IPS Hand Hygiene Torch Tour 2016

#IPSTorchTour16 The Infection Prevention Society (IPS) are currently holding a hand hygiene campaign to ‘spread the message, not the bugs’ in the form of a torch tour around the UK and Ireland. The event begun on 5th May in each of the five countries (Scotland, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales) to coincide with the World Health Organisation ‘Clean Your Hands – Call to Action’ and will finish on 26th September 2016 at the first day of Infection Prevention 2016 Conference in Harrogate.  Well be exhibiting at the conference too, so please do call by to our stand and say hello - you might even get a chance to touch the torch here!  Were at stand 105 and always look forward to getting feedback and ideas from the people that use and inform our software.

Hand Hygiene Facts It is estimated that 8 out of 10 infectious diseases are spread by touch1 95 out of 100 of people claim to have washed their hands after using the toilet, the reality is only 65 of the 100 actually do wash their hands1 It is estimated that washing hands with soap and water could reduce diarrhoea infections by almost half2 Hand washing can reduce the risk of respiratory infections by 16%3 The use of an alcohol gel hand sanitiser in the classroom reduced in absenteeism due to infection by almost 20% in schools3 Wed like to take the opportunity to welcome the IPS contingency to Ireland later this month when they  hold their Irish Branch meeting at the Mespil Hotel on Tuesday 21st June from 10.30 to 2pm.   Other opportunities to touch the torch in Ireland will be on Monday 20th June at the National Maternity Hospital in the morning and at an evening event in Trinity College.  Its a valuable campaign to raise awareness about hand hygiene and we looking forward to being part of the events.  

References: Hardy Diagnostics http://www.hardydiagnostics.com/articles/hand-washing.pdf Curtis and Cairncross (2003) Effect of washing hands with soap on diarrhoea risk in the community: a systematic review. Lancet Infectious Diseases 3 (5); 275-81 CDC http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/fast_facts.html

Left to right: Kerrill Thornhill Medical EGuides, MEG, Michael Corr SureWash, Carole Hallam Infection Prevention Society, Gary Thirkill, Infection Prevention Society

The Annual Net Visonary Awards (Here we come!)

Thanks to the Net Visionary awards for our nomination in the Best Innovation for Health or Medical category at this evenings awards at the RDS, Dublin.

At patientMpower we think that that innovative, user-centric design and solutions are critical for success, so our app is personalised for each and every patient using new technology. We put patients and clinicians at the centre of all of our processes, using human centred design techniques to analyse interactions between them.

Gathering input from patients, nurses, nephrologists, health care economists, health informatics and the pharmaceutical industry ensures that our app delivers relevant information to users. We also sought expert advice regarding the requirements of dealing with patients and their records, such as data security, protection and consent and also software as a medical device to ensure patient security. So while were good at the innovation - we really want to hear from our users and healthcare experts - what do they want.

If you have any feedback and want to contact our CEO, you can find him here Eamonn Costello

Dairy A to Z - We Have it Covered!

The National Dairy Council ‘ Dairy A to Z’ app is composed of nearly 200 questions and answers relating to dairy goodness including sections on; Nutrition, Health, Quality & Safety, Animal Welfare, Environment & Sustainability and Dairy Products.

In consultation with the National Dairy Council, MEG designed this tool to provide concise, factual information for users and we hope that it helps them discover the unique qualities of Irish dairy produce. For example, there is a comprehensive section on nutrition, which outlines the benefits of dairy for sports recovery, with protein, carbohydrate and fat content if you're tracking your macros. This section also covers recommendations for different live stages for families.

The app is exceptionally user-friendly and has an interpretive search function to find the exact information you're looking for.

Contact the National Dairy Council, Ireland on info@ndc.ie for username and password details and contact us here at MEG Support Tools info@medicaleguides.com if you have some industry guidelines that you'd like to distribute by mobile or tablet.

Help at Hand for Large Hospital Campuses

As a hospital campus grows and improves, the ability for patients to navigate around them can become more difficult. Our client St. James's Hospital, Dublin had this exact issue with their large, city centre facility. During the consultation process, it was identified that the primary purpose of this app solution would be to assist patients, visitors and staff to locate facilities and amenities across the campus and to make it easier to engage with these services.

Staff, patients and visitors can now download onto their phone or tablets, a comprehensive hospital guide which includes;

- Campus maps and photographs to identify different locations
- Contact details for departments
- Public transport, directions and parking information
- Video guides
- Useful local amenities

The app provides a way of delivering a broad range of hospital-specific information to staff and visitors that is always up to date and easy to use.

For more information on the MEG products or if you think that your hospital would benefit from a similar solution please contact us at;

info@medicaleguides.com | +353 1 697 1579

Health 2.0 Dublin Event

Our CEO Kerrill, along with Health 2.0 Dublin and The Digital Hub are hosting an event this Monday 8th of May, as part of the ICIC conference on integrated care.

The latest Health2Dublin meetup is a fringe event for the International Conference on Integrated Care which is being held in Dublin for the 8-10th of May- “Building a platform for integrated care: delivering change that matters to people”.

We will be hearing from international speakers sharing their experience and the latest evidence about integrating Public Health, Health and Social Care. This Health2Dublin meetup is a chance for people share their experiences and learn from international counterparts about what does and does not work for their healthcare system.

At the meetup we will hear from the following local and international experts on trends and international best practice in integrated care, followed by Q&A and a chance to exchange ideas and experience in one of Dublins favourite pubs.

1) Dr Aine Carroll, National Director Clinical Strategy and Programmes, HSE

2) Mark Allphin/ Jeremy Goff, Accountable Care, Population Health, & Precision Medicine: KLAS Enterprises:

3) Nuria Toro, Integrated Healthcare services, WHO: 'Strategies and lessons in delivering people centered health services'

4) Chad Boult, Professor of health policy & management, John Hopkins University: 'Reimbursement models in Healthcare' ; & Sue Sheridan: Director of Patient Engagement: 'PatientCentered Outcomes Research'

Event kicks-off at 8.30pm at the Stags Head pub, upstairs, on Monday 8th of May.