| CT scans to determine heart disease in the emergency room
In the future, patients who arrive at a hospital Emergency Department complaining of chest pain may be diagnosed with a sophisticated CT scan. If the diagnosis is negative, the patient can go home�and the total time at the hospital will be much shorter than it is today. .
AAAAI: 'Tis the Season for Allergic Reactions
With the holiday season just around the corner, millions of Americans are preparing to decorate their homes, gather for feasts and travel to visit relatives. However, for allergy and asthma sufferers, the holiday season presents several potential triggers, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). "Whether it's feasting on holiday meals, setting up your Christmas tree, or visiting your pet-owning relatives, allergy triggers may be lurking inside of our warm, cozy homes this time of year," said Alisa M. Smith, PhD, FAAAAI, vice-chair of the AAAAI's Indoor Allergen Committee. "Unfortunately, with busy schedules, travel time and the stress of the holidays, it is easy to forget to take the proper care when dealing with allergies and asthma. However, avoiding potential triggers and taking the proper precautions is necessary to keep symptoms under control," Smith added.
More Employers to Offer Workers Financial Incentives for Healthy Behavior
With continuing pressure to control health care costs, more companies plan to offer financial incentives to reward workers who adopt healthy lifestyles, according to a new survey by Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm, and the National Business Group on Health, a non-profit association of 285 large employers. Those employers best controlling costs and increasing productivity are integrating a broad array of health management programs. .
Two emergency supervisors demoted in Orange County
Orange demotes top emergency supervisors over separate election incident, remarks Date published: 11/28/2007 p { font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; text-decoration: none; color: #000000; text-align: justify; background-color: transparent } BY ROBIN KNEPPER Orange County's top two emergency-management supervisors have been demoted for separate incidents of improper behavior. Melissa McDaniel, the former director of emergency management and operations, is accused of recruiting two employees under her supervision to work on county time at the polls on Election Day on behalf of Sheriff Mark Amos. Mason Vines, the former E-911 center manager, is accused of making a racially offensive remark to another county employee.
FORTEO(R) Increased Spine Bone Mineral Density in Patients with Glucocorticoid-Induced Osteoporosis
Glucocorticoid therapy is the most common cause of secondary osteoporosis,(2) leading to bone loss and an increased risk for fracture. Data indicate that glucocorticoids are used by up to three out of every 100 adults (3 percent) over age 50,(3) and up to 50 percent of individuals on chronic glucocorticoid therapy will eventually have an osteoporotic fracture.(4) Glucocorticoids are prescribed to treat many conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and inflammatory bowel disease.(4,5) "Currently, there is a lack of variety in treatment choices for patients receiving chronic glucocorticoid medication who are at high risk for fractures," said lead investigator Kenneth G. Saag, M.D., MSc, professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
Nurse prescribing - the benefits and the pitfalls
More than 30,000 district nurses (DNs) and health visitors (HVs) are qualified to prescribe from the restricted list of medicines described in the Nurse Prescribers Formulary (NPF) for Community Practitioners. Over 10, 000 nurses (across England) are qualified to prescribe both as independent and supplementary prescribers. As of May 2006, Nurse Independent Prescribers (NIPs) have been able to independently prescribe any licensed medicine (and some controlled drugs) provided that it is within their area of competence. These nurses can also prescribe any medicine as a supplementary prescriber.
This article takes a look at some of the benefits and disadvantages of nurse prescribing (as seen by doctors, patients, and nurses), the extent to which nurses are prescribing medicines, and some of the factors that facilitate and hamper the prescription of medicines by nurses.
Novel MRI Technique Shows Secondhand Smoke Damages Lungs
For the first time, researchers have identified structural damage to the lungs caused by secondhand cigarette smoke. The results of the study, conducted by researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, were presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). .
Asthma Foundation Offers National Flu Shot Finder
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced the week after Thanksgiving, November 27 to December 2, as National Influenza Vaccination Week. Despite annual CDC recommendations, influenza vaccination (flu shot) rates in young children remain disturbingly low. Only 20 percent of children age 6 to 23 months were fully immunized for the flu during the 2005-2006 season. So the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) is making it easier for asthma patients to find flu shot clinics with a free "Flu Shot Finder" at http://www.aafa.org.
The flu is a serious and potentially deadly viral infection that causes respiratory problems, spreads easily, and is a major concern for 20 million Americans with asthma. Each year, it causes approximately 20,000 hospitalizations and nearly 100 deaths in American children under age 5.
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