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The ability to transmit detailed images over long distances is fueling new telemedicine projects in Canada and China and making it possible for physicians to view images anywhere and consult regarding patients and treatments.

Smartphone apps are increasing in popularity and are being widely used in healthcare as health apps, but more research needs to be conducted on their efficacy as patient adherence tools, according to a survey by Consumer Health Information Corporation (CHIC).The survey was distributed to smartphone consumers at affiliated universities, businesses and posted on Facebook in April 2011. Survey results were collected from 395 respondents.

Health-focused social networks may prove to be a viable source for chronic disease surveillance, according to researchers at Children's Hospital Boston.Using a combination of Facebook-like tools and personally controlled health records, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have engaged members of an online diabetes social network as participants in public health surveillance, according to a study published April 27 in PLoS ONE by Elissa Weitzman, ScD, MSc, and Kenneth Mandl, MD, MPH, of the Children's Hospital Informatics Program (CHIP).

Social media could prove to be a valuable method for gathering real time information on patient treatment to help determine drug effectiveness sooner, according to a new study of patients with ALS.

Wayne Memorial Hospital has implemented the nurse call integration feature of the HealthAlert for Nurses technology from Fort Wayne, Ind.-based EXTENSION. The 316-bed facility can now automate the delivery of clinical information and nurse call messages.