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Nurses honor guards pay tribute to those who serve
Joan Spitrey Healthcare AdministrationEach Memorial Day, time is taken to remember those who have given their lives for our country. Services are held at memorial parks in which special attention and honor is given to those who paid the ultimate price while serving our country. At many of these services, honor guards from various military branches will ceremoniously provide funeral honors for fallen soldiers. These volunteers will bring dignity, respect and a ceremonial reverence to those they attend.
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What you need to know about skin cancer
Dr. Larry Altshuler Medical & Allied HealthcareSkin cancer is the number one cancer in the U.S., with squamous cell and basal cell being the most common, and melanoma being the deadliest. About 76,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma, and about 16,000 people die from it every year.
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Workplace safety in healthcare: Strategies and resources
Christina Thielst Healthcare AdministrationWorkplace injuries and illness are expensive — both in terms of the organization's bottom line and the morale of employees. As the healthcare delivery system continues to evolve, new workflows and ways of accomplishing the work to be done will change, necessitating updates to policy, plans and training.
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Antibody discovery shows promise for developing HIV vaccine
Katina Hernandez Medical & Allied HealthcareScientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have made what could be a groundbreaking finding in the fight against HIV. While observing the immune response of an HIV-infected patient, researchers discovered a new antibody that targets a weak spot in the virus and stops it from binding with healthy cells. If scientists can figure out how to trigger the antibody to be produced in uninfected patients, a preventative vaccine could be developed, making this discovery a significant finding in the efforts to eradicate HIV and AIDS.
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Put down the junk food and get off the couch
Natalie Thomas Sports & FitnessIt's no secret that obesity is a global health issue. According to the World Health Organization, obesity has more than doubled since 1980. In 2014, 39 percent of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight, and 13 percent were obese.
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Study: Shortages of emergency care drugs increasing
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareThe findings of an analysis published in the May issue of Health Affairs show that drugs vital to emergency care are increasingly short in supply, despite a 2012 law that allowed the Food and Drug Administration to respond to drug shortages.
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Marijuana does more harm than good with glaucoma
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied HealthcareToday, 24 states and the District of Columbia have legal medicinal use of marijuana. Among these, 20 allow for the treatment of glaucoma with medicinal marijuana. However, there is no indication that any state requires monitoring of these patients using the accepted standards of medical management — with appropriate diagnosis and follow-up — to accompany the treatment of glaucoma with medical marijuana. This is expected to lead to higher rates of preventable blindness related to untreated and undertreated glaucoma.
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Study: ADPKD patients at higher risk for diabetes after transplant
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareAccording to a new meta-analysis, patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) are more likely to develop diabetes following kidney transplantation. The analysis was carried out by researchers at the Mayo Clinic who looked at 12 separate studies to determine the risk of ADPKD patients developing diabetes following kidney transplant. Results were presented in a poster presentation at an April meeting of the National Kidney Foundation.
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Nurses rally in DC to address staffing issues with Congress
Joan Spitrey Healthcare AdministrationHundreds of nurses from around the county gathered on May 12 at the U.S. Capitol to raise awareness of the staffing crisis in our nation's hospitals and the need for solutions. The goal was to bring attention to two current bills before Congress — the National Nursing Shortage Reform and Patient Advocacy Act (S. 864) and the Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2015 (H.R. 1602). The bills mandate national nurse-to-patient ratios that are similar to those that have been successfully in effect in California since 2004.
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Bad attitudes lead to bad medicine
Mark Huber Healthcare AdministrationA friend had been suffering with abdominal pain and related gastrointestinal issues for weeks. He tried to work through the issue with his family doctor, but when that brought no joy he was referred to a specialist. When he called for an appointment, he explained his symptoms and was stunned. Not only was the first available appointment not for six weeks, but the scheduler was also wholly unsympathetic, even downright surly.
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