-
Inconsistent drugged driving laws show need for marijuana research
Dr. Denise A. Valenti Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityThere is limited research on marijuana impairment related to driving, but it differs significantly than the impairments caused by alcohol. The uncertainty surrounding this issue has resulted in laws throughout the United States that vary in determining what constitutes driving under the influence of drugs (DUID) and what the penalty is for doing so.
-
Pediatric stroke response teams speed diagnosis
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareAlthough stroke typically occurs only in elderly patients, this condition can strike infants, children and young adults. For optimal recovery, members of the emergency department, radiology and other departments must work quickly to diagnose and treat pediatric stroke. As a result, many hospitals are now implementing pediatric acute stroke teams.
-
Study: Organ rejection following infection may not be permanent
Chelsea Adams Medical & Allied HealthcareNew research suggests that organ transplant recipients who reject organs may not necessarily reject future transplanted organs. In a study of mice at the University of Chicago, researchers found the rodents rejected a transplanted heart after a bacterial infection, but then tolerated a second heart transplant after the infection was eliminated from the body.
-
First, do no harm: When healthcare practitioners work while sick
Dorothy L. Tengler Healthcare Administration"Go to school. You'll be fine," or "If I miss work, I'll be fired." These are all common misconceptions most of us have learned throughout life. Why is it so difficult for us to stay home when ill? The reasons are different for each of us. For the general public, one reason is more than 40 million American workers get no paid sick leave. They have to work when ill or take unpaid sick days, which can lead to financial hardship, or even dismissal.
-
Can the United Nations actually eliminate AIDS by 2030?
Katina Hernandez Medical & Allied HealthcareAt a United Nations conference in Addis Ababba, Ethiopia, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced some exciting news: The U.N. has reached its goal of reducing HIV and AIDS-related infections nine months before expected.
-
Nurse entrepreneurship is exploding across the US
Keith Carlson Healthcare AdministrationPlenty of enterprising nurses have owned businesses over the years, but entrepreneurship and business savvy among nurses is veritably exploding in the early 21st century. With an increasing number of states within the U.S. allowing advanced practice nurses (APRNs) to manage patient care without a supervising physician, APRNs are realizing that they can serve the public as independent medical providers.
-
New study damages old heart attack theory
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareMedical researchers have been examining the link between excess calcium in heart cells and the death of those cells during heart attacks. But a new study at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine appears to throw a monkey wrench into this line of work. A previous study at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine demonstrated how the enzyme CaM kinase II triggers heart cell death following heart damage, showing the action takes place in the cells' energy-producing mitochondria. In animal tests, the team reported that blocking the enzyme could prevent heart cells from dying and protect the animals from heart failure.
-
Could nap rooms help hospital shift workers?
Joan Spitrey Healthcare AdministrationImagine you have been up all night, caring for a newborn. You are sleepy, yet need to remain alert. At 6 a.m., you sit down to feed and burp the precious new life. You begin to feel drowsy as you take in the aroma of the newborn. Next thing you know, the infant has fallen to the ground out of your grasp.
-
Mystery and fantasy: Physicians branch out as fiction writers
Christina Thielst Medical & Allied HealthcareIn the last few years, I've received several fictional books written by physicians. This has caused me to pause and wonder about when exactly these guys have the time to write stories. I've known many physicians throughout my long career, and I had never thought of them as authors for the masses. But perhaps I should have recognized this potential outlet to the stressors they experience sharpening their skills and caring for others every day.
-
Survey: Telemedicine use on the rise
Scott E. Rupp Healthcare AdministrationThe latest telehealth report — one of many in a recent string — suggests the market is finally maturing. "Telehealth Index: 2015 Physician Survey" found strong support exists for video-based telemedicine, more so than telephone or email communications. The survey by American Well and QuantiaMD spoke with more than 2,000 primary doctors.
All Medical & Allied Healthcare Articles