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First Edition: November 23, 2011

Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations include an examination of changes in Medicare that the Democrats have endorses and a Kansas abortion case.

23 Nov 2011

UofL Pediatric Emergency Department fellow wins Willis Wingert Award

University of Louisville Pediatric Emergency Department fellow Alyssa Turner, M.D., has been awarded the Willis Wingert Award for her platform presentation at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting.

19 Nov 2011

Workplace perceptions about EMS safety may be reality

Poor perceptions about workplace safety culture among emergency medical services (EMS) workers is associated with negative patient and provider safety outcomes -- the first time such a link has been shown in the pre-hospital setting, according to a study by University of Pittsburgh researchers that now appears online in Prehospital Emergency Care and is scheduled to be published in the January-March print edition.

18 Nov 2011

Fatigue, poor sleep may jeopardize patient and provider safety in EMS setting

Fatigue and poor sleep quality, which affect many emergency medical services (EMS) workers, are linked to higher reported rates of injuries, medical errors and safety-compromising behaviors, according to a study by University of Pittsburgh researchers that is now available online in Prehospital Emergency Care and appearing in the January-March 2012 print edition.

18 Nov 2011

State roundup: Calif. cuts make public health outlook bleak

One thing Gov. Mitch Daniels believes with absolute conviction is that consumers need to pay more of the cost of their health care. ... No one can say Daniels isn't practicing what he preaches. Indiana has been using a version of consumer-driven health care for state employees since 2006. Starting next year, 90 percent of Indiana state workers will be covered by a consumer-driven plan with low premiums and high out-of-pocket expenses for actual care.

18 Nov 2011

First Edition: November 17, 2011

In today's headlines, reports that the Supreme Court's review of the health law shocks Medicaid advocates and more on the continuing struggles of the super committee.

17 Nov 2011

UTHealth study: Heart attack patients who call 911 are sicker

Cardiologists are quick to point to statistics showing that the "door-to-balloon" treatment time for heart attack patients has dropped significantly in the past few years. But a retrospective study reveals that those who call 911 are most likely to have suffered a severe heart attack and despite receiving treatment quickly, they are still dying at unacceptable rates, say researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

17 Nov 2011

Equipping more state police cruisers with AEDs can save lives

Just 30 percent the nation's state police agencies reported that they equip their vehicles with automated external defibrillators, and of those, nearly 60 percent of said only a minority of their fleet have the lifesaving devices on board, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that will be presented today at the American Heart Association's annual Scientific Sessions.

16 Nov 2011

Head hits appear to cause brain injury among high school players

The brain scans of high school football and hockey players showed subtle injury -- even if they did not suffer a concussion - after taking routine hits to the head during the normal course of play, according to a University of Rochester Medical Center study.

15 Nov 2011

Studies examine cardiac arrest-information exchange on social media site

Discussion about cardiac arrest on Twitter is common and represents a new opportunity to provide lifesaving information to the public, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The Penn investigators will present two studies examining cardiac arrest-information exchange on the social media site today at the American Heart Association's annual Scientific Sessions.

14 Nov 2011

Wearable defibrillator effective in preventing sudden death in people with arrhythmias

A wearable defibrillator can prevent sudden death in people with dangerous heart arrhythmias, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2011.

14 Nov 2011

Older patients less likely to receive pain medication in hospital EDs

A new study finds that people 75 years old or older are less likely to receive any pain medication in hospital emergency departments than middle aged people - those between 35 and 54 years old.

13 Nov 2011

New initiative to integrate and increase use of palliative care in ED

A new national initiative, IPAL-EM (Improving Palliative Care in Emergency Medicine) will integrate and increase the use of palliative care when seriously ill patients are admitted to the emergency department.

10 Nov 2011

Three common scales are not accurate predictors of severe dehydration in children

A physician team from Rhode Island Hospital led a study to evaluate the accuracy of the commonly used dehydration scales as they apply to children in a low-income country. Based on their experience in Rwanda, the researchers determined that none of the three scales were accurate predictors of severe dehydration in children with diarrhea and/or vomiting.

9 Nov 2011

Study examines how perception of roles among ED staff can impact patient satisfaction

A study from Rhode Island Hospital examined how the perception of roles among emergency department staff can impact patient satisfaction. Through a web survey with embedded interventions, the researchers were able to determine where gaps exist in key indicators of patient satisfaction, while staff reported changing or reconsidering how these factors play into their roles.

2 Nov 2011

CHEMM-IST helps first responders to identify hazardous chemical exposure

Exposure to hazardous chemicals can cause serious illness quickly, but emergency medical providers often don't know the key piece of information that determines treatment: Which of the tens of thousands of toxic chemicals is making patients sick?

22 Oct 2011

Tips for parents, drivers to keep kids safe during Halloween

On average, twice as many kids are killed in pedestrian accidents on Halloween compared to other days of the year. In an effort to keep kids safe this season, injury prevention experts from the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital urge parents to prepare children to act safely and drivers to take extra precautions.

21 Oct 2011

Health and fitness tips for office workers

Summer has been over for a few weeks now and vacations have come and gone. With cooler weather approaching, many of us are back into our regular fall month work routines. And for those with sedentary jobs, being back in the office many times means less physical activity and more sitting throughout the day.

20 Oct 2011

New Regenstrief initiative to encourage and propel innovation

Integrating some of the best new practices of industry into the strengths of the academic research process, the Regenstrief Institute is launching an initiative to encourage and propel innovation. The Institute has over 40 years of experience as an international leader in improving healthcare delivery.

18 Oct 2011

African-American or Hispanic children less likely to receive CT scans after head trauma

White children are far more likely to receive cranial computed tomography (CT) scans in an emergency department following minor head trauma than are African-American or Hispanic children, a study by researchers at UC Davis has found.

18 Oct 2011