The debate over eHealth is alive as never before. Supporters suggest that it will result in dramatic innovations in healthcare, including a giant leap towards patient-centered care, new opportunities to improve effectiveness, and enhanced wellness and quality of life. In addition, the growing market value of investments in health IT suggests that eHealth can offer at least a partial cure for the current economic stagnation.  Detractors counter these arguments by claiming that eHealth has already failed: the UK Department of Health has shut down the NHS National Program for IT, Google has discontinued its Health flagship, and doubts have arisen over privacy safeguards for both patients and medical professionals. This book briefly explains why caregivers, professionals, technicians, patients, politicians, and others should all consider themselves stakeholders in eHealth. It offers myth-busting responses to some ill-considered arguments from both sides of the trench, in the process allowing a fresh look at eHealth. In addition, it describes how the technical failures of previous eHealth systems can be avoided, examines the legal basis of eHealth, and discusses associated ethical issues.​  

Translational Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Methods for Personalized Medicine introduces integrative approaches in translational bioinformatics and systems biology to support the practice of personalized, precision, predictive, preventive, and participatory medicine. Through the description of important cutting-edge technologies in bioinformatics and systems biology, readers may gain an essential understanding of state-of-the-art methodologies. The book discusses topics such as the challenges and tasks in translational bioinformatics; pharmacogenomics, systems biology, and personalized medicine; and the applicability of translational bioinformatics for biomarker discovery, epigenomics, and molecular dynamics. It also discusses data integration and mining, immunoinformatics, and neuroinformatics. With broad coverage of both basic scientific and clinical applications, this book is suitable for a wide range of readers who may not be scientists but who are also interested in the practice of personalized medicine.

The three-volume set LNCS 9900, 9901, and 9902 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2016, held in Athens, Greece, in October 2016. Based on rigorous peer reviews, the program committee carefully selected 228 revised regular papers from 756 submissions for presentation in three volumes. The papers have been organized in the following topical sections: Part I: brain analysis, brain analysis - connectivity; brain analysis - cortical morphology; Alzheimer disease; surgical guidance and tracking; computer aided interventions; ultrasound image analysis; cancer image analysis; Part II: machine learning and feature selection; deep learning in medical imaging; applications of machine learning; segmentation; cell image analysis; Part III: registration and deformation estimation; shape modeling; cardiac and vascular image analysis; image reconstruction; and MR image analysis.

Teledentistry is of growing interest to the healthcare world. Over the last few years, momentum is growing in research and service in Teledentistry - mostly carried out by tertiary medical institutes across the world. While Teledentistry is advanced in some sub-specialties, it has high potential to receive more attention from general communities, dentists, dental hygienists, physicians, nurses, researchers and students. For the first time, this book will present essential knowledge from experts in this field. They will discuss the current status of technology and service in various Telledentistry sub specialties and its future implications. Written by experts from around the globe, (i.e., from USA, Europe, Australia and Asia), this book presents technical issues and clinical applications. It includes collective experiences from dental service providers in different parts of the world practicing a wide range of Teledentistry applications. This book lays the foundations for the globalization of Teledentistry procedures, making it possible for dental service to be delivered anywhere in the world.

This book reviews and defines the current state of the art for informatics education in medicine and health care. This field has undergone considerable change as the field of informatics itself has evolved. Twenty years ago almost the only individuals involved in health care who had even heard the term "informatics" were those who identified themselves as medical or nursing informaticians. Today, we have a variety of subfields of informatics including not just medical and nursing informatics, but informatics applied to specific health professions (such as dental or pharmacy informatics), as well as biomedical informatics, bioinformatics and public health informatics. The book addresses the broad range of informatics education programs available today. The Editor and experienced internationally recognized informatics educators who have contributed to this work have made the tacit knowledge explicit and shared some of the lessons they have learned. This book therefore represents the key reference for all involved in the informatics education whether they be trainers or trainees.

This is a meticulously detailed chronological record of significant events in the history of medical informatics and their impact on direct patient care and clinical research, offering a representative sampling of published contributions to the field. The History of Medical Informatics in the United States has been restructured within this new edition, reflecting the transformation medical informatics has undergone in the years since 1990. The systems that were once exclusively institutionally driven - hospital, multihospital, and outpatient information systems - are today joined by systems that are driven by clinical subspecialties, nursing, pathology, clinical laboratory, pharmacy, imaging, and more. At the core is the person - not the clinician, not the institution - whose health all these systems are designed to serve. A group of world-renowned authors have joined forces with Dr Marion Ball to bring Dr Collen's incredible work to press. These recognized leaders in medical informatics, many of whom are recipients of the Morris F. Collen Award in Medical Informatics and were friends of or mentored by Dr Collen, carefully reviewed, editing and updating his draft chapters. This has resulted in the most thorough history of the subject imaginable, and also provides readers with a roadmap for the subject well into later in the century.

Advances in digital technology led to the development of digital x-ray detectors that are currently in wide use for projection radiography, including Computed Radiography (CR) and Digital Radiography (DR). Digital Imaging Systems for Plain Radiography addresses the current technological methods available to medical imaging professionals to ensure the optimization of the radiological process concerning image quality and reduction of patient exposure. Based on extensive research by the authors and reference to the current literature, the book addresses how exposure parameters influence the diagnostic quality in digital systems, what the current acceptable radiation doses are for useful diagnostic images, and at what level the dose could be reduced to maintain an accurate diagnosis. The book is a valuable resource for both students learning the field and for imaging professionals to apply to their own practice while performing radiological examinations with digital systems.

This book brings a comprehensive treatise about obesity, examining the measures that can be taken to stop and even reduce obesity if these right measures are taken in time. Recent studies show that obesity is on the increase at an alarming rate, especially in the industrialized and affluent countries. A number of reasons have been put forward for this increase, including life style choices, over-eating, over-use of commercially processed food, addiction for fast food, high caloric diet specially containing high levels of sugar and fat, lack of exercise and sedentary life style. Also genetic make up has been associated with obesity. Obesity can lead to a variety of lethal diseases, notably coronary heart disease, cancer and diabetes. These diseases account for the highest number of human death amongst all other causes. There are also a number of other side effects associated with obesity including increased stress, loss of intelligentsia, pancreatitis, premature birth and osteoarthritis. In recent years media have been playing important roles in highlighting the lethality and damage caused by obesity, nevertheless no significant effects can be seen in the population and obesity remains on the increase, especially amongst children. The editors believe that it is important that more education, campaign and research are used to stop this increasing disease.

Digital retinal imaging performed by primary care providers and nurses, followed by remote image interpretation (teleretinal imaging), is rapidly acquiring a crucial role in many parts of the world as it permits the detection of major diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, in patients who would otherwise be beyond the reach of a trained ophthalmologist. In this book, experts from around the world describe how digital teleretinal screening can be set up and optimally utilized. Technical issues are discussed, and the appropriate use of screening for different diseases and in different age groups is explained. The major part of the book draws upon the clinical experience of leading practitioners in a wide range of teleretinal applications. The result is a comprehensive source of high-quality information for clinicians and other health professionals who are involved in eye care delivery, so that they can assess how teleretinal screening might be applied to their working practice.

This is the second edition of a very popular book on DICOM that introduces this complex standard from a very practical point of view. It is aimed at a broad audience of radiologists, clinical administrators, information technologists, medical students, and lecturers. The book provides a gradual, down to earth introduction to DICOM, accompanied by an analysis of the most common problems associated with its implementation. Compared with the first edition, many improvements and additions have been made, based on feedback from readers. Whether you are running a teleradiology project or writing DICOM software, this book will provide you with clear and helpful guidance. It will prepare you for any DICOM projects or problem solving, and assist you in taking full advantage of multifaceted DICOM functionality.

E-health two-side Markets: Implementation and Business Models presents empirical models and suggestions that focus on how to remove barriers to deliver online services across borders and how actual barriers affect business models in a two-sided market with regard to eHealth. Technological innovation and business developments in online trade result in fast-evolving markets with the continuous emergence of new products and services, thus requiring a specific approach. This book discusses how to develop innovative and cost-effective implementation strategies for complex organizations, the importance of barriers and facilitators for two-sided markets when implementing e-health services and/or IT based innovations, which pre-requisites have to be achieved in complex organizations that act in two-sided markets when implementing e-services, the ecosystem for implementation of services and innovations in complex organizations, and its effects for business models. This book is a valuable source for researchers in medical informatics, and is also ideal for stakeholders, consultants, advisors, and product designers involved in eHealth services.

Presenting an Effective and Dynamic Technical Paper: A Guidebook for Novice and Experienced Speakers in a Multicultural World is intended for inexperienced speakers as well as those aspiring to improve their communication skills in making either formal or informal presentations on a technical subject. The book focuses on how to make presentations to a cross-cultural audience, including such tactics as how to list the names of the co-authors on your presentation, how to handle eye contact and use humor, both of which can differ across the global spectrum of cultures. The cross-cultural focus of this book relates not only to the audience, but also to the speaker. This book also includes helpful tips for non-native English speakers.

This book focuses on contemporary technologies and research in computational intelligence that has reached the practical level and is now accessible in preclinical and clinical settings. This book's principal objective is to thoroughly understand significant technological breakthroughs and research results in predictive modeling in healthcare imaging and data analysis. Machine learning and deep learning could be used to fully automate the diagnosis and prognosis of patients in medical fields. The healthcare industry's emphasis has evolved from a clinical-centric to a patient-centric model. However, it is still facing several technical, computational, and ethical challenges. Big data analytics in health care is becoming a revolution in technical as well as societal well-being viewpoints. Moreover, in this age of big data, there is increased access to massive amounts of regularly gathered data from the healthcare industry that has necessitated the development of predictive models and automated solutions for the early identification of critical and chronic illnesses. The book contains high-quality, original work that will assist readers in realizing novel applications and contexts for deep learning architectures and algorithms, making it an indispensable reference guide for academic researchers, professionals, industrial software engineers, and innovative model developers in healthcare industry.

The three-volume set LNCS 9900, 9901, and 9902 constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 19th International Conference on Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention, MICCAI 2016, held in Athens, Greece, in October 2016. Based on rigorous peer reviews, the program committee carefully selected 228 revised regular papers from 756 submissions for presentation in three volumes. The papers have been organized in the following topical sections: Part I: brain analysis, brain analysis - connectivity; brain analysis - cortical morphology; Alzheimer disease; surgical guidance and tracking; computer aided interventions; ultrasound image analysis; cancer image analysis; Part II: machine learning and feature selection; deep learning in medical imaging; applications of machine learning; segmentation; cell image analysis; Part III: registration and deformation estimation; shape modeling; cardiac and vascular image analysis; image reconstruction; and MR image analysis.

Medical Biosensors for Point of Care (POC) Applications discusses advances in this important and emerging field which has the potential to transform patient diagnosis and care. Part 1 covers the fundamentals of medical biosensors for point-of-care applications. Chapters in part 2 go on to look at materials and fabrication of medical biosensors while the next part looks at different technologies and operational techniques. The final set of chapters provide an overview of the current applications of this technology. Traditionally medical diagnostics have been dependent on sophisticated technologies which only trained professionals were able to operate. Recent research has focused on creating point-of-care diagnostic tools. These biosensors are miniaturised, portable, and are designed to be used at the point-of-care by untrained individuals, providing real-time and remote health monitoring.

This revised edition covers all aspects of public health informatics and discusses the creation and management of an information technology infrastructure that is essential in linking state and local organizations in their efforts to gather data for the surveillance and prevention. Public health officials will have to understand basic principles of information resource management in order to make the appropriate technology choices that will guide the future of their organizations. Public health continues to be at the forefront of modern medicine, given the importance of implementing a population-based health approach and to addressing chronic health conditions. This book provides informatics principles and examples of practice in a public health context. In doing so, it clarifies the ways in which newer information technologies will improve individual and community health status. This book's primary purpose is to consolidate key information and promote a strategic approach to information systems and development, making it a resource for use by faculty and students of public health, as well as the practicing public health professional. Chapter highlights include: The Governmental and Legislative Context of Informatics; Assessing the Value of Information Systems; Ethics, Information Technology, and Public Health; and Privacy, Confidentiality, and Security. Review questions are featured at the end of every chapter. Aside from its use for public health professionals, the book will be used by schools of public health, clinical and public health nurses and students, schools of social work, allied health, and environmental sciences.

This book presents research on emerging computational intelligence techniques and tools, with a particular focus on new trends and applications in health care. Healthcare is a multi-faceted domain, which incorporates advanced decision-making, remote monitoring, healthcare logistics, operational excellence and modern information systems. In recent years, the use of computational intelligence methods to address the scale and the complexity of the problems in healthcare has been investigated. This book discusses various computational intelligence methods that are implemented in applications in different areas of healthcare. It includes contributions by practitioners, technology developers and solution providers.

Smart Bandage Technology: Design and Application is a guide to the integration of sensors and electronic systems into bandages for the application of wound management. Davis provides a comprehensive guide to the design and development of functional material for wound management for engineers of all levels possessing core knowledge in chemistry, biochemistry, and materials science. Includes an introduction to the design of advanced wound care technologies for undergraduate engineers, as well as a coherent exploration of competing technologies suitable for postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers. Each section provides a high level overview of the concepts and techniques involved in developing smart bandages, including their manufacturing, operation, and implementation, and also exposes and explores the most recent approaches to wound care in more detail. This book incorporates contextual boxes to provide a greater degree of detail to examples given and also includes an extensive bibliography for those seeking to research further on the various topics discussed.

Materials for the Direct Restoration of Teeth focuses on the important role teeth play in our lives and how biomaterials scientists are ensuring that new dental materials are functional and esthetic. As research in the field is shifting away from traditional materials like metal, and towards more advanced materials, such as resins and ceramics, this book on the subject of modern materials for the direct repair of teeth provides readers with a comprehensive reference. The most pertinent modern dental materials and their properties and applications for the direct restoration of teeth are presented, along with case examples and guidance notes making this book an essential companion for materials scientists and clinicians.

Rene Theophile Hyacinthe Laennec (1781-1826) is best known for his invention of the stethoscope, one of medicine's most powerful symbols. Histories, novels, and films have cloaked his life in hagiography and legend. Jacalyn Duffin's fascinating new biography relies on a vastly expanded foundation of primary source material, including thousands of pages of handwritten patient records, lecture notes, unpublished essays, and letters. She situates Laennec, the scientist and teacher, within the broader social and intellectual currents of post-Revolutionary France. Her work uncovers a complex character who participated actively in the dramatic changes of his time. Laennec's famous Treatise on Mediate Auscultation was his only published book, but two lesser known works were left in manuscript: an early treatise on pathological anatomy and a later set of lectures on disease. The three parts of Duffin's biography correspond to these books. First, she examines Laennec's student research on the emerging science of pathological anatomy, the background for his major achievement. Second, she uses his clinical records to trace the discovery and development of "mediate auscultation" (listening through an instrument, or mediator, to sounds within the human body). The stethoscope allowed clinicians to "see" the organic alterations inside their living patients' bodies. Finally, she explores the impact of auscultation on diagnostic practice and on concepts of disease. Analyzed here for the first time in their entirety, Laennec's College de France lectures reveal his criticism of over-enthusiastic extrapolations of his own method at the expense of the patient's story. Originally published in 1998. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Applied Computing in Medicine and Health is a comprehensive presentation of on-going investigations into current applied computing challenges and advances, with a focus on a particular class of applications, primarily artificial intelligence methods and techniques in medicine and health. Applied computing is the use of practical computer science knowledge to enable use of the latest technology and techniques in a variety of different fields ranging from business to scientific research. One of the most important and relevant areas in applied computing is the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in health and medicine. Artificial intelligence in health and medicine (AIHM) is assuming the challenge of creating and distributing tools that can support medical doctors and specialists in new endeavors. The material included covers a wide variety of interdisciplinary perspectives concerning the theory and practice of applied computing in medicine, human biology, and health care. Particular attention is given to AI-based clinical decision-making, medical knowledge engineering, knowledge-based systems in medical education and research, intelligent medical information systems, intelligent databases, intelligent devices and instruments, medical AI tools, reasoning and metareasoning in medicine, and methodological, philosophical, ethical, and intelligent medical data analysis.