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New era of medical capabilities for the South Pacific

A team of Health Informatics staff from the University of Otago’s Information Science Department is taking the South Pacific into a new era of medical capabilities as part of a World Health Organisation (WHO) initiative to educate medical staff in the Pacific.

23 Aug 2004

Worldwide evidence says better care will halt heart failure epidemic

An international team of researchers from Australia, Canada, Italy and Scotland studying the results of heart failure management have found that managed care from specialist teams of health professionals can improve survival rates by up to 25 per cent.

23 Aug 2004

Health care plans not likely to curb health care costs

Consumer-directed health care (CDHC) - high-deductible plans often touted as the answer to spiraling health care costs - is not likely to curb health care costs, and could even worsen health outcomes by reducing patients' receipt of needed preventive care and care for chronic conditions, says a new report from The Commonwealth Fund.

22 Aug 2004

Current information on the use of antidepressants in pediatric patients

The Food and Drug Administration has issued an update to provide health care providers and patients with the most current information on the use of antidepressants in pediatric patients.

21 Aug 2004

Medical personnel at Abu Ghraib ignored medical ethics and human rights

A Health and Human Rights article in this week’s issue of THE LANCET highlights how US Army medical personnel at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison ignored medical ethics and human rights standards and were complicit with human rights abuses of Iraqi prisoners.

20 Aug 2004

Family doctor visits have become more affordable for half of New Zealand's population

New Zealand's Ministry of Health has released research that shows Primary Health Organisation (PHO) family doctor visits have become more affordable for half the country's population.

20 Aug 2004

Consumer education campaign warning Connecticut residents of the dangers of illegal drug importation

Connecticut became the sixteenth state to join forces with the FDA to launch the "Looks Can Be Deceiving" educational campaign. During a press conference in Hartford, officials from CPA unveiled examples of the more than 40,000 flyers and prescription bag inserts that have been sent to 166 pharmacies across Connecticut.

18 Aug 2004

Canada would need 4700 new doctors if overtime stopped

A new report from the Canadian Medical Association on Canada's doctor shortage suggests that Canada would need 4700 new doctors if the doctors who currently work over 60 hours a week stopped doing so.

18 Aug 2004

Vitamin E has potential benefit in fighting colds in the elderly

Vitamin E supplementation has potential benefit in fighting upper respiratory tract infections such as colds in the elderly, says a study published in the Aug. 18 issue of JAMA.

18 Aug 2004

Workplace obesity intervention programs can reach millions of people

Each year, millions of Americans struggle with obesity – a potentially deadly condition that puts them at a higher risk for numerous health problems including diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

18 Aug 2004

Mixed effects for vitamin E against respiratory infections

Vitamin E does not appear to have a beneficial effect on lower respiratory tract infections in elderly nursing home residents, but it may help them ward off upper respiratory tract infections, according to a study in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

18 Aug 2004

Steps families take to minimize asthma triggers in the home are either wrong or ignored

Parents of children who suffer with asthma are making many efforts to clear their homes of substances that could trigger their child's symptoms, but the steps they take aren't always the ones that could do the most good, a new University of Michigan study finds. And many don't take other steps that are known to help.

17 Aug 2004

Physicians today perform more colonoscopies than necessary

A colonoscopy allows a physician look inside the entire large intestine, from the lowest part, the rectum, all the way up through the colon to the lower end of the small intestine.

16 Aug 2004

Potential for a significant increase in the number of Americans without health insurance

As the U.S. economy struggled during the 2001 economic recession and less-than-robust job growth during the recovery, concerns escalated about the potential for a significant increase in the number of Americans without health insurance.

16 Aug 2004

Canadians are unhappy with the current Medicare system

A vast majority of Canadians polled assigned the health care system an overall B grade. Almost all Canadians feel sustainability of the health care system hinges on guaranteeing timely access to health care services. Two-thirds agree with making increased federal funds conditional on improved monitoring and accountability

16 Aug 2004

One of the largest causes of death and disability worldwide

A new series of 5 seminars about one of the largest causes of death and disability worldwide - COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) - starts in this week’s issue of the Lancet.

15 Aug 2004

Support of humanitarian organisations to refugees in developing countries may inadvertently be creating a two-tier health system

With the host population having to cope with poorer health facilities than that provided by aid agencies to refugees.

15 Aug 2004

New poll shows consumers back health savings accounts

HSA-based health insurance plans combine individually owned savings accounts with traditional major medical insurance. HSAs give individuals the opportunity to use tax-free funds to pay day-to-day medical bills and to save for future health care expenses.

13 Aug 2004

Growing pains in young children are a much bigger problem than first thought

“Growing pains affect a lot of young children (36.9 per cent of children in our study) to the point that they’re seeing a health professional or taking pain medication.

12 Aug 2004