Created by the Telemedicine Research Center and supported by the National Library of Medicine, the Telemedicine Information Exchange (TIE)(http://tie.telemed.org/) offers extensive information about the phenomenon of telemedicine. Feature articles on the site include interviews conducted with telemedicine users and researchers, as well as in-depth articles on focused topics of current interest. The bibliographic database has over 10,000 articles, many with abstracts, and over 3,000 are available for document delivery.
The Telemedicine Research Center is a nonprofit public service research organization that has its own Web site (http://trc.telemed.org) that can take the user to learning resources and related links. It offers a primer that describes the "coming of age" of telemedicine, analyzes legal issues, and provides Web-based texts about telemedicine for beginners.
Another source for legal analysis is the Center for Telemedicine Law, a nonprofit entity founded by organizations committed to providing high quality patient services through use of telemedicine systems throughout the US and the world (http://www.ctl.org/).
The American Telemedicine Association (http://www.atmeda.org) provides an interesting discussion of e-health, the use of the Internet for healthcare. Check out "A Guide to E-Health for the Healthcare Professional: An Introduction" and its companion piece, "A Guide to E-Health for the Healthcare Professional: What Your Patients Should Know." These documents will help you advise patients about searching for health information on the Internet.
Numerous universities and nations have telemedicine Web sites. Perhaps the most unique is the site created by NASA's Johnson Space Center (http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/sa/sd/sd2/telemedicine/first3.htm). This site describes the use of telemedicine spacebridge projects to Armenia and Russia. Perhaps even more noteworthy is the use of telemedicine in spaceflight. Read about it here!!
Mass Casualty Coalition formed
The American Organization of Nurse Executives has been asked to participate in a new coalition established in cooperation with the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure nursing personnel are educated and trained to respond to emergency care situations involving weapons of mass destruction. The International Nursing Coalition for Mass Casualty Education, coordinated through the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, will maintain an information clearing house and lead the preparation of nurses to respond to mass casualty events. It will design competencies for integration into basic nursing education, design continuing education modules for practicing nurses, and recommend a curriculum of advanced content for masters-prepared nurses who play a strategic or leadership role in managing response. The coalition's members represent various nursing associations, schools of nursing, and federal agencies.
I want to gather names of individuals who have experience giving testimony or speaking in front of large groups, or are willing to learn. You could offer expert testimony at meetings and conferences!! Contact me ([email protected]) with details of your area of expertise, involvement in community advocacy groups and/or local or state politics, and professional articles you have written in the past 6 months. I would also like to know if you are able to attend and speak at conferences in your region.
Eileen Meier, JD, MPH, BSN, RN
NAON Legislative Consultant