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Long pointed kitchen knives should be banned

Violent crime is on the increase in the UK, say the authors, whose experience of working in emergency departments suggests that kitchen knives are used in as many as half of all stabbings.

26 May 2005

Competition from specialty hospitals promotes high-quality patient care

Specialty hospitals provide quality care to patients by offering new choices, and this hospital competition should not be stifled, the American Medical Association (AMA) testified to a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs this week.

26 May 2005

Armed forces doctors' pay rise fails to address recruitment and retention crisis

The announcement of a 3.225% pay increase for armed forces doctors by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body fails to address the continuing recruitment and retention crisis. Many doctors working in the armed forces will be bitterly disappointed at this missed opportunity to correct the disparity between pay for armed forces doctors and their civilian counterparts, the BMA warns today (26/5/05).

26 May 2005

BMA(NI) concerned about affect on NHS waiting lists if proposal to cut consultants' additional programmed work goes ahead

Hospital consultants in Northern Ireland have expressed their dismay and frustration to the British Medical Association about Department of Health plans to cut their programmed work across NI by 1800 hours each week, for at least the next year. This, in effect, equates to removing 53 consultants from the NHS in Northern Ireland.

26 May 2005

Even limited training improves communication with patients from other cultures

Simple classroom lectures about different religious holidays, such as the Muslim tradition of fasting during Ramadan, or Spanish language lessons focused on common medical terms really work to help physicians and nurses connect with patients from different cultures and improve patient satisfaction, according to a pair of reports from Johns Hopkins researchers.

25 May 2005

Medication errors continue even in highly computerized hospital

Errors in drug ordering, dosage and monitoring that may have serious consequences for patients persist in hospitals even after the adoption of computerized medication systems, according to a study in the May 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

23 May 2005

Scottish dentists not reassured by dental reforms

Deputy Health Minister Rhona Brankin says that despite rows over reforms of the profession the Scottish Executive will maintain good links with dentists.

23 May 2005

New York Hospital Director fired after cancer screening tests bungle

A flawed system at the Jacobi Medical Center in New York, which meant that hundreds of women were not informed of the results of their cancer screening tests has resulted in the firing of its executive director just a week after the slip up was discovered.

23 May 2005

Canada lags behind other western countries in the level of financial support it gives to family caregivers

The international review was conducted as part of the Hidden Costs Invisible Contributions (HCIC) research project. The financial support review was led by Mount Saint Vincent University's (MSVU) Dr. Janice Keefe who found that Australia and the United Kingdom do a better job of financially supporting people looking after a sick relative.

22 May 2005

Revalidation must have public confidence, says BMA

Whatever system of revalidation is chosen for doctors, the British Medical Association (BMA) believes it must have the confidence of the public, best achieved through a transparent professionally-led process. To succeed, says the BMA, revalidation must be seen to promote high standards, detect poor practice and have strategies for improving a doctor's performance where this is needed.

20 May 2005

Many foreign nurses want to quit NHS

A poll of 400 foreign nurses carried out by the King's Fund and the Royal College of Nursing, has found that four in 10 want to leave Britain, and because they feel undervalued compared with their British colleagues there is a real possibility that thousands of nurses from overseas could quit the NHS in London.

18 May 2005

Leading patient safety advocates assess progress in reducing medical error five years after landmark IOM report

It has been five years since the release of the Institute of Medicine’s landmark report on medical errors, “To Err is Human.” What progress has been made to improve patient safety since the report found that nearly 100,000 deaths occur annually as a result of medical error?

18 May 2005

Hospital managers could face criminal charges if patients catch superbugs

Ms Hewitt has promised a "much stronger" legal framework in the National Health Service (NHS) to help hospitals reduce the rate of antibiotic-resistant MRSA and other hospital acquired infections.

17 May 2005

Annual flu shots to be recommended for everyone in the U.S.

Public health advocates in the U.S. are predicting that within five years, annual flu shots will be recommended by the government for every American and not just young children, the elderly and other at-risk people.

15 May 2005

BMA calls for clarity on plans to increase private health provision

Commenting on plans to increase private sector activity in the NHS, announced by Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt, Mr James Johnson, chairman of the British Medical Association, said:

15 May 2005

Third of NHS hospitals - clinical waste was not being stored safely

Inspectors have found that in a third of NHS hospitals, clinical waste was not being stored safely out of patients' reach, and hospitals are putting patients' lives at risk by not getting rid of clinical waste properly.

12 May 2005

UK needs to end reliance on overseas doctors and nurses

Health bodies in the UK are warning that there is a "major emergency" in the developing world due to the the increasing migration of healthcare workers.

11 May 2005

U.S. Government will pay hospitals for treatment provided to illegal aliens

Health care providers in the U.S. will, as from this week, be able to charge the government for emergency care they provide to illegal aliens.

9 May 2005

Older adults with diabetes in managed care networks have higher rates of untreated eye disease

Medicare beneficiaries at high risk for eye disease due to diabetes are more likely to have unrecognized and untreated eye disease if they are enrolled in managed care than if they have fee-for-service (FFS) health insurance, according to an article in the May issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

9 May 2005

Doctors say only Jamie Oliver can cure NHS food!

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is being called upon by Junior doctors to repeat his success with school dinners and lead a campaign to improve food in hospitals.

9 May 2005