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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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FDA’s expansion over all tobacco products is a win for healthcare
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied HealthcareThe efforts to stem the tsunami of nicotine product use by youth and young adults have suddenly been given substantial support. Many of the previously unregulated nicotine products now fall under the regulatory body of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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Kinesio taping for sceptics: Latest research
Heidi Dawson Sports & FitnessBack in December 2013, I wrote a piece on the craze that is kinesiology taping (you can read it here). It examined the potential role of kinesio tape in sports injury management, the claims regarding its benefits, case studies highlighting its effectiveness and research questioning its use.
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Researchers find clue to editing memories
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareIf moments are fleeting, then memories are permanent. When we share our most powerful memories, they grow with time rather than fade — giving us the ability to celebrate friends and family members long after they have passed. But we all have some memories we'd rather forget.
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Hospitals seeing increase in anti-diarrhea drug overdoses
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareEmergency departments are seeing an influx of patients who are overdosing on over-the-counter anti-diarrhea medications. The majority are using medicines containing loperamide to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms; others are using them to achieve a heroin-like high.
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ATA to Congress: Expand telemedicine to rural communities
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationIf you haven't yet settled into the telemedicine drama playing out in the American healthcare landscape, you may be missing a bit of a good show. This latest prognostication by the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) is not game-changing, but it is enough of a play for fans to take notice, and to signal we're far from settled on where this movement will ultimately come to some finality.
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