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The Map of Medicine
 
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13 Million People to Benefit from Improved Clinical Practice Thanks to the Map of Medicine(TM)

LONDON , November 23/PRNewswire/ --     Up to 13 million people across the south of England could benefit from the Map of Medicine(TM). 'The Map' is an innovative clinical knowledge system that visually combines specialist knowledge with best practice, making the vast resources of medical information locked within the NHS instantly usable by all clinical staff.

University College London subsidiary Medic-to-Medic today announced that it has signed a contract with Fujitsu Services, the Local Service Provider (LSP) for the Southern region under the National Programme for IT, which will enable the Map of Medicine (The Map) to be made available to clinical staff within the NHS in an area stretching from Cornwall to Kent .

The brainchild of consultant physician Dr Owen Epstein and involving more than 300 doctors and nurses over four years, the Map is the result of a partnership between Medic-to-Medic, the Royal Free and University College Medical School , the Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust and the NHS National Library for Health.

"Imagine if every NHS clinician knew what all NHS clinicians know - the Map is the electronic glue to bring local specialist knowledge together acting as a virtual 'desktop consultant' for healthcare professionals to use when the patient's journey leads them into unfamiliar territory," explained Dr. Epstein.

The Map is designed to support interaction across disciplines, help improve the use of clinical resources and underpin professional development. Clinical knowledge is organised into more than 300 patient 'journeys' that 'map' clinical process throughout the healthcare system, starting from initial patient presentation in the GP surgery or the accident and emergency unit. Content covers all major diagnostic areas including accident and emergency, internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics, gynaecology, oncology and palliative care.

Commenting on trials conducted at the Royal Free, Martin Else, chief executive of the hospital said: "Our GP pilot study, conducted in 13 general practises, demonstrates that doctors use the Map to support their decision making, often after morning surgery. Two thirds of them now use the Map on a regular basis and work in A&E shows that the Map is improving decision making on admissions to hospital. We are delighted to be part of such an exciting and innovative initiative."

The Map is customisable to local clinical needs in the NHS or any healthcare organisation and is designed to integrate into every aspect of modern healthcare, from diagnosis through to education and training.

Notes

1) Medic-to-Medic, a subsidiary company of University College London, has signed its first contract with Fujitsu, one of the National Programme for IT's Local Service Providers. Medic-to-Medic are in discussions with the remaining LSPs with the hope of making the map nationally available under the National Programme for IT. Under the contract Fujitsu Services will deploy the Map to all clinicians in an area stretching from Cornwall to Kent through to the Thames Valley . The deployment will happen in parallel with the upgrade of local NHS IT systems.

2) Medic-to-Medic is a subsidiary of UCL BioMedica Plc, a wholly owned investment fund of University College London.

3) A demonstration of the Map of Medicine is available at http://www.mapofmedicine.com. Please note that to explore the sample your computer must have Internet Explorer v5.5 or above.

  (24/11/04)