Clinical Solutions and Men’s Health Forum to partner to provide safe, online access to healthcare fo

Added: (Tue Jun 16 2009)

Pressbox (Press Release) - In the midst of National Men’s Health Week, clinical decision support software company Clinical Solutions is announcing a partnership with not-for-profit organisation, Men’s Health Forum, to provide safe online access to healthcare for men.

In response to a growing number of websites praying on the vulnerability of men and profiting from the sale of counterfeit or unregistered medication, or providing out-of-date advice, Clinical Solutions will be providing the charity with two of its software applications: Symptom Enquirer and Health Educator, due to go live on www.malehealth.co.uk later this summer. The applications will enable users to access reliable and trusted, on-demand symptom assessment and health information on the web at any time and from any location.

Dr. Ian Banks, president of Men’s Health Forum, explains, “We have long known that many men are uncomfortable accessing healthcare from traditional services. But the internet is littered with websites that take advantage of this fact and capitalise on men’s health attitudes; promising miracle cures and delivering products or information likely to seriously risk the individual’s health and wellbeing.

“Our partnership with Clinical Solutions will provide men with a safe, anonymous and reliable source of health information and support and take us one step closer to realising the internet’s potential of bridging the gender gap in healthcare provision - paving the way for better health outcomes for men.”

Marce Colucci, Business Development Director, Clinical Solutions adds, “The volume of websites providing inaccurate health information and/or counterfeit medication is staggering. And with many men turning to the internet as a first point of reference when they’re concerned about their health, it’s essential that trustworthy services like these are made available and relevant to individual needs. We’re confident that Symptom Enquirer and Health Educator will play a significant role in realising the internet’s potential as a tool for the delivery and improvement of men’s health.”
This year’s National Men’s Health Week will concentrate specifically on men’s under-use of primary health services. The Men’s Health Forum will be challenging policy makers in the health sector and wider government to develop services to close the gender gap, in addition to challenging men themselves to make small changes to their lifestyle which will help to improve their long-term health.

ENDS

About Clinical Solutions
Clinical Solutions is a leading supplier of flexible evidence-based decision support and clinical software solutions to the healthcare industry that help healthcare professionals and citizens safely and consistently assess a patient’s symptoms and direct them to the most appropriate level of care. This results in more efficient management of resources and alleviates pressure on emergency and primary healthcare services. This means lower costs, lower risks and a higher degree of patient satisfaction.

Clinical Solutions is a market focused organisation that works with its customers, to establish a close working partnership through the sharing of ideas, knowledge and expertise. Its scaleable solutions have been proven to guide clinicians to deliver best practice in providing leading healthcare advice.

The company also provides knowledge management and case management solutions, used for long term conditions management, web-based health assistants including bio-surveillance solutions used in pandemic and biological threat situations, and out-of-hours solutions for urgent care to both public and private healthcare providers. With each implementation, Clinical Solutions provides project management, IT consultancy and customisation, training and 24/7 support. Clinical Solutions has offices in UK, USA and Australia. Its customers include; NHS Direct in England and Wales; NHS 24 in Scotland; and many walk-in centres across England, as well as customers in North America, Portugal, Norway, India Australia, and New Zealand. Its solutions are used to serve over 100 million people across the world. With a mission to change the way the world accesses health and social care service, Clinical Solutions continues to invest in developing software solutions for health and social care organisations around the world. For further information visit: www.csdss.com

About Men’s Health Forum
For further information about Men’s Health Forum and National Men’s Health Week, visit www.menshealthforum.org.uk and for health information for men visit www.malehealth.co.uk

www.malehealth.co.uk currently has has over 1.5 million unique visitors a year and is the only independent, comprehensive men's health website in the UK.

This year’s National Men’s Health Week will take place between 15 and 21 June and will focus on improving men’s currently poor access to primary healthcare. The Week will kick off with an event on the Monday (15th) where experts from across the healthcare system will debate the reasons why men’s health is suffering in England and Wales and establish what needs to be done to address the problem. The debate will be chaired by Dr. Ian Banks, Men’s Health Forum President and the British Medical Association’s official spokesperson on men’s health.
Men’s Health Forum’s mission is to be an independent and authoritative advocate for male health and to tackle the inequalities affecting the health and wellbeing of boys and men in England and Wales.

National Men’s Health Week 2009 is being supported by 35 public, private and third sector organisations with a commitment to improving men’s health. For a list of partners, and to find out about activities taking place during the week, please click here or call to request further information.