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Exploring the growing flexitarian movement
Bambi Majumdar Food & BeverageIf you want to help the planet and stay healthy at the same time, you could consider becoming a flexitarian. A new study shows that one in every three Americans consider themselves flexitarians. The term was coined by dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner almost a decade ago. In her 2009 book, "The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease and Add Years to Your Life," she wrote that one doesn't have to give up meat altogether to stay healthy. Instead, they can be flexible in their vegetarian diet by inserting an occasional meaty meal in their plant-based diet regimen.
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CMS: US healthcare spending slows in nearly every corner of the market
Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied HealthcareHealthcare spending slowed in 2017 for the second consecutive year in the United States, with a limited growth rate of 3.9 percent — almost one percentage point lower than in 2016 — according to new statistics released by the federal government this month. Healthcare’s share of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) is 17.9 percent with total spending emerging at $3.5 trillion — the equivalent of $10,739 per person — but growing slower than the overall GDP. Why the slowing growth?
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Study shows link between opioid prescription and later use, abuse by young…
Tammy Hinojos Oral & Dental HealthcareThe abuse of opioids is a public health crisis in the United States. Dentists continue to be a leading source of opioid prescriptions for children and adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, primarily due to third molar extractions (wisdom teeth). Young people who develop opioid abuse problems may be first exposed to the drug while receiving dental treatment. This, according to a new study released earlier this month by JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Help your doctors get more rest on duty
Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied HealthcareSleep deprivation: it's a fact of life for both practicing physicians and residents alike. As a hospital administrator, you know this, but there's no doubt you wish you could help your doctors get a least a little more shuteye. You're in luck: cutting-edge research has identified strategies that physicians can use to rest more efficiently while performing their duties during shifts or prior to procedures. Help your doctors by employing the following science-based tips.
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At last, a roadside screening test for THC
Dave G. Houser Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityNovember’s midterm elections added three states — Michigan, Missouri and Utah — to the growing list of 34 states that have legalized cannabis for medical and/or recreational use. That means that about 90 million Americans live where pot is legal, so the ramifications — good and bad — affect almost a third of our nation’s population. Aside from the fact that marijuana is still classified as an illegal controlled substance by federal law — subjecting those who partake to potential criminal prosecution — the use of pot is posing a more immediate and vexing problem concerning public safety.
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The US may be discarding thousands of viable kidneys each year
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareOrgan transplant professionals make tough decisions when it comes to deciding which organs are suitable for transplant and which organs should be discarded. Due to stringent guidelines, clinicians in the United States must discard about 2,000 donated kidneys each year. There are currently more than 95,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list, according to UNOS; reclaiming some of the discarded kidneys has the potential to save lives. The results of a new study show that many of the kidneys transplanted in France would have been discarded in the United States. This study is the first of its kind.
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Should everyone be taking a statin? Results of an umbrella review
Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied HealthcareStatins are relatively inexpensive and do not have many downsides; the most common complaint is myalgia, which is experienced by about 10 percent of patients. In addition to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, statins have been linked to benefits for other diseases and conditions, such as chronic pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, some cancers, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and infections. So, why shouldn’t everyone be on a statin? The answer is because after a review of statins and multiple non-cardiovascular outcomes, the jury is still out.
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Studies show obesity is a major concern for active-duty military and veterans
Karen Harrison Law Enforcement, Defense & SecurityLosing weight is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions, and according to new data, if you’re a veteran, the need to drop those extra pounds has never been more acute. A new survey conducted by Westat on behalf of the Wounded Warrior Project polled more than 33,000 post-9/11 veterans and service members, and found that, alarmingly, more than half of all survey respondents were obese, based on their body mass index measurements. Of those, about 7 percent were morbidly obese. What’s more, the number of obese service members increased by more than 3 percent since a 2014 survey, the report found.
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‘Waterfall’ shifts improve flow of patients in the emergency…
Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied HealthcareShift change can be a dangerous time for emergency department (ED) patients. This is especially true for pediatric patients in busy EDs. Now, there is evidence that a new approach using "waterfall" shifts can improve the flow of patients through a pediatric ED. Officials at Seattle Children’s Hospital created overlapping shifts for ED physicians five years ago, and it dramatically reduced patient handoffs. Researchers analyzed 43,835 patient encounters. They discovered a 25 percent reduction in the proportion of patient encounters ending in patient handoffs immediately after implementation of the new shifts.
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How to improve your patient disclosure practices
Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied HealthcareAs a physician, you know that communicating the right information to disclose to your patients at the proper time is critical. Not only does doing so properly cut down on confusion for your patients, it can also reduce informed consent claims against your hospital or practice. Yet many doctors don't provide their patients with enough information when it comes to crucial safety and risk factors regarding treatment. So how do you determine the difference between providing useful knowledge versus giving out unhelpful information?
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