Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Webcam technology helps Arizona hospitals better communicate with non-English-speaking patients

A webcam language interpretation service is helping three Arizona hospitals better serve Spanish-speaking patients in their emergency departments, the East Valley & Scottsdale Tribune reports. The Iasis Healthcare hospitals had relied on telephone interpretation services before implementing the new webcam system.

16 Sep 2008

New cannabis-like drugs could block pain without affecting brain

A new type of drug could alleviate pain in a similar way to cannabis without affecting the brain, according to a new study published in the journal Pain on Monday 15 September.

15 Sep 2008

Scientists discover common variants in the human genome conferring risk of bladder cancer

Scientists at deCODE genetics and colleagues at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands today report the discovery of two common single-letter variants in the human genome (SNPs) that confer increased risk of urinary bladder cancer.

14 Sep 2008

Phase I trial for new tuberculosis vaccine

This week, a new vaccine "VPM1002" has entered the clinical phase I trial in Neuss, Germany, where it is being tested for safety on voluntary subjects. VPM1002 is based on a vaccine that has been in use since 1921, and has been genetically engineered to prevent infection with tuberculosis bacteria much more effectively than its predecessor.

11 Sep 2008

Employers offering deals for workers who travel domestically for medical care

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday examined how some employers "are looking to take advantage of the geographical variations in quality and cost of health care within the U.S.," and others are "leveraging deals they've struck with foreign hospitals in order to secure better rates with U.S. hospitals."

11 Sep 2008

The Quantum Group files four new provisional healthcare IT patents

The Quantum Group, Inc., a Wellington, Florida based healthcare organization, announced the filing of four new provisional patents to enhance the proprietary PWeR(TM) platform developed by the Company and to drive greater efficiencies within the healthcare industry.

10 Sep 2008

Infectious heart disease death rates rising again say scientists

Infectious heart disease is still a major killer in spite of improvements in health care, but the way the disease develops has changed so much since its discovery that nineteenth century doctors would not recognise it, scientists heard today (Thursday 11 September 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

10 Sep 2008

Massachusetts' proposed rule could lead to Federal lawsuit, Partners HealthCare warns

Massachusetts' largest private employer Partners HealthCare on Friday warned that the state could face a federal lawsuit if it implements a proposed rule to increase some companies' contributions to their workers' health coverage, the Boston Globe reports.

10 Sep 2008

Personal DNA scanning service 23andMe drops price to $399

Personal DNA scanning service 23andMe on Tuesday is scheduled to announce that it is lowering the price of its gene-mapping service from $999 to $399 in order to attract more customers and expand its database of individual genetic profiles to bolster medical research, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

10 Sep 2008

Tsunami survivors experienced complex trauma and grieving process according to research

People who survived the Indian Ocean tsunami or lost loved ones in the disaster went through a complex process of trauma and grief, according to research published in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

10 Sep 2008

New nanotechnology paints for hospitals could kill superbugs

New nanotechnology paints for walls, ceilings, and surfaces could be used to kill hospital superbugs when fluorescent lights are switched on, scientists heard today (Wednesday 10 September 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin.

9 Sep 2008

423,000 people in Pakistan need urgent health care

Some 423,000 people in Pakistan need urgent health care after being affected by recent conflict and flooding. WHO and partners are requesting US$ 9.76 million to undertake life-saving health responses to this humanitarian crisis.

9 Sep 2008

Top ANZ medical body says trainee doctors need more clinical training places

The top organisation which represents university medical schools in Australia and New Zealand has issued a stark warning regarding healthcare in Australia.

9 Sep 2008

World's first hand-held ultrasound imaging device

Siemens Canada Limited has partnered with Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) to implement the new ACUSON P10 ultrasound system - the world's first hand-held ultrasound imaging device - replacing the existing technology.

8 Sep 2008

New CDC push to teach parents how to protect children from MRSA

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today launched a national campaign to teach parents how to keep their children safe from skin infections caused by the potentially dangerous bacteria Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

8 Sep 2008

New coating for urinary catheters reduce infection risk

A new coating for urinary catheters could reduce the risk of infection, according to research presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester.

8 Sep 2008

Cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil can cause an allergic reaction

According to Australian researchers, the cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil can cause an allergic reaction in some girls.

8 Sep 2008

60% of women use herbal products during pregnancy

Almost 60% of women use at least one herbal product during pregnancy, research launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester has revealed.

7 Sep 2008

Simple hardness test detects fake medicines

The fight against fake medicines could soon be aided by a small, portable device that quickly measures the hardness of a tablet, revealing whether it is counterfeit, according to research presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester.

7 Sep 2008

Myalgic encephalomyelitis sufferers rely on aternative medicines

More than a third of patients with long-term fatigue conditions like Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) believe complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are more effective than traditional medicine in treating their illness, research launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference (BPC) in Manchester reveals.

7 Sep 2008