Health On the Net Foundation - HONinfo - May 2005
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In this issue...
* Bio-informatics and medical informatics International Congress
* Results of ENABLED Web developer survey
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Bio-informatics and medical informatics International Congress Invitation to
attend MIE 2005, Geneva, 28 August – 1 September 2005
MIE2005, the 19th International Congress of the European Federation for Medical
Informatics, will address all topics of bio-medical informatics, including both
medical and bio-informatics.
The main theme of MIE2005 is the development of connections between bio
-informatics and medical informatics. Tools and concepts from each discipline
can complement and reinforce the other. Information derived at the molecular
level influences patient care processes. New bridges must be built.
For this purpose, a panel of high level scientists has been invited to
participate and give keynote speeches, tutorials and workshop discussions.
MIE2005 will include thematic tracks with selected papers and posters to share
resources between bio-informatics and medical informatics: Sharing knowledge,
common data and tools, Interaction to increase benefits for patients; Image
processing and feature extraction; Electronic health records and information
systems; Biosignal analysis, human interface, quality assessment, patients as
citizens, statistical methods, knowledge engineering, telematics and more
For more information and registration, visit MIE 2005 web site.
HON will be present at MIE 2005. Come visit us in Geneva!
****************************************************** Results of ENABLED Web
developer survey ENABLED is a project supported by the European Union developing
technologies and algorithms to convert currently inaccessible Web content into
useful information for visually impaired Internet users. Project areas include:
accessible Web content, adaptable interfaces, wireless networking and mobile
computing.
Earlier this year, the ENABLED project conducted a survey of Web developers to
assess their awareness, knowledge and training needs to better address
accessibility issues for the visually impaired. The survey was distributed
through HON’s network of over 4,700 accredited online publishers.
Only 36% of ENABLED survey respondents say they make special efforts to produce
accessible Web sites or applications. They cite a wide variety of reasons, all
pointing to the need for higher prioritisation of accessible Web and application
design.
58% of survey respondents were not aware of the WAI guidelines. WAI (Web
Accessibility Initiative) is a programme of the World Wide Web Consortium to
develop technology, guidelines, and tools to increase Web accessibility for
people with disabilities. Increasingly, Web professionals working in the health
sector will need to tackle accessibility in order to comply with administrative
requirements and to remain competitive as they provide information to demanding
healthcare consumers.
This survey confirmed that a large number of websites are not fully accessible,
mainly because website developers, designers and managers are not aware of
accessibility issues or lack the proper knowledge or training to fully use the
available tools.
The survey results also highlight the responsibility of software manufacturers,
who could do more to provide tools to produce accessible Web content.
Complete results of the survey are available on the ENABLED website.
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