so many studies. However, companies and academic researchers are reluctant to share what they consider to be proprietary information. Wall Street Journal.