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Study shows copper objects in ICUs reduce healthcare-acquired infections by 50%

Placement of copper objects in intensive care unit (ICU) hospital rooms reduced the number of healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) in patients by more than half, according to a new study published in the May issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, in a special topic issue focused on the role of the environment in infection prevention.

10 Apr 2013

Study: Non-traditional well-being risks can impact workers' productivity

In addition to health-related risk factors, some non-traditional "well-being risks" can have a significant impact on workers' productivity, reports a study in the April Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

10 Apr 2013

Injuries caused by sharp instruments are major occupational hazard for surgeons

Injuries caused by needles and other sharp instruments are a major occupational hazard for surgeons—with high costs related to the risk of contracting serious infectious diseases, according to a special article in the April issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

3 Apr 2013

State roundup: NYC firms will be required to offer sick leave; Fla. government part-timers to get health coverage

New York is poised to mandate that companies with 15 or more employees provide paid time off for them when they are sick. A compromise agreement reached Thursday night resulted from a raw display of political muscle by a coalition of labor unions and liberal activists who overcame fierce objections from New York's business-minded mayor, Michael R. Bloomberg, and his allies in the corporate world (Barbaro and Grynbaum, 3/28).

30 Mar 2013

Stakeholders see health law benefits, challenges

News outlets explore issues emerging from the health law's implementation, including how the costs of insuring full-time employees could be a boon for temporary staffing agencies, how nurse practitioners are seeking a greater role in primary care and how some clinics are fighting to benefit from the law's changes.

27 Mar 2013

New program helps health care workers get back on their feet following tragedy

When a patient dies unexpectedly, whether suddenly or after a long illness, the loss can hit loved ones hard. In some of these cases, health care workers can be affected deeply due to the emotional bonding that can occur between patients and their caregivers.

27 Mar 2013

State roundup: Nurses press for broader responsibilities

For years, nurses have been subordinate to doctors - both in the exam room and the political arena. But aided by new allies ranging from AARP to social workers to health-policy experts, nursing groups are pressing ahead in a controversial bid to persuade state lawmakers to shift the balance of power (Aizenman, 3/24).

26 Mar 2013

IRIN examines impact of drone warfare on humanitarian aid

"In places like Afghanistan and Pakistan, strikes by unmanned planes are increasingly affecting humanitarian operations, aid workers say, necessitating a greater discussion by humanitarians on how to deal with the impact and a greater focus by U.S. policymakers on how to mitigate it," IRIN reports in an article examining how drone warfare is impacting humanitarian aid.

22 Mar 2013

New hope for treating, preventing malaria

Scientists at Oregon Health & Science University and the Portland VA Medical Center have developed a drug that may represent one of the world's best hopes for treating and preventing malaria - a disease that kills more than one million people each year.

22 Mar 2013

State roundup: Minn. nurses give on staff levels for study

A selection of health policy news from California, Massachusetts, the District of Columbia, Minnesota and Oregon.

19 Mar 2013

Social care charity CIC celebrates 25th anniversary

National social care charity Community Integrated Care celebrates its 25th anniversary.

From Community Integrated Care 18 Mar 2013

IRIN examines health worker shortage in Papua New Guinea

"Papua New Guinea is a Pacific country rich in natural resources, yet its health staffing levels are comparable to the world's poorest countries due to a rapidly retiring force and lack of qualified replacements," IRIN reports.

15 Mar 2013

Global Health Service Corps should also focus on health worker retention

Launched in March 2012 the Peace Corps, PEPFAR and the Global Health Service Corps, the Global Health Service Partnership aims to alleviate shortages of health care personnel in Tanzania, Malawi and Uganda by bolstering their medical education programs, Matt Fisher, a research assistant and project coordinator at the Center for Strategic & International Studies, says in the center's "Smart Global Health" blog.

15 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Ryan's 'tired ideas;' House GOP 'reboots' on budget; Bloomberg's soda campaign 'ill-conceived'

All the tired ideas from 2011 and 2012 are back: eliminating Medicare's guarantee to retirees by turning it into a voucher plan; dispensing with Medicaid and food stamps by turning them into block grants for states to cut freely; repealing most of the reforms to health care and Wall Street; shrinking beyond recognition the federal role in education, job training, transportation and scientific and medical research.

14 Mar 2013

Officials, state workers criticize different health coverage rate hikes in California

The increases are largely set to hit small businesses, individual plans and long-term care coverage.

8 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Ryan's efforts on Medicare leave Republicans 'howling;' Retirement may be too expensive for seniors

Paul Ryan is one of the few considering the long-term trajectory of federal spending who is also preparing a solution without artificial fiscal cliffs. Perhaps surprisingly, his ideas for structural budget and entitlement reform have some Republicans howling even before Democrats get an opportunity to speak up.

7 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Health care 'price gouging;' Health law pushing employers to cut workers' hours; Medicare spending must be tamed

Steven Brill's cover story on the Looking Glass world of healthcare pricing may be the longest article Time Magazine has ever published, but more importantly, it is a fresh sign that the medical-industrial complex should be worried as the deadline for launching Obamacare rolls closer.

26 Feb 2013

Roundup: HHS OKs key part of Fla.'s Medicaid managed care plan; Calif. lawmakers set to take up rules on its health insurance marketplace

The state of Florida won a second victory from HHS that will help the state introduce a statewide Medicaid managed-care program. The agency notified the state that it would grant its request for a medical assistance waiver -- a decision that comes just weeks after the department granted Florida's first request for a waiver for its long-term-care program.

22 Feb 2013

Vaccine prices and availability: an interview with Kate Elder, Vaccines Policy Advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières's Access Campaign

One of the key reasons why children are missed by immunization programs, particularly in developing countries where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) works, is that the products that we currently have in their present formulation are not well-suited to the places that have the most un-immunized children. These are the most challenging contexts to work in.

19 Feb 2013

Community health workers can help individuals better manage their diabetes

Newly published results from a randomized controlled clinical trial in the Pacific U.S. territory of American Samoa add clear evidence for the emerging idea that community health workers can meaningfully improve type 2 diabetes care in medically underserved communities.

12 Feb 2013