The recent case in Spain of a healthcare worker contracting Ebola while caring for a patient demonstrated the risks healthcare workers take while trying to save the lives of others. Professor Peter Piot of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who first discovered Ebola in 1976, stated that the biggest risk of contracting Ebola in Europe is for medical staff.

The Wall Street Journal recently spoke to Professor David J. Evans, professor of virology at the University of Warwick and detailed  the importance of following Ebola protocols

'The bulk of available evidence suggests that basic infection-control measures like protective gear that eliminate contact with the skin or fluids are sufficient to contain transmission.But a single lapse in procedure—removing successive layers of surgical gloves in the wrong order, for example— can expose a nurse or doctor to infection. It’s clear that something has gone wrong either in the direct exposure of the patient to an unprotected health-care worker or in the practices the health-care worker was using,' said David J. Evans, professor of virology at the University of Warwick in the U.K. on the Spanish case.

MEG Support Tools have developed the Ebola guidelines app specifically for healthcare workers to provide them with the latest World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines which are designed to keep them safe while treating patients with (suspected) Ebola.

Amongst other areas, it details what isolation techniques are required, how heathcare workers should don and remove Personal Protection Equipment and how contaminated waste should be managed.  Being well versed on these protocols is critical as a single lapse can lead to contracting Ebola.

The app is available now on the Google Android store and will be released in a few days on the Apple app store.

Notes: Used with permission from The Wall Street Journal, WSJ.com. Copyright 2014 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

SVUH National Liver Unit Launch

The National Liver Unit at St Vincents University Hospital provides a hepatology consult service for the entire country and this week launched an app containing guidelines for the management of liver disease.

The Medical EGuides (MEG) system provides a way for clinicians to deliver their guidelines, protocols and clinical practice guides to staff members and the public on their own mobile devices. Access to this information at the point of care provides immediate guidance and helps to improve patient outcomes.

There is an hepatology consultant and registrar on call 24 hours a day, 7 days per week and they transplant approximately 60 patients per year. This app is designed to provide basic advice on initial investigations, diagnosis and management of the most common presentations of liver disease, and details on the referral pathways to have your patient reviewed. Like the frontline care workers, the app is also available 24 hours / 7 days a week!

Download the app now: Android and iPhone

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.