Eine modulare gesundheitsakte als antwort auf kommunikationsprobleme im gesundheitswesen

Since 2000 the University of Muenster has developed an electronic health record (EHR) called ?akteonline.de“. Several clinics and departments use the EHR in routine. ?akteonline.de“ in its current structure supports patients as well as health care professionals and aims at providing a collaborative health information system which perfectly supports the clinical workflow even across institutional boundaries. In order to fulfill high data security and data protection requirements strictly, complex encryption, authorization and access control components have been developed. The IT-structure of the German health care system is very heterogeneous and peripheral. The thereby generated additional costs in the economic and social area are comprehensible and the patient is unable to claim the central position intended by politics and society. The development effort of ?akteonline.de“ currently focuses on the introduction of an electronic foundation for an ?integrated care“. For that communication possibilities for different clinical systems, like systems for physician or clinical information systems as well as communication possibilities between different departments in a hospital or networking between Institutions and the patient himself, have to be provided. The various needs of the institutions and people involved, have to be considered individually within one concept. Based on gathered experiences and with regard to increasing requirements in the areas of interoperability, integration and international cooperation the system architecture and the basic data model underwent several evolutionary enhancements. The focus of this paper lies on describing the use of new technologies and open standards in order to create and enhance a loosely coupled, modular and flexible EHR, that represents a common information and communication tool for patients and health care professionals.     

Smart cards move onwards

Several contract announcements made during the last 12 months demonstrate that smart card technology is really coming of age in the mass transit sector. Driven by developments in contactless technology and strong business cases, some insiders are even going as far as calling this the technology’s ‘killer app’.     

Smart cards for safer roads

The smart card industry is moving into new markets, thanks to decisions made by the European Commission (EC). This feature takes a look at the new EU regulation affecting trucks and buses, and examines how smart cards are helping to promote driver safety.     

Smart cards ringing in the changes

Anybody with half an eye on the telecoms industry will know that the last few years have been somewhat volatile. In the late 1990s, telecoms stock rose, the media was full of ‘good news’ stories about the potential for mobile technology, and large parts of the world experienced a surge in demand for the technology. This was followed by a reality check and finally the bursting of the telecoms bubble in 2001. With the downturn in the market, operators and card manufacturers became cautious investors, and the world experienced an erosion of prices for telecoms products and services.     

Smart cards: A youthful market

Smart card technology is successfully penetrating the youth market, with an increasing number of people aged 18 and under now carrying a smart card for use in some facet of their daily life. And with a growing number of people under 18 now carrying a SIM-powered mobile phone, this market provides an opportunity to develop brand awareness and establish customer loyalty. But beware: the youth market can be fickle. Today's trends may be tomorrow's fashion nightmares. Success in this segment requires innovators to anticipate future functional, application and design trends. Away from fashion and street ‘cred’, this is also a market segment containing a large number of vulnerable people. Smart card solutions are now being deployed that recognise this vulnerability and are making a significant impact in promoting social inclusion.     

Smart cards and public key infrastructure

As more and more businesses begin to rely on PKI, a secure means of storing private keys is needed. Conventional methods of storing keys, such as on computer hard drives, have disadvantages. This article explores how smart cards could provide a more portable and less vulnerable method to store the private key.     

Smart cards aren't always the smart choice

Smart cards are beneficial in some scenarios, but they are not the security panacea that some people believe them to be. In some user environments, the costs and inconveniences clearly outweigh the potential benefits of using smart cards     

Smart cards: integrating for portable complexity

The decreasing cost of embedded chips is one of many factors that have spurred growing interest in smart cards. Today, typical markets for smart cards fall into three broad areas: electronic currency, an application in which smart cards replace cash or traditional credit cards in pay phone, transit, and toll collection systems; electronic identification, which permits controlled access to buildings or systems (like computers or cash registers); and data warehousing, applications that must opportunistically store and retrieve data, such as medical records, object tracking information, or process verification information. Such applications are only the beginning-future applications could make smart cards an integral and almost transparent part of our daily lives. Two factors seem to be converging to make this possible. First, as the world we live in becomes increasingly complex, smart cards offer a way to integrate that complexity into a compact and portable package. Second, the increasing functionality developers can integrate into a smart card opens new avenues for application development     

Sicherheit im Smart Grid

Ein Smart Grid ist eine besonders schützenswerte, kritische Infrastruktur, die vielf?ltige Angriffsfl?chen bietet. Mit der zunehmenden Abh?ngigkeit von einem zuverl?ssigen und robusten Smart Grid für die Versorgungssicherheit steigen Verletzlichkeit und Verwundbarkeit durch gezielte Angriffe (Terroranschl?ge, Hackeraktivit?ten, Manipulationsversuche). Informations- und Telekommunikationstechnik dient dabei als Tatwaffe und ist zugleich das Ziel von Angriffen. Der Beitrag zeigt, welche Schutzma?nahmen für die Konzeption zukunftssicherer Smart Grids unerl?sslich sind.     

Smart cards: The Authenticated Solution For E-business User

Most business processes have traditionally been paper-based and confirmed in writing. However, the advent of the Internet means that business transactions can be undertaken far more efficiently — and by that I mean electronically. In fact, one of the key advantages of electronic information is that it can be incorporated into business directly, without the unnecessary passing backwards and forwards of reams of information.