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Environmental cleaning intervention reduces MRSA in intensive care units

A rigorous environmental cleaning intervention can reduce the transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other multidrug-resistant organisms in hospital intensive care units (ICUs), according to a new study released today at the annual meeting of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA).

22 Mar 2009

3 million people at risk with out of date European Health Insurance Cards

UK travellers facing hefty medical bills for treatment in Europe

20 Mar 2009

1 in 4 Americans lacks timely access to optimal care during time-sensitive medical emergencies

Although most Americans live close to some type of emergency room, as many as one in four Americans are more than an hour away from the type of hospital that's most prepared to save their life during a time-sensitive medical emergency, according to a new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study published in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine.

17 Mar 2009

Telemedicine expansion gives parents more options

Parents who need after-hours healthcare for their children don't need to turn to the Emergency Department (ED) for common childhood illnesses, such as ear infections and sore throats.

17 Mar 2009

Review of hospital infection control strategies

Hand-washing, a clean environment, appropriate infection barriers and early identification of patients at high risk of colonization with a transmissible microorganism remain the essential measures to prevent and control infection.

16 Mar 2009

Obama nominates former New York City health chief Hamburg as FDA commissioner, Baltimore Health Commissioner Sharfstein as Deputy

President Obama in his weekly radio and Internet address on Saturday said that he would nominate former New York City Health Commissioner Margaret Hamburg as FDA commissioner and Baltimore Health Commissioner Joshua Sharfstein as the agency's principal deputy commissioner, the New York Times reports (Harris, New York Times, 3/15).

16 Mar 2009

Obama advisers suggest President might not oppose taxing some employer-sponsored health benefits

The Obama administration is "signaling to Congress" that President Obama "could support taxing some employee health benefits" to help offset the cost of health care reform, a move supported by "several influential lawmakers and many economists" but "opposed by union leaders and some businesses," the New York Times reports (Calmes/Pear, New York Times, 3/15).

16 Mar 2009

USAID launches early cancer detection program in Georgia

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is launching a unique partnership to reduce illnesses and deaths caused by cervical and breast cancers in the country of Georgia.

12 Mar 2009

Treatment of European coronary patients fails to meet standards of international guidelines

Large proportions of European coronary patients are failing to achieve lifestyle, risk factor and therapeutic targets for the prevention of further disease, according to results of the third EUROASPIRE survey.

12 Mar 2009

Better health and prosperity in Europe via improved clinical research

Improved patient-oriented research in Europe will benefit European citizens and the European medical industry and facilitate the transfer of scientific discoveries from the laboratory bench to the bedside. For Europe and for the rest of the world this effort will be of great importance for the quality of life of individuals and the wellbeing of society as a whole.

12 Mar 2009

Dramatic growth in number of hospitalists over last two decades

One of the most striking changes in health care over the last two decades has been a dramatic increase in physicians categorized as "hospitalists" - doctors who practice almost exclusively in hospitals, rather than combining both outpatient and inpatient care.

11 Mar 2009

Outspoken health care reformer, Obama advisor, visits URMC

David Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.P., a key health care advisor to President Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign, will speak at the University of Rochester Medical Center on Friday, April 3, for the 10th annual Saward-Berg lecture.

11 Mar 2009

Financial incentives stimulate changes in medical practice

A large group of California physicians given financial incentives to improve the quality of medical care have begun to embrace an array of changes important to advancing quality, according to a RAND Corporation study issued today.

11 Mar 2009

Diagnostic errors: The new focus of patient safety experts

Johns Hopkins patient safety experts say it's high time for diagnostic errors to get the same attention from medical institutions and caregivers as drug-prescribing errors, wrong-site surgeries and hospital-acquired infections.

11 Mar 2009

Clinicians should lead the way on 'greener' healthcare

Clinicians have an important role to play in reducing hospital waste and should not be discouraged by lack of knowledge or the threat of legal liability, according to a paper published on bmj.com.

11 Mar 2009

Critical barriers hindering implementation of electronic personal health records detailed

Interest in personal health records as an electronic tool to manage health information is increasing dramatically.

11 Mar 2009

Studies investigate end-of-life healthcare

Patients with advanced cancer who discuss end-of-life care with their physicians appear to have lower health care costs in the final week of life than those who do not, according to a report in the March 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

10 Mar 2009

When a patient wishes to leave against medical advice - ethical dilemma for physicians

When patients choose to leave the hospital before the treating physician recommends discharge, the consequences may involve risk of inadequately treated medical conditions and the need for readmission, according to a review in the March 2009 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

10 Mar 2009

Health insurance status associated with frequency of eye care visits

Individuals with no or inconsistent health care coverage appear less likely to regularly seek eye care, even if they are visually impaired, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.

10 Mar 2009

Extra medicare charges for the rich a slippery slope, expert says

A growing trend toward higher Medicare premiums for the richest Americans could ultimately creep into the retirement income of less-wealthy seniors, a University of Illinois expert on federal health insurance warns.

10 Mar 2009