Software is an integral component of a range of devices that perform critical, lifesaving functions and basic daily tasks. As patients grow more reliant on computerized devices, the dependability of software is a life-or-death issue.

This release features a rather unexpected new functionality: visual progress notes. Those are sketches/images (such as visual markers onto templates or clinical photographs) standing side by side with the clinical narrative of any given encounter.

Gnumed is an open source management tool for medical practices. If your practice (or a practice you do IT for) is in need of an electronic record-keeping system, and you do not want to have to shell out your entire IT budget for a proprietary solution, Gnumed might be the perfect tool for you.

Hospitals given another reason to give Windows the kick; Vista 7 fails to improve security

The Washington Post on Friday reported that global measles fatalities had been reduced by two-thirds following stepped-up vaccination campaigns since 2000...this phenomenal success had a helping hand from open source software.

A stark future awaits American health care if the Veterans Affairs (VA) system and Cerner is allowed to go forward with announced plans to replace the VA's successful public domain laboratory software, in need of update, with a proprietary one.

Editor: This is a work of satire, hope you enjoy it. The heated battle between paper companies and proprietary EHR companies for market share is always fascinating to watch. Linux Medical News labs weighs in on the subject by doing a rigorous, side-by-side comparison of Paper company products vs. proprietary Electronic Health Record software company products. The results may surprise you.

The conventional wisdom seems to be that the United States as a nation needs to 'financially incentivize the adoption of Electronic Health Record technology'. While the intentions are good, what this seems to translate into is a rush in the next few years to get any EHR software installed at all costs.