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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

Health care resources distributed unevenly in Kansas

At least a third of the state of Kansas resembles an inner city when it comes to local availability of doctors, hospitals, medical personnel and nursing homes. Basically, there's not a lot of medical help to be had in either south Chicago, for example, or Sharon Springs, Kan.

8 May 2005

Doctors do not have adequate access to affordable childcare

Six in ten doctors responding to a BMA News poll published today do not or did not have adequate access to affordable childcare - forcing many to put their careers on hold.

5 May 2005

Doctor voices concerns over new NHS IT system

The political drive to implement the NHS's national programme for information technology is failing to take account of professionals' anxieties, argues a GP in this week's BMJ.

5 May 2005

Alcoholism - one of the top healthcare crises in the world

Alcoholism is a chronic disease that often requires intensive continuing treatment for long term recovery, according to "Alcoholism: Treatment and Recovery," a report by the Caron Foundation.

5 May 2005

Peter Costello is using discredited Health Department figures to push for IVF cuts

Australian Medical Association (AMA) President, Dr Bill Glasson, has said that Treasurer Peter Costello was using discredited Health Department figures to support the Government's callous Budget plans to restrict Medicare access to IVF treatments.

4 May 2005

Toronto hospitals implement new ethics strategy

Health care ethics gained the limelight during the recent battle over Terry Schiavo's fate, but ethical decision-making is already a growing part of the corporate culture at a number of Toronto hospitals, thanks to a "hub and spokes" strategy pioneered by the University of Toronto's Joint Centre for Bioethics.

2 May 2005

Low morale among doctors not addressed by politicians

The improvement of public health services in the UK is hampered by one single, but probably the most important factor, the collapse in morale among doctors, and none of the UK’s main political parties have attempted to address the issue in their election campaigns.

1 May 2005

Health care inequalities in the UK no better under New Labour

Despite government rhetoric about its commitment to tackle the problem, health inequalities continue to widen in the UK, and under New Labour the promises made do not compare with reality.

1 May 2005