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Preventable adverse events in hospitals occur 3 times more among patients with deafness, blindness or psychiatric disorders

Preventable adverse events in hospitals occur 3 times more often among patients with communication problems, such as deafness, blindness, psychiatric disorders and multiple health issues or comorbidities, found researchers in this study of nearly 2,400 patient records from 20 hospitals in Quebec.

2 Jun 2008

Gulf Coast area children who lived in trailer units at risk for long-term illnesses

Tens of thousands of Gulf Coast area children who lived in trailer units provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 might have increased risk for long-term health problems, according to physicians and federal health officials, the AP/Denver Post reports.

28 May 2008

CMS approves Pennsylvania Medicaid Waiver Program to help residents with autism

Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) on Thursday announced that CMS earlier this month granted approval of a waiver program that allows the state to allocate part of its federal Medicaid funds toward services for adult residents with autism, the AP/Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

28 May 2008

Medical errors - Is healthcare getting worse or better?

Most would say worse. And one of the many reasons is medical errors. Most Americans say the quality of care has not improved, and dissatisfaction among patients and caregivers has increased. The perceptions exist despite the efforts across the country to reduce medical errors.

28 May 2008

Bivalirudin improves net clinical outcomes and increases survival in heart attack patients

A study led by Gregg W. Stone, M.D., professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center/NewYork-Presbyterian and chairman of the Cardiovascular Research Foundation, has shown that heart attack patients who were administered the direct thrombin inhibitor bivalirudin during primary angioplasty had a reduced rate of adverse clinical events, a lower rate of major bleeding, and a lower mortality rate than those who were treated with a regimen of heparin and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPI).

26 May 2008

Iraq war and risk of developing bronchiolitis

A large group of soldiers returning from Iraq have been diagnosed with bronchiolitis, a disease affecting the small airways of the lung, according to Vanderbilt University Medical Center physicians who will present their findings at the American Thoracic Society's 2008 International Conference in Toronto on Wednesday, May 21.

21 May 2008

Old age is the new middle age - Health Secretary Alan Johnson says

Health Secretary Alan Johnson today called on the NHS to rise to the challenge of providing more and better preventative care for older people.

21 May 2008

Washington Post series examines childhood obesity

An "epidemic of obesity" is "compromising the lives of millions of American children" and is "expected to add billions of dollars to the U.S. health care bill," the Washington Post reports.

20 May 2008

New lifesaving options come to Rochester for stroke

While Superbowl Sunday started out like any other Sunday for Webster resident Christine Skolnick, by kick-off time, things clearly went from bad to worse for the 42-year-old mother of two. An apparent stomach virus and mild headache at midday had, by 6 p.m., become deadly, as Skolnick's face drooped on her right side, and she had difficulty moving her right legs and arms.

20 May 2008

Serious depression affects more than 2 million teens in the U.S.

A survey released in the U.S. has revealed that in the past year in excess of 2 million American teenagers experienced a serious bout of depression.

15 May 2008

Veteran disability payments to increase as number of veterans decreases

The U.S. will spend an estimated $59 billion or more annually in 2033 to compensate disabled veterans, compared with $29 billion annually currently, according to internal Department of Veterans Affairs documents obtained by the Associated Press, the AP/Kansas City Star reports.

13 May 2008

New MRI technique detects subtle but serious brain injury

A new technique for analyzing magnetic resonance imaging data, developed by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center, can reveal serious brain injury missed by current tests and help predict a patient's degree of recovery.

12 May 2008

University of Leicester to lead audit of adults with autism

The University of Leicester is leading on a national study to calculate the number of adults with autism, it has been announced today.

9 May 2008

Study affirms effectiveness of medication for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that strikes children between the ages of newborn to 16 years. All children with JRA have joint pain, stiffness, and swelling and some also have fever and skin rashes.

9 May 2008

Study finds arthritis can be a barrier for adults seeking to manage diabetes through exercise

More than half of adults with diagnosed diabetes also have arthritis, a painful condition that can be a barrier to physical activity -- an important health strategy for managing diabetes, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in today's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

8 May 2008

Medicare fee cuts could devastate rehabilitation services

Pending cuts to the Medicare physician fee schedule could severely hamper the ability of physical therapists to serve the rehabilitation needs of seniors and people with disabilities -- driving up overall costs while decreasing quality of care, according to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and its Private Practice Section.

8 May 2008

Department of Health announces adult autism strategy

This prevalence study will inform the first ever Government strategy on adults with autism and Asperger's syndrome, due to be published next year.

8 May 2008

CQ's Carey looks at genetic anti-discrimination approval, debate over Medicaid regulations, lLegislation to treat substance abuse among veterans

Mary Agnes Carey, associate editor of CQ HealthBeat, examines the House's approval of genetic nondiscrimination legislation, debate over a measure to place a moratorium on proposed Medicaid regulations by the Bush administration and House-passed legislation concerning veterans' substance abuse treatment in this week's "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ."

6 May 2008

The "pain gap" in American society

A novel study that attempts to paint the most accurate and detailed description yet of how Americans experience pain has found that a significant portion of the population -- 28 percent -- are in pain at any given moment and those with less education and lower income spend more of their time in pain. Those in pain are less likely to work or socialize with others and are more inclined to watch television than the pain-free.

1 May 2008

Intensive training for medical staff in Latin American hospitals reduces serious complication of pregnancy

An intensive educational program for physicians and midwives involving 19 hospitals in Argentina and Uruguay dramatically reduced the rate of postpartum hemorrhage, according to researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions.

1 May 2008