Tech Talk

Cyberattacks Increasing Against Health Care Providers

Medical information is especially valuable to data thieves for a number of reasons.

US Issues Cybersecurity Alert for Legacy IT Systems

The biggest security risk is that legacy systems have no vendor support, putting them at heightened risk for cyberattacks.

Keeping Health Information Secure in the Cloud

Putting information in the cloud can be a good move for a physician’s practice — but only if done well.

Fitbit Data Significantly Improves Prediction of Influenza-like Illnesses

Fitbit data significantly improved detection of influenza-like illness (ILI) in US patients.

Telehealth Interventions Improve Obstetric and Gynecologic Outcomes

Telehealth interventions including text messaging and remote monitoring may improve obstetric and gynecologic outcomes, according to a recent review.

Advances in Healthcare Technology Raise Data Privacy Concerns

Though HIPAA regulates how information about patients can be shared, the scope of the policy means that many newer channels fall outside of its purview.

Telementoring Shows Promise in Opioid Management

The project, which began in New Mexico in 2003, uses videoconferencing to connect remote physicians to specialists who provide mentorship and insight into specific disease states.

EULAR Develops Points to Consider for Big Data Analysis and Use in Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases

The European League Against Rheumatism developed recommendations for the collection, analysis, and use of big data in rheumatic and musculoskeletal disorders.

How to Avoid Racial Bias in Artificial Intelligence

As excitement grows around AI and the benefits it could have in healthcare, concerns remain about the technology’s pitfalls.

The Case for Crowdsourcing in Health Research

Crowdsourcing has been used in the health and medical research fields to potentially create low-cost, community-driven interventions.

AI and Machine Learning Technology Can Detect Nocturnal Hypoglycemic Events

Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, noninvasive technology that is capable of detecting nocturnal hypoglycemic events from raw ECG signals without the need for a finger-prick test.

Machine Learning System Makes More Alerts for Medical Errors

A machine learning system can generate clinically valid alerts for medication errors that might be missed with existing clinical decision support (CDS) systems.

Can an Apple Watch Record a Standard, Multilead ECG?

A research report published in the Annals of Internal Medicine described a method to record a quasi-standard electrocardiogram (ECG) using the Apple Watch.

New Trial Attempts to Make Genetic Counseling and Testing More Accessible

The researchers wrote that “genetic counseling must be further explored to find an optimal balance of clinical quality with increased access and financial sustainability.”

Broadband Access Associated With Telemedicine Use in Rural Counties

Compared with rural counties with high broadband availability, rural counties with low broadband availability had 34% fewer telemedicine visits per capita.

AI Tool Discerns Lung Cancer Outcomes From Imaging Reports

Deep natural language processing may be able to estimate the presence of active cancer, cancer worsening or progression, and cancer improvement or response from radiologic reports.

Machine Learning Algorithms Can Classify Surgical Expertise in VR Simulation

Machine learning can classify participants into levels of expertise with 90 percent accuracy in a virtual reality neurosurgical tumor resection simulation.

Smartphone-Based Progressive Muscle Relaxation May Reduce Monthly Headache Days in Migraine

The use of a smartphone-based progressive muscle relaxation was found to be associated with a reduction in monthly headache days and depression scores in patients with migraine.

EAACI Position Paper on the Role of Mobile Heath in Allergy Management

A task force created by the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology released recommendations and an action plan for the potential of mobile health in allergology.

How Crowd-Sourced “Looping” Technology Is Changing Care for Type 1 Diabetes

Years before the first closed-loop insulin delivery system was approved, patients with diabetes had already been implementing the technology into their own care.