Message from NetHealth 2012 workshop chairs

Welcome to the 2nd Workshop on Networked Healthcare Technology (NetHealth´12)! With increasing penetration of high-bandwidth communications technology throughout the world, there is growing interest in utilizing networked information technology to address pressing healthcare needs. Future networked information systems will support, for example, clinical workflow, remote diagnosis and consultation, e-prescribing, mobile data collection and surveillance, and disease outbreak identification. Mobile computing technology may be particularly helpful in improving access to healthcare, by encouraging personal health management, and by enabling patient and provider mobility. Wearable medical devices are emerging, to measure essential vital signs like pulse, respiration, ECG, and blood glucose level. Handheld devices support clinicians in urban hospitals, and portable diagnostic kits allow remote healthcare teams to more easily reach rural villages.