News Release
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, March 1, 2004 |
Contact: NCI Press Office
(301) 496-6641
|
Secretary Thompson Launches Telehealth Demonstration to Improve Cancer Research and Care
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy G. Thompson joined officials from the King Hussein Cancer Center to launch a state-of-the-art, broadcast-quality telemedicine system at the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) in Amman, Jordan.
"For so many regions of the world technology and telemedicine will mean the difference between life and death for many patients," Secretary Thompson said. "I applaud the continued collaboration among all the nations who are working together to make our world a healthier place for all of us."
Secretary Thompson and Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), witnessed the demonstration of the new system, along with representatives of cancer services in Amman. The demonstration of the system on February 28 involved a link to St. Luke's Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, for a consultation on a patient at KHCC. The system will promote collaboration between cancer specialists, facilitate professional education and training, and permit consultation in cancer research protocols and patient care throughout Jordan and the Middle East and at selected sites in the United States as well as in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Other sites around the globe are being planned.
NCI and NIH's Center for Information Technology developed the telemedicine system, which is called TELESYNERGY. It combines cameras, microscopes, audio equipment, and a variety of peripheral devices to provide high-resolution display of images from multiple medical modalities in both real-time and store-and-forward modes. It enables scientists and clinicians at multiple laboratories and hospitals to interact simultaneously with one another.
This announcement of this system is part of an ongoing collaborative partnership between the King Hussein Cancer Center and the NCI that promotes work across borders to enhance cancer research, treatment, and care throughout Jordan, the Middle East, and in the United States.
"Cancer knows no political or geographical borders. We must all work together to be able to share knowledge and expertise. The NCI's ongoing collaboration with the King Hussein Cancer Center will help reduce the suffering and death for people in Jordan and throughout the region," Dr. von Eschenbach said.
In September 2002, the KHCC forged a Cooperative Agreement with the NCI for the purpose of enhancing medical sciences and improving cancer patient care in Jordan and the entire Middle East region. The TELESYNERGY system provides the means of achieving distance learning for medical professionals throughout the global network that is under construction. The system also represents a distinct improvement over standard videoconferencing technologies. In practical terms, it offers better resolution images, eliminates delays in communication between cancer professionals, and minimizes travel by patients and providers. On a larger scale, it promotes national and international expertise in cancer research and treatment by enhancing the adoption of uniform standards of care.
TELESYNERGY has many potential and varied uses, including:
- Clinical case conferences
- Grand rounds
- Expert case review
- Multicenter radiotherapy planning
- Clinical management protocol development
- Distance learning
- Seminars
- Patient screening for clinical trials
In addition to standard teleconferencing capability, the new system allows for the transmission of high-quality diagnostic radiology and pathology images, and for the discussion and remote manipulation of biopsy specimens.
###
Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.
Last Revised: March 2, 2004
|