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Guidelines on cardiovascular disease prevention in clinical practice launched at EuroPRevent2012

The latest cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention guidelines have been overhauled to produce a user friendly document with concise messages that awards greater weight than ever before to evidence from clinical trials and observational population studies. The "European Guidelines on Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Clinical Practice (version 2012)" - were launched at the EuroPRevent2012 meeting in Dublin, Ireland.

4 May 2012

U.N.-sponsored report finds 1 in 10 infants born prematurely worldwide

Fifteen million infants, or nearly one in 10 worldwide, "are born premature every year, and 1.1 million of those infants die, according to a U.N.-sponsored report released Wednesday," Agence France-Presse reports.

4 May 2012

FDA amends requirements for most licensed biological products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued its final rule on sterility testing, amending the requirements for most licensed biological products.

4 May 2012

Nature publishes first of two controversial studies on H5N1 avian flu

"In a long-awaited study that helped prompt a contentious debate over the wisdom of conducting research that has the potential to help as well as harm, scientists reported Wednesday that they had engineered a mutant strain of [H5N1] bird flu that can spread easily between ferrets -- a laboratory animal that responds to flu viruses much as people do," the Los Angeles Times (Brown, 5/3).

4 May 2012

Can doctors in small practices catch a break on meaningful use requirements?

The chair of a House subcommittee on health technology has asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to exempt doctors in small practices or those who are nearing retirement from new health IT requirements.

4 May 2012

Study affirms necessity of heart rehabilitation programs for cardiac patients

University of Granada researchers affirm that it is "essential" that heart rehabilitation programs aimed at patients with any heart disease are established and provided to cardiac patients. The study included a sample of 200 patients suffering from heart disease.

4 May 2012

In global study, U.S. ranks very low in preventing premature births

A World Health Organization/United Nations/March of Dimes report ranks countries on their premature birth rates.

4 May 2012

Re-engagement of doctors is ‘critical' to success of new NHS partnership structures

Commenting on the publication of the Health Committee report on its inquiry into the integration of health and social care, Dr Brian Keighley, chairman of the BMA in Scotland said:

4 May 2012

Scotland’s waiting times to be investigated

According to Audit Scotland it will examine whether health boards are wrongly classifying patients as “unavailable” in order to remove them from waiting lists. This practice is already uncovered at NHS Lothian.

4 May 2012

NHS hospital shows improvement three months after private firm takes over

The private sector company Circle holds on to the first £2m of any annual surplus it achieves at Hinchingbrooke hospital in Cambridgeshire. They will also get a proportion of any income surplus above that level with the rest going towards paying off the hospital's £40m debt. This means that Circle would need to generate a £70m surplus from the hospital - which has a £100m turnover - over a decade to bring it out of the red. Over the past 10 years, the failing hospital - which was facing closure before the deal was made - has never recorded a surplus above £600,000.

4 May 2012

Nurses at Royal North Shore hospital urge for increased staffing

According to the nurses union, they are still waiting for a response from NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner nearly a week after they asked for her to resolve a dispute at Sydney's Royal North Shore (RNS) Hospital.

4 May 2012

Study finds unnecessary recommendations by physicians for additional PET/CT imaging

Radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians recommended additional imaging about 30% of the time in oncologic PET/CT reports, with about half of those recommendations being unnecessary, a new study shows.

4 May 2012

MSF official discusses WHO Working Group final report on R&D

The Results for Development Institute's Center for Global Health R&D Policy Assessment blog features an interview with Judit Rius Sanjuan, U.S. manager of the Access Campaign of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), who discusses the final report of the WHO Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing and Coordination.

4 May 2012

U of A engineers develop wireless health-monitoring system

An interdisciplinary team of engineers at the University of Arkansas has developed a wireless health-monitoring system that gathers critical patient information, regardless of the patient's location, and communicates that information in real time to a physician, hospital or the patient herself.

4 May 2012

UNFPA Director urges India to address family planning needs

India "has to actively and aggressively address the issue of family planning" in order to improve human development indicators, including health, education and living standards, UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin said Wednesday, Reuters reports.

4 May 2012

Reuters profiles GAVI Alliance CEO Seth Berkley

Reuters profiles GAVI Alliance CEO Seth Berkley, recounting his childhood and early career, providing a brief history of GAVI since its inception in 2000, and discussing Berkley's goals and vision for the alliance.

4 May 2012

UnitedHealthcare offers ‘SignatureValue Alliance’ in California

UnitedHealthcare is offering "SignatureValue Alliance" in California, a new health benefits plan featuring high-performance care provider networks committed to delivering effective, evidence-based and cost-efficient care.

4 May 2012

State governments wrestle with Medicaid expenses, lawsuits

Officials reckon with health care costs in the context of budget dilemmas in Illinois, Kentucky, Connecticut, Alabama and Wisconsin.

4 May 2012

AAFA, Puffs Facial Tissues partner to help educate people with allergies

As National Allergy Awareness Month continues through the month of May, Puffs Facial Tissues is proud to announce their partnership with the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). For years, people living with allergies have turned to Puffs to ease the discomfort of their seasonal allergy symptoms - such as annoying sniffles, watery eyes, frequent repeated sneezing - but this year they can expect even more from the tissue brand.

4 May 2012