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Why is customer service so difficult in the hospital?
Joan Spitrey Healthcare AdministrationOn April 20, popular consumer reporter John Stossel wrote an opinion piece on the lack of customer service he received while in the hospital. Stossel was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, for which he was admitted to prestigious New York-Presbyterian Hospital.
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Benzodiazepine linked to higher risk of overdose death
Dr. Denise A. Valenti PharmaceuticalIn William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," the tragic character states, "To die, to sleep. To sleep, perchance to dream — ay, there's the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come." However, the sleep of death is what close to 15 million adults risked as they filled their sleep, sedative, anxiolytic or anticonvulsant prescriptions containing benzodiazepine. A new study published in the April issue of the American Public Health Association Journal reported an increase in overdose mortality related to benzodiazepine prescriptions between the years 1996 and 2013.
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The end of ER diversions
Mark Huber Healthcare AdministrationThe problem of emergency room overcrowding is not new. It creates a chain of failure, particularly when ambulances with critically ill patients aboard — on the ground or in the air — must divert to a secondary hospital, and therefore delay the onset of care.
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Long-term memories may be the result of ‘replay’
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareWhen my dad was in his 80s, he was able to remember everything from decades earlier, but little about events of previous weeks. For some of us, it is the opposite — we have good short-term memory but remember little of long ago.
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Study: E-cigarettes may lead more adolescents into smoking
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Medical & Allied HealthcareThey are referred to as "ENDS," which stands for electronic nicotine delivery systems. Healthcare officials have hoped these e-cigarette devices would facilitate "ends" to smoking addiction. Unfortunately, they may be bringing about faster "ends" to optimum health and leading to increased rates of smoke-inhaled tobacco.
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Study: Pig organs could be viable for use in humans
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareA group of baboons at a research facility in Bethesda, Maryland, have been living with pig hearts in their abdomens for the past several years. The goal of the National Institutes of Health experiment was to see if pig organs would be viable for transplantation into humans.
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Study: Allergy medications linked to Alzheimer’s disease
Dr. Denise A. Valenti PharmaceuticalAllergy season is upon us, and while the use of seasonal allergy products may provide immediate relief, they may also come with long-term consequences. The very medications to stem the tickle in your nose are potentially doing damage to your brain. That's certainly nothing to sneeze at.
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The nursing shortage reality: Helping prenursing students succeed
Keith Carlson Healthcare AdministrationIn an era of nursing faculty shortages and a highly competitive job market, supporting prenursing students in preparing for successful careers is crucial. We've all heard stories abound about individuals who are lucky enough to get accepted into nursing school, graduate in good standing and then can't find a job for months.
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Suicide screenings in ED help identify at-risk patients
Chelsea Adams Mental HealthcareDetection of patients at risk for suicide nearly doubled after emergency departments implemented universal suicide risk screenings for all patients, according to new research in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
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The surprising connection between heart rate and wisdom
Dorothy L. Tengler Science & TechnologyAccording to Aristotle, "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." Although wisdom may be difficult to define, people generally recognize it when they encounter it. Most psychologists agree wisdom involves an integration of knowledge, experience and deep understanding that incorporates tolerance for the uncertainties of life as well as its ups and downs. That said, researchers now believe wisdom is a matter of both heart and mind, touting that fluctuations in our heartbeats may, in fact, affect our wisdom.
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