Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1395101
Innovative Solution Improves Implantable Device Communication BY THOMAS CROCKER RESE ARCHERS AT THE NATIONAL UNIVERSIT Y OF SINGAPORE ARE CRE ATING INNOVATIVE WAYS TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION WITH IMPL ANTABLE DE VICES. THE RESE ARCHERS DE TERMINED THAT A SHIRT PRINTED WITH SPECIALLY PAT TERNED CONDUCTIVE INK NOT ONLY HELPS ELECTRONIC DE VICES MORE EFFICIENTLY TR ANSMIT WIRELESS SIGNALS BUT ALSO CONSERVES BAT TERY LIFE. ELECTRONIC MEDICAL IMPL ANTS use considerable energy to relay radio waves out of the body because the skin reflects many of the waves' rays, confining the waves to the body, writes Chris Lee for Ars Technica. In a study published in the journal Physical Review Applied, Nationa l University of Singapore researchers devised a way to amplify wireless transmission using a shirt printed with patterns designed to modify evanescent waves created by the body's reflection of the radio waves. BOOSTING THE SIGNAL "[T]a ilored diffractive patterns placed on the surface of the body can enhance wireless transmission by nearly an order of magnitude via the conversion of eva- nescent waves generated by total internal reflection into propagating waves that transmit into the far field," the research- ers write. The researchers tested the shirt by plac- ing it on a dead pig containing a Bluetooth transmitter. The transmitter produced a stronger signa l and gained 20 hours of battery life compared with a transmitter inside a pig corpse that was not outfitted with the shirt, Lee writes. The shirt could enhance the durability and efficiency of electronic medical implants in the future, according to the researchers. n Patient Access to Digital Medical Records THE AMA'S PATIENT RECORDS ELECTRONIC ACCESS PL AYBOOK HELPS HE ALTHCARE FACILITIES NAVIGATE PATIENT ACCESS TO MEDICAL RECORDS WHILE MAINTAINING HIPA A COMPLIANCE. BY HILLARY EAMES PATIENTS HAVE THE lega l rig ht to access t heir medica l information in the format they choose, and the Patient Records Electronic Access Playbook clarifies healthcare professionals' legal responsibilities for sharing that information. According to the Playbook, which was released in early 2020, patients are not limited to only receiving their hea lth infor- mation through the hospita l or practice's patient por ta l. T hey s hou ld a l so b e a ble to receive records through unencr y pted ema i ls, pro- vided that they are alerted of the potential security risk of unauthorized access. The Playbook reminds p h y s i c i a n s t h a t b e f or e receiving information, p a t ient s mu s t complete a request form, and healthcare providers must alert patients that their request has been received. Ideally, facilities should also provide patients with an estimate of when their records will be sent. The Playbook also clarifies access by third parties, such as attorneys, and helps physicians navigate HIPA A compliance in these situations. Highlights include: + Third parties are required to complete a HIPA A-compliance form if requesting access to a patient's medical records if the request does not come at the patient's discretion. + Patients maintain the right to share their records with third parties. The AMA Playbook reinforces that facilities cannot deny patients their medical records, even if the facility believes it may not be in the patient's best interest. n 1 6