The BMJ (British Medical Journal) has published its peer reviewed paper which assesses the effect of home based telehealth interventions on the use of secondary healthcare (inpatient, outpatient, and emergency department hospital use) and mortality.

Eucomed, the European Medical Technology Industry Association, and EDMA, the European Diagnostic Manufacturers Association, have joined forces in a coalition of 9 MEPs, 65 leading trade unions, civil society organisations, health organisations and other industry associations in writing an open letter calling on the European Council for more equal and equitable healthcare for Europe's citizens.

Just in time for the summer holidays, the EURO 2012 Football Championship and the London 2012 Olympics, the European Commission has launched an application for smartphones explaining how to use the European Health Insurance Card.

Health consultancy Greenfield Management Solutions has signed a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) regarding a study on regulatory aspects for eHealth, including telemedicine and satellite services, in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This project is framed in the recently launched eHSA programme (Satellite-enhanced Telemedicine and eHealth for sub-Saharan Africa).

The European Union and the United States recognise the importance of health-related Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in promoting individual and community health while fostering innovation and economic growth. Both the US and the EU wish to facilitate more effective use of health-related ICT to support the health of the population, and to strengthen their relationship and support global cooperation in this area.

Humber NHS Foundation Trust is celebrating being the first mental health Trust in England to go live with Lorenzo Regional Care, a brand new electronic patient record system. Over 600 staff across 50 sites are now using the system to record clinical activity.

Despite improvements in healthcare IT infrastructures, a gap remains in the ability of these systems to deliver knowledge and insight back to the researchers, clinicians and patients they are intended to support. EURECA, a new European project, aims to close this gap by building software solutions to improve interoperability among existing data systems, such as clinical trials and electronic health record systems.