Just In Time For Christmas In July: A Santa Tale With A Modern Twist 

New York, NY, July 27, 2020 — Santa’s been kidnapped just before the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, but almost no one notices his absence. Christmas has become an exercise in one-upmanship, with children practically dictating their wish lists and parents gauging the success of the holiday solely upon their ability to outdo their neighbors. Santa needs to be rescued for people to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Can a band of unfairly labeled misfits culled from The Naughty List rise to the challenge?  

Author Thomas Conway sets the stage for worldwide adventure in this imaginative, modern Christmas tale that blends elements of pop culture with the age-old tradition of Santa Claus. The Naughty List opens in a world without Santa, where toy manufacturer Eastern Industries has just released a new holiday marketing scheme, monopolizing the attention of the children and draining their holiday spirit. With Christmas fast approaching and the North Pole in chaos, a team of intrepid youngsters recruited from Santa’s Naughty List aim to rescue Santa and save the holiday.

While primarily a Santa tale, The Naughty List cleverly incorporates Winter holiday beliefs from around the world, including the legend of Marduk, a Babylonian god; the Roman feast of Saturnalia; the epic story of Jangar from North Asia; Moravian traditions of animal communication; and the present real-life adventures of Israeli Santa Claus, Nicola Abdou. 

Also sprinkled with references to holiday favorites such as Miracle on 34th StreetT’was the Night Before Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and others, this wonderfully rich tale promotes right over wrong, good over evil and love over fear. 

Suitable for all ages, The Naughty List skillfully weaves valuable lessons about overindulgence and society’s tendency to put labels on children, with the overarching theme that when kids misbehave they should not be defined by their bad deeds but rather see it as a learning opportunity, since when we appreciate the best in humanity and combine our talents, we are capable of almost anything.

The Naughty List, winner of the 2020 Indie Book Award in the E-Book Fiction category, is the first release from Thomas Conway. His 30-year career spans various industries. When not at work, he devotes his time to environmental matters and inventing stories for his two children.  

The Naughty List

Publisher: Skylands Publishing House

ISBN-10: 1734123400 

ISBN-13: 978-1734123401

Available from Amazon.com

###

Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment For Depression And Anxiety

San Francisco, CA, July 27, 2020 - Feeling anxious, helpless and depressed by all the tragedies in the news? Nearly forty years after his five-million-copy bestselling book, Feeling Good, made a positive difference in the lives of countless people with its uplifting message: When you change the way you THINK, you can change the way you FEEL, and helped cognitive therapy become the most popular and extensively researched form of psychotherapy in the world, critically-acclaimed author and world-renowned clinical psychiatrist David D. Burns, M.D., brings the newest installment to his revolutionary research in Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety. 

Now, Dr. David Burns brings us a radical new approach that makesultra-rapid recovery possible, even in a single two-hour, book-therapy session. Feeling Great emerged from 40 years of research on how therapy actually works and is based on this paradoxical idea: Your negative thoughts and feelings are NOT the result of some defect, like a chemical imbalance in your brain or a “mental disorder,” but from what is most beautiful and awesome about you and your core values. And the moment you realize this, recovery will be just a stone’s throw away. 

In as little as a two-hour, book-therapy session, Feeling Great will help you:

1. Pinpoint and eliminate the powerful forces that keep you stuck;

2. Learn that your thoughts, and not the circumstances of your life, create all of your

    feelings; 

3. Discover why depression and anxiety are the world’s oldest cons; 

4. Crush the ten types of distorted thoughts that rob you of happiness and self-esteem; 

5. Learn why self-acceptance is the greatest change a human being can make.

David D. Burns, M.D.,is an Adjunct Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. More than 50,000 mental health professionals have attended his workshops throughout the United States and Canada. His weekly Feeling Good Podcasts (approaching three million downloads) provide therapists and the general public alike with tips to overcome depression, anxiety, relationship conflicts, and habits and addiction. Dr. Burns lives in the San Francisco Bay area. To learn more, visit www.FeelingGreattheBook.com.

For national interviews, Dr. Burns can provide patients who are willing to participate and support the claims in the book. For interviews, reviews, mentions—or to receive a hard copy of the galley, please contact Justin Loeber, at 212-260-7576 or: justin.loeber@mouthdigitalpr.com.

Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety 

PESI Publishing

Release Date: September 2020

Hardcover / $26.99

ISBN: 9781683732884

###

Updates on updates!! You guys heard my announcements first on this podcast before it goes live on my instagram. I also cover topics from a pool I took on instagram so make sure you are following me on there so I can cover your topic next time! Please leave a review and stars so we can get this podcast known! Thanks for your support and have a great week fam!

Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment For Depression And Anxiety

San Francisco, CA, July 23, 2020 - Feeling anxious, helpless and depressed by all the tragedies in the news? Nearly forty years after his five-million-copy bestselling book, Feeling Good, made a positive difference in the lives of countless people with its uplifting message: When you change the way you THINK, you can change the way you FEEL, and helped cognitive therapy become the most popular and extensively researched form of psychotherapy in the world, critically-acclaimed author and world-renowned clinical psychiatrist David D. Burns, M.D., brings the newest installment to his revolutionary research in Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety. 

Now, Dr. David Burns brings us a radical new approach that makesultra-rapid recovery possible, even in a single two-hour, book-therapy session. Feeling Great emerged from 40 years of research on how therapy actually works and is based on this paradoxical idea: Your negative thoughts and feelings are NOT the result of some defect, like a chemical imbalance in your brain or a “mental disorder,” but from what is most beautiful and awesome about you and your core values. And the moment you realize this, recovery will be just a stone’s throw away. 

In as little as a two-hour, book-therapy session, Feeling Great will help you:

1. Pinpoint and eliminate the powerful forces that keep you stuck;

2. Learn that your thoughts, and not the circumstances of your life, create all of your

    feelings; 

3. Discover why depression and anxiety are the world’s oldest cons; 

4. Crush the ten types of distorted thoughts that rob you of happiness and self-esteem; 

5. Learn why self-acceptance is the greatest change a human being can make.

David D. Burns, M.D.,is an Adjunct Clinical Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. More than 50,000 mental health professionals have attended his workshops throughout the United States and Canada. His weekly Feeling Good Podcasts (approaching three million downloads) provide therapists and the general public alike with tips to overcome depression, anxiety, relationship conflicts, and habits and addiction. Dr. Burns lives in the San Francisco Bay area. To learn more, visit www.FeelingGreattheBook.com.

For national interviews, Dr. Burns can provide patients who are willing to participate and support the claims in the book. For interviews, reviews, mentions—or to receive a hard copy of the galley, please contact Justin Loeber, at 212-260-7576 or: justin.loeber@mouthdigitalpr.com.

Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety 

PESI Publishing

Release Date: September 2020

Hardcover / $26.99

ISBN: 9781683732884

###

Building A Stronger Immune System Through The Healthy And Scrumptious Recipes In My Pinewood Kitchen


Nashville, TN, July 23, 2020  ̶ ̶  Mee McCormick understands only too well the importance of healthy food, having watched her single mother suffer with a host of debilitating auto-immune diseases, some of which she inherited, that led her to make the decision in her mid-twenties to change her own fate. Today, chef and author Mee McCormick is an expert who healed herself of Crohn's disease, gut issues, and other immune system challenges with whole food recipes when doctors couldn't help her. 

Offering microbiome-friendly meals with a Southern spin, My Pinewood Kitchen: A Southern Culinary Cure, is a follow-up cookbook to her wildly successful, life-enhancing My Kitchen Cure. Mee is living proof that you can change your fate by what’s on your plate and her recipes will help heal your gut and fight a host of autoimmune diseases. With over 130 mouthwatering, whole food recipes that can be customized for Keto, Paleo, or vegans, it truly is an "all-inclusive" eating plan for everyone in the family.

From smoothies, soups and salads, to dinners and desserts, every recipe in the book is gluten-free and gut-friendly. Mee has since forged the way for a new kind of hospitality: a fully-inclusive table where everyone can eat delicious Southern comfort classics without sacrificing taste, regardless of even the most severe food allergies or dietary restrictions – all while stressing the importance of intestinal health and how to improve your own gut microbiome. Her book shows us which foods are nutritional powerhouses and which ones we must avoid, and how to eat real food every day without breaking the bank.
 

Mee McCormick is a rising Southern culinary and wellness innovator, restaurateur, author, TV cooking personality, farmer, rancher, wife and mother. She splits her time between Nashville and nearby Nunnelly, Tennessee; a tiny, unincorporated community in Hickman County; home to her biodynamic farm and restaurant Pinewood Kitchen & Mercantile – that is unique in that every meal is created with the intention to serve everyone with the same deliciousness, regardless of dietary restrictions. In fact, some members of the community drive hours to get a taste of her farm-to-table cuisine and her mouthwatering Pinewood’s Grain-Free Fried Chicken!

Mee authored her first cookbook My Kitchen Cure, which led to wild success and a book deal with HCI for her second cookbook, My Pinewood Kitchen, published in April 2020. She frequently appears on Today in Nashville, and she participates in nationally-recognized food festivals and events, spreading the same level of care and hospitality to audiences everywhere that she has become known for throughout the state of Tennessee. Visit: www.meemccormick.com or www.pinewoodkitchenandmercantile.com.

My Pinewood Kitchen: A Southern Culinary Cure/130+ Crazy Delicious, Gluten-Free Recipes to Reduce Inflammation and Make Your Gut Happy

By Mee McCormick

HCI BOOKS / $26.95 

ISBN: 9780757323522 

Available wherever books are sold

###

MD Connected announces virtual care partnership with Rexall

MD Connected to provide virtual consultations to visitors of Rexall.ca

TORONTO, July 23, 2020 /CNW/ - MD Connected Ltd. (the Company or MD Connected), is excited to announce a new virtual care partnership with Rexall. Through the MD Connected virtual care platform, Rexall customers will have access to physicians for general medical consultations as well as specialists like Dermatologists, Psychiatrists, Pediatricians, Urologists, Internal Medicine and more. This partnership provides even more Canadians with the access to the healthcare they need, when they need it, through the convenience of their phone, tablet or computer.

"Rexall and MD Connected share a mutual vision to provide best in class healthcare to Canadians – this partnership paves a path forward to creating a seamless patient experience from start to finish," says Venky Weylagro, CEO of MD Connected. "We value the trust Rexall has placed in us to carry out an integral role in their customers' circle of care."

"Expanding our virtual care service offering with MD Connected is exciting news, giving patients the ability to access trusted and safe healthcare services when they need them most," said Nicolas Caprio, President, Rexall. "Patients will be able to seek out medical advice when it is most convenient for them, using video chat or phone to receive safe, effective and immediate care."

MD Connected is proud to be a trusted healthcare provider to support the medical needs of Canadians through the use of virtual care. Now, more than ever, MD Connected understands the importance of being agile to meet the changing needs of Canadians as we adapt to a new normal. With competing demands on our patients' time and the continued need for social distancing, the Company has increased service hours, introduced additional specialists and added doctors to ensure we provide efficient, effective, patient-centric care. We are committed to our patients and will continue to seek opportunities to advance healthcare in Canada.

About MD Connected
MD Connected Ltd. launched in 2017 with a mission to reduce barriers to accessing exceptional healthcare for all Canadians. MD Connected Ltd. is a virtual healthcare provider that uses advanced technologies, highly trained medical practitioners, and a secure telecommunications platform to conveniently unite healthcare professionals with patients. MD Connected has 26 telemedicine clinics and has conducted hundreds of thousands of virtual visits to date. For more details about MD Connected, please visit www.mdconnected.ca.

Follow us on social media: on Facebook at @mdconnectedclinics, on Twitter at @md_connected, on Instagram at @md_connected.

About Rexall Drugstores
With a heritage dating back over a century, Rexall is a leading drugstore operator with a dynamic history of innovation and growth, dedicated to caring for Canadians' health…one person at a time. Operating over 400 pharmacies across Canada, Rexall's 8,500 employees provide exceptional patient care and customer service. Rexall is part of the Rexall Pharmacy Group Ltd. and a proud member of the global McKesson Corporation family. For more information, visit rexall.ca.

SOURCE MD Connected Ltd.

Storms, Floods, Droughts, and Heat Will Disrupt Chemical Industry Production as Climate Change Impact Grows

Similar events have already caused hundreds of millions in costs and lost earnings, and will grow more common in the future

Boston, MA, July 23, 2020 – Climate-related hazards are poised to massively disrupt the chemicals industry and have already caused hundreds of millions in damage globally. In their new report, “In the Path of Destruction: Preparing for Climate Change in the Chemical Industry,” Lux Research outlines steps chemical companies need to take to adapt to the very real threats climate change poses to the industry.

“Increasing levels of CO2 from human-made sources will amplify climate-related risks for the chemical industry. Coastal storms, inland flooding, extreme temperature, and drought will all have wide-ranging consequences,” explains lead report author, Kristin Marshall, Senior Research Associate at Lux. “Serious impacts will include damage to capital assets, disruptions to transport and raw materials availability, and impacts on labor productivity and safety.”

Beyond requiring mitigation steps, these climate impacts will also drive structural changes to industry production. Marshall continues, “Our review of the climate change adaptation strategies found that there is no completely effective solution except to move out of the path of destruction.” The need to adapt will make small-scale, decentralized operations a growing part of the chemicals industry, even in the face of worse economics, as the impact of climate changes intensifies.

Companies do not have to be situated along coasts to be exposed to climate risk given threats to production and logistics. For example, shipping disruptions that hit BASF and other producers due to low water levels on the Rhine and the flooding Dow experienced in Midland, Michigan. The financial implications are already significant, costing hundreds of millions in damage and lost earnings. In the long term, small-scale decentralized manufacturing, such as fermentation or electrochemical production, will enable companies to operate across multiple smaller facilities, reducing exposure of the supply chain to climate risk.

To learn more, download the report’s executive summary.



About Lux Research
 
 
Lux Research is a leading provider of tech-enabled research and advisory services, helping clients drive growth through technology innovation. A pioneer in the research industry, Lux uniquely combines technical expertise and business insights with a proprietary intelligence platform, using advanced analytics and data science to surface true leading indicators. With quality data derived from primary research, fact-based analysis, and opinions that challenge traditional thinking, Lux empowers clients to make more informed decisions today to ensure future success.   

For more information, visit www.luxresearchinc.com, read our blog, connect on LinkedIn, or follow @LuxResearch.  



YIVO Institute For Jewish Research
Presents

A Seat at the Table: A Journey Into Jewish Food

Featuring 
Acclaimed Chefs, Cookbook Authors, Scholars, Restaurateurs, & Writers

YIVO's Shine Online Educational Series 
Ventures Across Centuries of Jewish History & Culture,
Discovering the Evolution of Ashkenazi Jewish Cuisine from Eastern Europe to the Streets of New York City
To Unveil It's Modern Renaissance Throughout the 21st Century

Amid the COVID-19 Global Pandemic, "A Seat at the Table"
Now Offered for Free with Over 10,000 Participants Signed Up To Date 

New York City -- Monday, June 22, 2020 -- YIVO Institute for Jewish Research -- whose preeminent archives contain more than 23 million documents and artifacts about Eastern European Jewry -- collaborates with an esteemed cohort of chefs, restaurateurs, cookbook authors, scholars, and writers for a one-of-a-kind seven-week educational course, A Seat at the Table: A Journey Into Jewish Food. Never before has the world had such unprecedented access to over 100 hours of inspiring digital content at their finger tips, including in-depth interviews, roundtable discussions, cooking demonstrations, and the debut of 300 archival objects for an inside look at an often mystified cuisine. Lauded purveyors of Jewish fare and culture lead a riveting exploration into the Ashkenazi Jewish experience, and its modern culinary renaissance. 

A Seat at the Table: A Journey Into Jewish Food features cultural visionaries such as Joan Nathan (Jewish Cooking In America), Michael W. Twitty (The Cooking Gene), Alice Feiring (The Dirty Wine Guide), Mitchell Davis (James Beard Foundation), Niki Russ Federman and Josh Russ Tupper (Russ & Daughters), Jake Dell (Katz's Delicatessen), Darra Goldstein (Founder, Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture), Liz Alpern and Jeffrey Yoskowitz (The Gefilteria), Lior Lev Sercarz (La Boîte), Adeena Sussman (Sababa), Ilan Stavans (Amherst College), Leah Koenig (The Jewish Cookbook), Michael Wex (Born to Kvetch), and more! 

The dynamism of Jewish cuisine is at once steeped in tradition, and embedded with great curiosities of a traveling migration of people evolving flavors and ingredients as they trekked across Eastern Europe, the Americas, and ultimately the cosmopolitan mecca of New York City. For thousands of years, Jewish dishes were confluent with the seasons and practices of sustainability. Recipes use flavors and textures from garden root vegetables, whole grains, fresh herbs, beef, lamb, and accompanied by seasonal fruit drinks, jellies, and a plethora of other nutritious foods. The Jewish food repertoire was at the heart of families and annual holidays. 

A Seat at the Table already has more than 10,000 online participants for an odyssey into the Ashkenazi Jewish kitchen through the lens of the brightest personalities within the field while supported by YIVO's extensive archives, including the largest collection of Yiddish cookbooks. Learn from experts the staples of Jewish food, sourcing of rich and flavorful ingredients, influence of South America on over 2,000 types of moles (served with latkes), lox slicing, the rise in national popularity of bagels, emergence of Jewish restaurateurs, evolution of Jewish delicatessens and cafes, cross-culturalization within immigrant groups on the Lower East Side (Jews, Chinese, Japanese), women's perseverance to provide nourishing meals, Vegetarianism, and much more. 

"A Seat at the Table shows the diversity of Jewish culture and the richness of Jewish history. Jews in Eastern Europe found ways to negotiate difficult times (political, social, economic, cultural) -- the result is a cuisine that shows their culinary creativity, resilience, and ability to find happiness, meaning, and nourishment (spiritual and physical) even in challenging times." -Jonathan Brent (Executive Director and CEO of YIVO).

"A Seat at the Table takes a deep delve into YIVO's food-related archival collections, examining the full history of Ashkenazi Jewish foodways in collaboration with acclaimed scholars, chefs, and cookbook authors. The project lies at the center of YIVO's mission: rediscovering history, breaking through stereotypes, and reclaiming Jewish culture as a vibrant, living tradition -- one that can help shape our experiences." -Ben Kaplan (Director of Education, YIVO)

Authentic Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine often reflects Jewish spiritual resistance as Jews faced extreme circumstances in their fight for survival and freedom. While food served to sustain and comfort people during the most difficult moments, A Seat at the Table offers foodies the opportunity to discover the cornerstones of the Ashkenazi Jewish kitchen. A process of assimilation and openness to new lands, people, and cultures uniquely identifies Jewish food as a traveling immigrant cuisine. The arrival of 3.5 million Jews to America from the 1880s -- 1920s provided access to an abundance of new foods and opportunities. What had become emblematic of the Jewish holidays throughout generations of hardship became more integrated into everyday life. A tragic history came full circle to centuries past for a cherished existence in America with new beginnings. 

YIVO's devotion to the study of Jewish history and folklore -- YIVO holds the largest collection of original Holocaust artifacts outside of Yad Vashem in Israel -- brings into focus its latest online educational program to center on Jewish food as the perfect aperitif for the greater understanding of Jewish culture. A Seat at the Table is among many exciting programs within the Shine Online Educational Series (LINK). Join YIVO and over 10,000 participants across the U.S. and 59 countries around the world for this powerful journey through Ashkenazi Jewish foodways. 

To sign up for A Seat at the Table, please visit: yivo.org/Food.

Links to preview A Seat at the Table can be viewed below, and Artifacts & Recipes featured in A Seat at the Table can be downloaded at this LINK (FOR MEDIA USE ONLY, PLEASE DO NOT POST):

Michael Twitty, "Culinary Justice" (Unit 2) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=q7iuYmp54g0

Josh Russ Tupper, "Lox Slicing with Russ & Daughters" (Unit 1)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hONIQjLQW4

Jake Dell, "How to Build a Katz’s Sandwich" (Unit 5)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PTkY03kJwQ

Liz Alpern, Ilan Stavans, and Jeffrey Yoskowitz, "Latkes with Mole" (Unit 3) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=39&v=UwRxffwy9ko

Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, "Bagels" (Unit 6) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVzHy7Jstek

Liz Alpern, Darra Goldstein, & Jeffrey Yoskowitz, "Ashkenazi Foodways" (Unit 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qgEnkyOSrA

Hasia Diner, "From Scarcity to Abundance" (Unit 3)  
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQtNGq231qs

Roundtable: "Ashkenazi Jewish Food and the Immigrant Experience" (Unit 3) 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtCwklsavcI

About YIVO Institute for Jewish Research
The YIVO Institute for Jewish Research was founded in Berlin, Warsaw, and in Vilnius (Vilna) in 1925. Its mission is to document, study, and preserve Ashkenazi Jewish civilization in all its aspects, from culture and history to language, literature, and political movements. YIVO's headquarters were relocated to New York City in 1940 in response to WWII. Today, YIVO is renowned for its role as a research institute, educational center, and cultural organization, with a library of over 400,000 volumes in addition to its unparalleled archive with over 23 million documents and artifacts. YIVO is dedicated to digitizing and preserving its collections for current and future generations worldwide. YIVO also keeps this heritage alive through its countless public and educational programs, which are conducted in person and digitally for a global community.

For additional detailed information, please visit: yivo.org

How to Keep Yourself Clean and Healthy While at the Gym

Going to the gym on a regular basis can help improve your health. However, it can also be a cesspool of germs because people are sweating in an enclosed environment. That is why it is important to take all of the necessary precautions. There are several things that you can do to stay safe and healthy while you are working out at the gym.

Make Sure That the Equipment is Cleaned Properly

Germs can easily spread on machines because people share them. That is why you will need to choose a gym that requires the staff members to properly clean the equipment. Make sure that the staff members use EPA-approved disinfectants. It is also important to clean the machines in between users. You should always spray and wipe down the equipment after you are done with it.

Avoid Using Gloves

Many people today wear gloves everywhere that they go. However, you should not wear gloves to the gym. Using gloves can lead to cross contamination. The best thing that you can do is to wash your hands thoroughly after you finish your workout.

Use Individually Wrapped Hand Sanitizing Wipes

Keeping your hands clean is one of the keys to keep other people’s sweat off of you when using communal machines and areas. You should bring  individually wrapped hand sanitizing wipes. Wipe your hands off every time that you use a new machine.

Bring Your Own Supplies to the Gym

You should bring your own water bottles, yoga mat, towels, and other supplies that you need. If you have your own supplies, then you won’t have to touch anyone else’s supplies. Make sure that clean your supplies after you leave the gym.

Attend Group Fitness Classes With Less Than 10 People

If you love group fitness classes, then you should attend a class with 10 people or less. Make sure that you stay far apart from other people. Most gyms will put a cap on the number of people who can attend a class. They may also require that you register ahead of time.

Safety is the most important thing that has to be taken into consideration when you go back to the gym. You will need to make sure that the equipment is properly cleaned and bring your own sanitizing wipes. You will also need to bring your own supplies, avoid using gloves and attend small group fitness classes.

Pandemic to accelerate adoption of electronic patient portal for epilepsy

Dublin, Friday, 24 July 2020: The COVID-19 pandemic is a catalyst to accelerate the adoption of technology-enabled patient care for epilepsy, according to a new study published in Epilepsia.

Building on the HSE eHealth Ireland funded Epilepsy Lighthouse Project, the research was led by FutureNeuro, the SFI Research Centre for Chronic and Rare Neurological Diseases, hosted by RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences. Funding for the project has continued through the Health Research Board (HRB) Applied Partnership Award.

The study describes an electronic patient portal for people with epilepsy that has been developed for patients in Ireland.  Named PiSCES (providing individualised services and care for people with epilepsy), the portal is linked to the Irish National Epilepsy Electronic Patient Record.

PiSCES gives people access to their medical record documenting their epilepsy care anywhere there is an internet connection using a smartphone, tablet device or desktop computer.  Users of PiSCES can access their clinic visit summaries and tools to report outcomes, such as frequency of seizures. The portal also allows people to track epilepsy care goals and send secure messages directly to their healthcare provider.  

“Our work on the development of PiSCES patient portal for epilepsy began before the COVID-19 crisis with the aim of facilitating better patient and family-centred epilepsy care by improving the link between people with epilepsy and their clinicians,” commented Mary Fitzsimons, eHealth Lead at FutureNeuro, RCSI.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the urgency to accelerate much needed health service reform to implement innovations such as electronic patient portals. PiSCES has the capability to transform out-patient care for people with epilepsy, by maximizing health service resources that may be constrained in the aftermath of the pandemic.  

“In the aftermath of COVID-19, it is highly unlikely that the healthcare sector will return to a ‘business as usual’ way of delivering services as we knew them previously.  The pandemic is has been a catalyst for change in how patient care will be conducted in the future, delivering technology-enables care that is more responsive to individual patient needs and preferences,” she said.  

The research was carried out in collaboration with the Health Service Executive (HSE), Beaumont Hospital, St James’s Hospital, DCU and Ergo.  Dr Kevin Power, Research Engineer at RCSI and Futureneuro is first author on the paper.

Brendan Dunleavy, Head of Software Development Ergo Group said, “We are delighted to be part of this group that looks to utilise cloud and web technology to help support people with epilepsy. This is another step on the path to a true patient-centric approach to delivering acute clinical care services. 

We have seen that COVID-19 has been an accelerator for technology adoption across industries and healthcare has been no exception. We look forward to seeing this work being used as an exemplar of empowering people with epilepsy.” 

ENDS

About FutureNeuro 

FutureNeuro is the SFI Research Centre for Chronic and Rare Neurological Diseases. We aim to change the patient journey through research informed by the needs of both patients and neurologists. This includes developing rapid and accurate tools for diagnosis, the development of therapies to correct damaged brain networks, technologies to enable patients to monitor their own health and well-being, and linking this to Ireland’s national imaging, diagnostics and eHealth infrastructure.

We are multi-disciplinary, inter-institutional and working with industry, patient organisations and the health service to transform the lives of patients in Ireland and worldwide.

About RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

Ranked number one globally for Good Health and Well-being in the Times Higher Education (THE) University Impact Rankings 2020, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences is an international not-for-profit university, with its headquarters in Dublin. 

RCSI is exclusively focused on education and research to drive improvements in human health worldwide. It is among the top 250 universities worldwide in the THE World University Rankings (2020) and its research is ranked first in Ireland for citations. RCSI has been awarded Athena Swan Bronze accreditation for positive gender practice in higher education.

Visit the RCSI MyHealth Expert Directory to find the details of our experts across a range of healthcare issues and concerns. Recognising their responsibility to share their knowledge and discoveries to empower people with information that leads them to better health, these clinicians and researchers are willing to engage with the media in their area of expertise.

About Ergo

Ergo has fine-tuned over 27 years’ experience at the coalface of change and innovation to become a world-class IT partner. 

From award-winning expertise around the Microsoft stack, to cloud solutions, IT Resourcing and our Managed Print Services, Ergo offers a broad portfolio of products and services for local and global deployment.

Their Custom Software Solutions team focuses on building bespoke software that is easy and intuitive to use. Their highly skilled team continues to innovate, leveraging the latest DevOps methodologies and cloud technologies in an end-to end service that spans consultancy, design, implementation and ongoing support and management. These objectives are the foundation for diverse and highly secure, scalable and resilient solutions that Ergo has delivered to a wide range of industries.