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Mental health concerns among physicians

Dorothy L. Tengler Mental Healthcare

Of all occupations and professions, the medical profession is at the top of the list of occupations with the highest risk of death by suicide, with 300 to 400 physicians a year taking their own lives. Although many physicians are practicing what they preach as far as healthy habits, such as quitting smoking, exercising regularly, and eating healthier, they remain reluctant to address depression, a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in this group.

The effect of relationships on your nursing career

Keith Carlson Medical & Allied Healthcare

When we consider what truly lies at the center of the world inhabited by most nurses, what we’re really talking about is relationships. For all intents and purposes, relationships are powerful tools that fuel a nurse’s career and professional satisfaction from the starting gate to the finish line. Most nurses work in some form of collaborative environment, and relating with others can be key to successful nursing.

What to do instead of making accreditation reports publicly available

Christina Thielst Healthcare Administration

Accrediting organizations (AO) like the Joint Commission evaluate hospitals against established standards of care upon invitation and payment for services. State licensing groups and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) inspect hospitals for compliance with state regulations and Medicare's Conditions of Participation. There is a bit of duplication and overlap between the two types of surveys, and perhaps this led to CMS' decision to allow hospitals accredited by a CMS-approved accreditation program to substitute accreditation under that program for survey by the State Survey Agency.

Study shows possible relationship between blood sugar, brain cancer

Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied Healthcare

More than 29 million Americans are living with diabetes, and 86 million are living with prediabetes. Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes, and Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 5 percent. Cancer rates are higher in those with diabetes. However, although many cancers are more common among those with diabetes, a study from The Ohio State University found that cancerous brain tumors are less common among those with elevated blood sugar and diabetes.

Insurer exits leave holes in the marketplace as uncertainty spreads

Scott E. Rupp Healthcare Administration

Anthem health insurance plans will not be serving Ohio residents through the Affordable Care Act in 2018, the company recently announced. As a result, 10,500 Ohioans will lose their plans. According to reports, residents in 20 mostly rural counties will be without an option for buying individual coverage on the exchange unless another insurer decides to offer plans there in the coming months. The news might be tough to take for citizens in these rural areas, which already traditionally lack proper access to care.

Can suicide intervention at the ED save lives?

Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied Healthcare

Although many suicide attempts go unreported or untreated, surveys suggest that at least 1 million people in the United States intentionally try to kill themselves each year, and 45,000 are successful. Suicide is the 10th-leading cause of death in the U.S., and there are about 121 suicides each day, nearly one every 13 minutes.

The changing video game: How interactive gaming can be beneficial

Sabrina Fracassi Sports & Fitness

When Wii Fit hit the market in 2007, consumers went crazy. According to Nintendo, Wii Fit has sold 22.67 million units as of March 2017. What made it so successful was the creation of the new peripheral, the Wii Balance Board, which augmented players' actions onto the screen.

The brain’s failure in obsessive compulsive disorder

Dorothy L. Tengler Mental Healthcare

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was previously considered an anxiety disorder but is now classified as a mental illness. About 2.3 percent of the population suffers with this common, chronic and long-lasting disorder. In the United States, the current numbers approximate 3.3 million, although some estimates have been as high as 6 million, related, in part, to how patients are diagnosed and categorized. But a recent study in the U.K. that illustrates how the OCD brain reacts compared to the average brain may help better treat these patients.

Netflix series sparks school debate on teen suicide

Brian Stack Education

On the heels of what has become a controversial topic in schools from coast to coast, Netflix has renewed the popular teen drama "13 Reasons Why" for a second season. The series, based on the best-selling novel by Jay Asher, follows the story of 17-year-old teen Hannah Baker, who took her own life after creating a series of 13 tapes to document the reasons for this decision.

Opioids and the proper treatment of mu receptor pain

David M. Heckman Pharmaceutical

The topic of opioid misadventures has received a significant amount of attention in both the healthcare media and national political talking points. Traditional solutions focus on reducing the availability of opioids. However, the mistreatment of patients with chronic mu receptor pain represents a major preventable vector to this healthcare crisis. Our efforts may be better applied by addressing the proper treatment of mu receptor pain.

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