Global mobile connections will reach six billion by the end of November, report find

The GSMA (London, UK) anticipates that by the end of November 2011, global mobile connections will reach six billion, with the Asia Pacific region being a driving force, according to its Asia Pacific Mobile Observatory 2011 report. The organization expects mobile use in the Asia Pacific region to reach three billion connections in the first quarter of 2012 and 4.1 billion connections by 2015. Connections in the Asia Pacific are growing at twice the rate of Europe and North America and will account for 40 percent of the worldwide mobile data traffic. The report said the use of M2M to deliver mHealth services is the fastest growing area, with countries such as Japan and Korea using it to address access issues, and the pressures an aging population is putting on their healthcare systems.
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New Mexico Software changes its name, introduces telemedicine service
New Mexico Software (Albuquerque, NM) has begun operating under a new trade name, Net Medical Xpress Solutions. The company will continue providing PACS hardware and software to hospitals and medical facilities while adding cardio PACS service. Its Telerad Service will now be called Net Medical Xpress Services and will continue reading X-rays and other tests remotely. The company will add a new subsidiary, Net Medical Xpress Specialists, to provide telemedicine services for neurology, cardiology, infectious diseases, renal exams, retinal care, psychology, and dermatology to remote hospitals. The new specialist program is being piloted at a New Mexico hospital and is expected to be ready for roll out in the first quarter of 2012.
Learn more about the new telemedicine service

Nuance introduces PowerScribe 360 Mobile App
Nuance Communications (Burlington, MA) will introduce the PowerScribe 360 Mobile App at the Radiological Society of North America's annual conference November 27 in Chicago. The mobile app will allow radiologists using PowerScribe 360 Reporting at their workstations to access reports and review and sign off on them using a mobile device. The app also features Dragon Medical voice recognition software for speedy, accurate searching of online sources of information on Google, PubMed, and other sites.
Learn more about PowerScribe 360

Study finds potential benefit of e-health tools to manage dyslipidemia
A post hoc analysis of a U.S. randomized, controlled trial, conducted at 30 primary care practices in southeastern New England showed a potential benefit to using e-health tools, such as a patient-activated kiosk and a decision-support personal digital assistant device for physicians, in screening and management of dyslipidemia, according to an article in Annals of Family Medicine. However, the intent-to-treat analysis found no benefit in using the kiosk or decision-support tool in improving cholesterol management. The authors conclude that additional research is needed to learn how to best incorporate patient-centered e-health tools.
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New home health hub platform introduce
Freescale Semiconductor (Dusseldorf, Germany) has introduced a home health hub reference platform, based on Freescale's i.MX28 applications processor and ZigBee® and sub-1 GHz transceivers, to help medical equipment manufacturers create remote-access devices capable of collecting, and sharing health data. The platform allows secure WiFi and Ethernet connectivity to remote devices, such as tablets, smartphones or PCs, as well as blood pressure monitors, glucometers, scales, and other devices. The platform also enables connection to the Microsoft HealthVault.
Read more about Freescale home health platfor

Robotic arm exoskeleton introduced for neuro-rehabilitation
Hocoma (Switzerland) has introduced Armeo® Therapy Concept, a commercially available robotic arm exoskeleton, to assist patients with neurological disorders rehabilitate. The tool complements the company's existing Lokomat gait orthosis that automates locomotion therapy on a treadmill. The Lokomat assists gait-impaired people to walk on a treadmill by guiding the patients' legs. The physical therapist can adjust gait pattern and guidance force. Lokomat provides feedback, which patients often find motivational.
Learn more about Armeo
Read about Lokomat locomotion therapy

E-Health report outlines connectivity in Nevada
Connect Nevada (Carson City, NV) released the report “e-Health: Empowering Nevadans Across All Walks of Life,” describing the effects of online connectivity on availability of quality healthcare services. The paper reports that half of Nevada's Internet users look for medical information online to help with their health issues, and one in four access the Internet on their cell phones to obtain health information. However, many underserved groups exist. Nearly 300,000 low-income adults do not use the resource, and Hispanic and African Americans are less likely to use e-Health tools than Caucasians.
Read the report (PDF download)

Cardiocom signs in-home healthcare provider for telehealth service
THA Group (Savannah, GA), an in-home health company serving coastal Georgia and South Carolina, has selected Cardiocom® (Chanhassen, MN) to provide its home telehealth technology to patients with chronic conditions. Ellen Bolch, THA Group's president and CEO, said in a statement the group was drawn to Cardiocom by features that include chronic disease management software with an emphasis on self-management, monitors deemed easy to install and use, cellular capability, and willingness to partner and develop new ways to advance post-acute home health care.
Read about Cardiocom's tiered device platforms
Read about THA Group's telemedicine and home care services

Study finds virtual visitation well accepted by NICU families
A research team from Singapore General Hospital reports in The Permanente Journal that families with a sick newborn in the intensive care unit accepted virtual visitation during prolonged hospitalizations. Parents were able to check on their baby using an Internet browser or third-generation cell phone, and watch him or her on a Web camera. Eighty percent of the parents requested a larger image frame. Parents of babies in the intervention group, with the camera, made a similar number of in-person visits as parents of other babies. Length of stay was also about the same.
Read the paper (PDF download)