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AMIA's Annual Symposium provides informatics program for work force

The 34th Annual Symposium on Biomedical and Health Informatics opened this week with keynote speaker Susan Dentzer, editor in chief of Health Affairs, addressing a crowd of more than two thousand professionals who are central to modernizing the nation's health sector by applying the science of informatics to a variety of specialized health domains, including public health, clinical practice, clinical research, and translational bioinformatics.

17 Nov 2010

Study finds interrupted sleep as a burden borne disproportionately by women

Working mothers are two-and-a-half times as likely as working fathers to interrupt their sleep to take care of others.

17 Nov 2010

8 states get better grade on 2010 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card

Eight states earned a better grade on the 2010 March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card and 32 others and the District of Columbia saw their preterm birth rates improve.

17 Nov 2010

Better strategies beyond the legal arena needed to prevent sexual abuse among children and teens

The increase in the legal age of sexual consent from 14 to 16 years in 2008 may not be protecting those at greatest risk, according to researchers who have analyzed British Columbia population-based data and recommend additional strategies to safeguard vulnerable children and teens.

17 Nov 2010

Pilot registry to identify AEDs in the community

Monday, Food and Drug Administration officials announced that the University of Colorado School of Medicine will work with the FDA to develop a pilot registry in Denver to identify AEDs in the community. This registry will link AEDs to emergency medical dispatch. It also could increase the ability of bystanders to save a life and help ensure that AEDs are located where they might be needed. Seattle and San Diego are the only other cities that will launch this effort.

17 Nov 2010

Survey on palliative care for patients with dementia

A new national survey conducted by researchers from Indiana University and the Regenstrief Institute has found that while palliative care may be available for those with dementia, there are significant barriers to providing or receiving services to relieve the pain, eating difficulties and other symptoms associated with dementia.

17 Nov 2010

New method to improve coordinating care in children with chronic conditions

Children with chronic health conditions such as cystic fibrosis, type 1 diabetes, sickle cell diseases and cerebral palsy represent less than two percent of the population but can consume more than 50 percent of resources at children's hospitals throughout the country. Coordinating care for these children has historically been difficult because hospitals have varying methods to identify them in their systems.

17 Nov 2010

Food allergies may lead to 'kissing' allergies

Even brushing your teeth or waiting hours after eating may not prevent some partners of people with food and medicine allergies from triggering an allergic reaction through a kiss, according to allergists at the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Phoenix, Nov.11-16.

17 Nov 2010

HealthGrades evaluates nation's top-performing hospitals in organ transplantation

HealthGrades, the nation's leading independent ratings organization, today made available to organ transplant patients a list of those hospitals with the best track record for survival and chances of receiving a donor organ. HealthGrades annual evaluation of the nation's top-performing hospitals in organ transplantation includes clinical quality data, based on patient outcomes, for each of the 210 adult acute care hospitals that perform transplants.

17 Nov 2010

Public Health Law Network receives $95,000 grant to develop legal training curriculum for NACCHO

The Public Health Law Network Western Region at Arizona State University has been awarded a $95,000 grant to develop a public health legal training curriculum and exercises for the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO).

17 Nov 2010

Canada recognizes Nov. 18 as Antibiotic Awareness Day

Antibiotic resistance is an issue health practitioners around the world face daily. Numerous health-related organizations have partnered to mark tomorrow as the first Canadian Antibiotic Awareness Day in an effort to promote prudent use of antibiotics and fight the threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

17 Nov 2010

New educational campaign provides information to Alzheimer's caregivers

More than five million people in the United States (U.S.) have Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive and devastating condition that also impacts millions of more people who love and care for these patients. Last year in the U.S., the 11 million unpaid caregivers for patients with Alzheimer's or another dementia provided 12.5 billion hours of care.

17 Nov 2010

CQ Today examines prospects for foreign aid reform in 112th Congress

CQ Today looks at how changes in Congress after the November 2010 elections could affect efforts to overhaul the U.S. foreign aid system.

17 Nov 2010

Dartmouth Atlas Project releases new report on cancer care

A new report released today from the Dartmouth Atlas Project showing that individuals in some areas of the country are far less likely to receive comfort care in accordance with their wishes has drawn the attention of the nation's hospice and palliative care community.

17 Nov 2010

Faster FDA action against alcoholic energy drinks needed

Alcoholic energy drinks have been making national headlines and four states to date have banned their sale following reports of blackouts and unsafe behaviors, especially among college students. These actions are encouraging to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center emergency physician Mary Claire O'Brien, M.D., who conducted groundbreaking research into the dangers of the manufactured drinks.

17 Nov 2010

John Muir Health opens The Hofmann Family Patient Care Tower

Today, John Muir Health opened the doors of The Hofmann Family Patient Care Tower at John Muir Medical Center, Concord, which includes 120 new private rooms (61 open with 59 shelled for future use), a new Cardiovascular Institute and a new Emergency Department. The 172,000 square foot facility, which took three years and $212 million to complete, also features state-of-the-art technology and a patient-focused, healing environment.

17 Nov 2010

HCI unveils next-generation technology platform for fraud, waste, and abuse prevention and detection

HealthCare Insight (HCI) today unveiled Nucleus™, a next-generation technology platform for fraud, waste, and abuse prevention and detection, at the Annual Training Conference & Anti-Fraud Expo of the National Healthcare Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA). The Nucleus application features advanced analytics, comprehensive risk scoring, and a customizable interface to help insurers stop fraud before medical claims are paid.

17 Nov 2010

Health officials gather in Uruguay to discuss WHO anti-smoking treaty

"As sales to developing nations become ever more important to giant tobacco companies, they are stepping up efforts around the world to fight tough restrictions on the marketing of cigarettes," the New York Times reports in an article ahead of a conference in Punta del Este, Uruguay, which began on Monday. At the conference health officials are debating guidelines to enforce a global anti-smoking treaty known as the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) (Wilson, 11/13).

17 Nov 2010

Metallic particles in smoke from fireworks affect human health

The metallic particles in the smoke emitted by fireworks pose a health risk, particularly to people who suffer from asthma. This is the conclusion of a study led by researchers from the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), published this week in the Journal of Hazardous Materials.

17 Nov 2010

One in seven Medicare patients harmed by problems in hospital, HHS report finds

The New York Times: "One of every seven Medicare beneficiaries who is hospitalized is harmed as a result of problems with the medical care there, according to a new study [.pdf] from the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services. The study said unexpected adverse events added at least $4.4 billion a year to government health costs and contributed to the deaths of about 180,000 patients a year."

17 Nov 2010