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Australian research reveals more than 70% of hospital patients are malnourished

Many elderly Australians are either admitted to hospital suffering malnutrition, or become malnourished while in hospital, which increases hospital length of stay and health care costs.

8 Feb 2011

AJN: Nurses and physicians lack knowledge about human trafficking

A report, published in the February issue of the American Journal of Nursing, underscores nurse and physicians' lack of knowledge about the indicators of human trafficking when they encounter a patient who is a victim of trafficking.

8 Feb 2011

Study finds heartburn as a common condition in Iceland

Heartburn is a signature symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which is a cluster of symptoms and signs associated with regurgitation of stomach acid up to the pharynx and mouth. Patient-based studies of GERD have shown high prevalence and chronicity, particularly in Western societies. GERD is associated with significant health-care utilization and diminished quality of life.

8 Feb 2011

UBA opens 2011 Benefit Opinions Survey

United Benefit Advisors, LLC (UBA), one of the nation's leading employee benefits advisory organizations, today announced the opening of the 2011 UBA Benefit Opinions Survey, which delineates employers' opinions in five key areas: Health Plan Strategies, Benefits Philosophy and Opinion, Health Plan Management, Personal Health Management and Employee Communications.

8 Feb 2011

Health care reform study offers comprehensive review of new federal law impact on Florida

A new report released today by the Collins Center for Public Policy looks beyond the pitched battles over health care reform and instead offers a comprehensive review of the new federal law and its potential impact on Florida.

8 Feb 2011

NCI awards grant to reduce cancer-related health disparities among Latinos

A $4 million, five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute will create a Texas regional Community Networks Program Center, called Latinos Contra El Cancer, to reduce cancer-related health disparities among Texas Latinos.

8 Feb 2011

Republican FY 2011 budget proposal to be introduced as legislation soon

On Capitol Hill this week, "Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers, R-Ky., is expected to turn [the proposed FY 2011] budget allocation into legislative language with specific allocations for federal agencies. That bill would then be brought to the House floor, setting the stage for a lengthy debate as conservative Republicans seek larger cuts than [Rep. Paul Ryan, (R-Wis).] proposed," according to CQ (Goldfarb, 2/4).

8 Feb 2011

Vatican to host one-day international HIV/AIDS conference in May

The Vatican on Thursday announced it "will host an international conference in May on preventing [HIV/AIDS] and caring for those afflicted with it amid continued confusion over its position concerning condoms as a way to prevent HIV transmission," the Associated Press reports.

8 Feb 2011

France, FAO call for greater regulation to avert food riots

France, the current chair of the G20, and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) "warned on Friday about the risk of a new global food crisis and ensuing riots, calling for greater regulation to curb speculation on commodities markets," Reuters reports.

8 Feb 2011

Congress focuses on cognitive treatment for troops with traumatic brain injuries

A bipartisan group of 74 lawmakers issued a letter Friday demanding that the Pentagon's health plan cover a treatment for brain-injured soldiers known as cognitive rehabilitation therapy.

8 Feb 2011

U.S. FDA orders three TMJ implant manufacturers to conduct postmarket surveillance studies

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered three manufacturers of temporomandibular joint implants to conduct postmarket surveillance studies to determine the length of time before the implants are removed or replaced due to pain or other reasons.

8 Feb 2011

Governors continue to face serious fiscal issues, health programs at risk

The struggle to balance state budgets will involve a long list of cuts - and health programs will be among the items at risk. Meanwhile, a health policy expert explains how state efforts at implementation of the federal health law add to this pressure.

8 Feb 2011

Some House Republicans see health law as prime spot for deep budget cuts

Even as GOP lawmakers advance their strategies, Dems see a plan of their own — they plan to cast Republicans as trying to take away patients' rights. Meanwhile, physicians take to the Hill to press for medical liability reforms, with lots of lobbying money streaming in.

8 Feb 2011

Is the health overhaul's individual mandate the law's 'linchpin'?

NPR explores this question, which is increasingly central to discussions about the sweeping measure's future. Meanwhile, The Boston Globe reports on the number of waivers given out by Massachusetts to state residents who sought an exemption from that state's requirement to have health insurance.

8 Feb 2011

Executive wellness a legit corporate expense

At least once a year, executives from Ciena Corp. spend a day at Johns Hopkins University getting poked and prodded as they undergo tests for a barrage of potential ailments, from anemia to prostate cancer. They

8 Feb 2011

Rush University director receives first $50,000 AACN Impact Research Grant

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses recently awarded its first $50,000 AACN Impact Research Grant to Ruth Kleinpell, PhD, RN-CS, FAAN, director, Center for Clinical Research, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, and professor, Rush University College of Nursing.

7 Feb 2011

Personalized feedback can serve as effective tool for people with addictive behaviors

As mental health care costs and problem gambling rates continue to rise, University of Missouri researchers are developing a personalized feedback tool that could serve as an effective and inexpensive way for people with addictive behavior-related problems to get the help they need.

7 Feb 2011