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Hospital kitchens - a pretty dirty affair

With reports on a regular basis telling us that controlling superbugs such as MRSA in many hospitals is akin to fighting a losing battle, the last thing the public want to hear is that hospital kitchens are filthy.

13 Aug 2007

UK mental health services discriminate against the elderly

An independent panel in the UK has found that when it comes to mental health services, many elderly people face discrimination.

13 Aug 2007

More sophisticated model is needed to assess preventive treatment in the elderly

Rather than prolonging life, preventive treatments in elderly people may simply change the cause of death, the manner of our dying, say doctors in this week's British Medical Journal.

11 Aug 2007

Why young adults become uninsured and how new policies can help

Since 2003, 16 states have enacted legislation requiring insurance companies to provide health insurance coverage to dependent young adults on their parents, health plans beyond age 18 or 19, according to a new report from the Commonwealth Fund.

9 Aug 2007

Health plan interventions control prescription drug expenditures

As national spending on prescription drugs rose faster than any other segment of health care spending, the health plan at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center was able to maintain constant spending, resulting in savings of more than $6.6 million over three years.

8 Aug 2007

Congress takes major step toward equitable payment for nurse-midwifery services

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the "Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 (CHAMP)" (H.R.3162), which expands health care coverage to pregnant women and their children and addresses a long-standing inequity in reimbursement for services of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs).

7 Aug 2007

Resurrection Health Care comes up short!

Council 31 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) issued a new report documenting low wage levels that keep patient support staff at Resurrection Health Care hospitals mired in poverty and unable to support their families.

7 Aug 2007

Happier hospitals means healthier patients

The National Inquiry into Management and Medicine looked at hospitals across the UK, focussing on the often troubled relationships between doctors and NHS managers.

6 Aug 2007

New pay offer for NHS health workers

The improved offer will put extra cash in the pockets of the lowest paid workers in the NHS, no matter which country they are in. In England only, training budgets for non-clinical staff will be boosted, and clinicians will get money to put towards their registration fees.

3 Aug 2007

Integrated system, rapid transfer offers lifeline for heart attack victims

Heart attack patients received lifesaving treatment quickly when hospitals and communities used an integrated, rapid transfer system to get patients to a facility equipped to perform artery-opening procedures, according to a report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

3 Aug 2007

Three million seniors could lose their Medicare Advantage coverage

Three million seniors could lose their Medicare Advantage coverage, while millions more would face benefit cuts and higher out-of-pocket health care costs under legislation passed today by the U.S. House of Representatives.

1 Aug 2007

Obese patients get patchy weight-loss support from their local health surgery

Only one in seven UK doctors’ surgeries provide well-developed support programmes for obese patients, according to a survey of primary care nurses published in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

1 Aug 2007

Poorer people could lose out on elective hospital care

New research from the University of Bristol shows that wealthier people are likely to travel further than poorer people do for elective care.

31 Jul 2007

Health care access problems in New Orleans

As the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall approaches, new analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation of its household survey of people in the New Orleans area shows that more than four in 10 (43 percent) adults reported at least one health care access problem in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

31 Jul 2007

Patient data safety in healthcare industry in Europe

Legislation is promoting the development of healthcare IT infrastructure, while supporting efforts to enhance patient data privacy and security across the European healthcare spectrum.

30 Jul 2007

New framework for patient dignity

Clinicians are being offered a new guide to help them maintain patients' dignity, according to this week's British Medical Journal.

27 Jul 2007

Critical for Congress to vote for health care for children and seniors

In a letter to leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means, and Energy and Commerce committees, the president of the American College of Physicians (ACP) expressed support for the Children's Health and Medicare Preotection (CHAMP) Act of 2007 (H.R. 3162).

26 Jul 2007

Initiative to improve heart failure care at nation's hospitals makes major gains

A national initiative designed to improve heart-failure patient care in hospitals proved effective at increasing hospital adherence to key quality-of-care performance measures and reducing the length of hospital stays for patients.

24 Jul 2007

Most patients satisfied with their GP's opening hours

Proof that GP practices are open at times to suit the vast majority of patients (84%) comes today (24 July 2007) ) with publication of results from the English Department of Health's GP Patient Survey.

24 Jul 2007

Medical students respond positively to simulated patient experience

When a vomiting, simulated patient mannequin was rolled into the lecture hall last fall to teach large numbers of first- and second-year Wake Forest University School of Medicine students about the brain and nervous system, Michael T. Fitch, M.D., Ph.D., wasn't sure what to expect.

23 Jul 2007