MultiBriefs - Your source for industry specific News Briefs

Zika puts US on guard as summer approaches

Bob Kowalski Medical & Allied Healthcare

As the weather heats up across the United States, the threat of mosquitoes — and the Zika virus they carry — increases. If good things come in small packages, this potentially costly insect is an exception. While Zika does not harm most who are infected, it can be damaging to some, particularly to infants, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Among the risks are birth defects, including vision and hearing deficiencies and microcephaly, or an abnormal-sized head.

Barriers to collaborating with physicians and how to overcome them

Matthew Collver Pharmaceutical

As the United States moves toward value-based payment models, it is becoming more important for pharmacists to claim their role on the patient-centered health team. One of the best ways to accomplish this is by collaborating with your local physicians. There are an abundance of skills and services that a pharmacist can provide to a prescriber that will save time, increase a patient's quality of care and generate revenue. The initial step to accomplishing this is to meet with your target doctor and present your value proposition.

Cut your chances of cancer and heart disease by biking to work

Noelle Talmon Recreation & Leisure

The League of American Bicyclists notes that 40 percent of all trips in the United States are less than two miles, and cycling is a fun and easy way to run errands and go to the office. Bicycle commuting in the United States is on the rise. In bicycle-friendly communities, commuting rates increased 105 percent from 2000 to 2013, much larger than the national average of 62 percent.

Reducing misdiagnosis with virtual second opinions

Christina Thielst Healthcare Administration

Telemedicine and telehealth services have been connecting patients and providers who aren't sitting in front of each other for many years. The trend has been picking up speed in more recent years as some encounters leverage the internet and go virtual.

ACA insurers need low claim volumes to survive exchanges

Scott E. Rupp Healthcare Administration

The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation reports that just 7 percent of the U.S. population get their insurance on the private market — actually a fairly small segment of the population. Though the Affordable Care Act has provided millions of people with health insurance, some insurers have experienced substantial losses and have removed themselves from the exchanges — news most Americans are familiar with. Of course, the stability of the market and willingness of insurers to continue to participate is essential to the ACA's success, if it has any sort of future in the Donald Trump era.

Getting a good night’s sleep to stay young

Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied Healthcare

Everyone has had a sleepless night once in a while, and we all have gone through periods of unwelcome insomnia. But some people have far less good sleep than others. In fact, one-third of adults in the United States report inadequate sleep.

Medical marijuana conference highlights need for more research

Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied Healthcare

Across the U.S., 28 states allow some form of legal marijuana use, eight allow recreational marijuana use and 14 allow use of the cannabinoid, cannabidiol. With several more states pushing legislation to legalize the use of recreational marijuana, there is an ever-increasing need to study the health impact of marijuana and the cannabinoids it contains.

Progress in overcoming antibiotic‑resistant bacteria

Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied Healthcare

Since the 1940s, antibiotics have been used to treat infectious diseases. With long-term use, however, the infectious organisms have adapted to the drugs designed to destroy them, rendering the drugs much less effective. Simply using antibiotics creates resistance. Up to 50 percent of the time antibiotics are not optimally prescribed. It is not uncommon for antibiotics to be prescribed when not needed or dosed incorrectly.

Don’t get nursed into a corner

Keith Carlson Medical & Allied Healthcare

In nursing, a professional trajectory can take many forms. A nurse's career can be like a long straightaway across the open plains or a meandering trek across the mountains. No matter how many choices a nurse may have at her fingertips, she may feel like she's nursed herself into the proverbial corner with no idea how to change course. This is a spell that needs to be broken so the nurse can expand her vision and find a more satisfying path.

New study examines why firefighters have higher risk for heart attack

Lynn Hetzler Law Enforcement, Defense & Security

Firefighting is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world — but why? We know sudden cardiac death is the most common cause of a fire fighter fatality, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In fact, coronary heart disease is responsible for about 45 percent of on-duty deaths among firefighters in the United States.

Industries