Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

2 million children with insured parents are uninsured in the U.S.

Some 2.3 million children a year, mostly from low- to middle-income families, have no health care coverage to pay for preventive or other medical needs, even though at least one of their parents is insured, according to a new study supported by HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Center for Research Resources, part of HHS' National Institutes of Health.

6 Nov 2008

More hospitals discharging patients to nursing homes for rehabilitation

The rate of patients discharged from hospitals but who still needed home health care increased 53 percent (from 2 million to 4 million) between 1997 and 2006, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

6 Nov 2008

Computer that reacts to thought a lifeline for brain injured

People who have suffered traumatic brain injuries and who are unable to speak or move are being given the first chance to communicate using just the power of thought - and a laptop loaded with sophisticated algorithms.

6 Nov 2008

Canadian government through CIDA contributes to healthcare in Cuba

A program designed to enhance health care capacity in Cuba, operated by Health Partners International of Canada, is moving into a new phase.

6 Nov 2008

New HIV-reduction initiative takes to the fields

Education has found its way onto the soccer fields of North Carolina - in the form of a social experiment that may have all the right ingredients to change the direction of Latino health in the United States.

5 Nov 2008

Enhancing quality and safety of care for patients across Europe

This discussion derives from the ongoing debate on the directive proposal for the application of cross-border healthcare patients' rights presented by the European Commission (EC) in July this year.

5 Nov 2008

Urgent need for research into medication overuse headaches

There is a critical need to review current treatment strategies for the increasingly common problem of medication overuse headaches (MOH), according to a series of international papers in the November issue of Cephalalgia.

4 Nov 2008

Survey finds health care in the U.S. must be fundamentally reformed

Leaders in health care and health care policy feel strongly that the way we pay for health care in the U.S. must be fundamentally reformed.

4 Nov 2008

Sibling study could lead to better treatments for inherited form of colon cancer

Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) believe they may be one step closer to understanding how certain forms of colon cancer develop.

4 Nov 2008

Researchers look at benefits and applications of medical simulation

Emergency medicine physicians and simulation experts from Rhode Island Hospital discuss the benefits of advanced medical simulation in five manuscripts appearing in the November 2008 issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (now available online).

4 Nov 2008

Bladder conditions - raising awareness

November is Bladder Health Month, and there's no better time to raise awareness of the bladder conditions that affect millions of patients, who often suffer in silence with common, treatable symptoms.

4 Nov 2008

Indigenous Australians with kidney disease 'left in the dark' by doctors

The latest research from the George Institute for International Health has revealed confusion amongst indigenous Australians regarding kidney disease with many patients feeling they are 'left in the dark' by their doctors.

3 Nov 2008

Current hospital tests for Clostridium difficile not accurate enough

Current hospital tests for the bacterium Clostridium difficile (C difficile) are not accurate enough and a new two-stage process should be introduced to avoid misdiagnosis and its consequences.

2 Nov 2008

Pfizer's Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate) receives FDA approval for the treatment of overactive bladder

Pfizer Inc has announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Toviaz (fesoterodine fumarate) extended release tablets for the treatment of overactive bladder (OAB) symptoms.

2 Nov 2008

Harvard study looks at quality of hospitals across the United States

The quality of hospitals across the United States is inconsistent. To address this issue, the federal government and private organizations have begun to publicly report data, such as how well hospitals treat certain conditions.

31 Oct 2008

Tiny hearts may have big problems with complementary medicine

Giving supplement such as herbs, vitamins, and other natural health products to children taking Warfarin for congenital heart defects could increase their risk of clots, bleeding, and other complications, nurse practitioner Mary Bauman and Dr. Patti Massicotte told the 2008 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society.

28 Oct 2008

FDA warns Bayer HealthCare on over-the-counter aspirin product

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today sent Warning Letters to Bayer HealthCare concerning two unlawful, over-the-counter (OTC) aspirin products - Bayer Women's Low Dose Aspirin + Calcium (Bayer Women's) and Bayer Aspirin with Heart Advantage (Bayer Heart Advantage).

28 Oct 2008

Newspapers examine effect of economic downturn on prospects for candidates' health proposals

The current economic downturn and the recent enactment of a $700 billion bailout for Wall Street firms could have implications for the next president's health care proposal, as well as other plans, the Chicago Tribune reports.

28 Oct 2008

Improved communication about medications reduces complications among patients using common blood thinner

Patients who report receiving written and verbal instructions on the proper way to take the blood thinner warfarin are significantly less likely to suffer the serious gastrointestinal and brain bleeding problems that are associated with misuse of the drug, according to new research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

27 Oct 2008

New strategy to treat human infections caused by the yeast Candida albicans

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) have successfully tested a genetic strategy designed to improve treatment of human infections caused by the yeast Candida albicans, ranging from diaper rash, vaginitis, oral infections (or thrush which is common in HIV/AIDS patients), as well as invasive, blood-borne and life-threatening diseases.

27 Oct 2008