Healthcare News and Research

Latest Healthcare News and Research

Inadequate hospital hand hygiene is spreading MRSA

Unwashed hands in England's hospitals are contributing to the spread of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and will continue unless healthcare professionals are taught to assess risk, reveals new research.

24 Jul 2006

Healthcare providers react more positively to men than women who reveal they're gay

Men and people over 40 are much more likely to report positive experiences when they tell healthcare providers they are not heterosexual, according research in the latest UK-based Journal of Advanced Nursing.

24 Jul 2006

Nexavar approved in Europe for treatment of advanced kidney cancer

Bayer Pharmaceuticals Corporation and Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc have announced that the European Commission has granted marketing authorization to Nexavar (sorafenib) tablets for the treatment of patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma.

24 Jul 2006

First complete kit for whole genome amplification and labeling

Kreatech Biotechnology BV has announced the launch of the "Genome-pULSe, arrayCGH Whole Genome Amplification and Labeling Kit" the latest addition to their product portfolio for arrayCGH analysis.

24 Jul 2006

Community hospital care as cost-effective as regular hospital care for older people

A community hospital is as cost effective as a district general hospital for post-acute care of older people, according to a study published on the British Medical Journal website.

21 Jul 2006

Pregnant robot to help student midwives

A pregnant robot will offer a helping hand to student midwives, as they learn to cope with the most complex of births before ever meeting a real mother.

From Sheffield Hallam University 19 Jul 2006

Little evidence that wandering prevention works in dementia

Everything from multicolored lights to garden walks has been suggested as ways to keep people with dementia from wandering, but there is little evidence to show that any of these interventions work, according to a new analysis.

19 Jul 2006

Vaccines for preventing influenza in the elderly

Although national and international health organizations urge anyone over age 65 to get yearly flu shots, the vaccinations are only modestly effective in preventing flu and its complications among older adults, according to a new review of recent studies.

19 Jul 2006

Biometrics for secure mobile communications

As mobile devices become increasingly ubiquitous and play ever more significant roles in our lives, ensuring the trustworthiness and security of the information being exchanged has never been more important.

19 Jul 2006

Ranbaxy to acquire the Mundogen generic business from GlaxoSmithKline

Ranbaxy, India's largest pharmaceutical company, and among the top ten generic pharmaceutical companies in the world, announced today that the Company has acquired the Mundogen generic business of GlaxoSmithKline.

19 Jul 2006

Just how safe are some British hospitals?

Following the release of a new report, mental health trusts in the UK will be instructed to review its approach to patients' safety.

19 Jul 2006

FDA approves Implanon (etonogestrel implant) contraceptive

Organon announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Implanon (etonogestrel implant) 68mg, the first and only single-rod implantable contraceptive that is effective for up to three years.

18 Jul 2006

Brits to trial bird flu vaccine on humans

The British drug company PowderMed has applied for permission to conduct the first trial in Britain of a vaccine against the avian flu virus.

10 Jul 2006

Hi-tech initiative aims to help doctors treat brain tumours

Software that gives doctors much-needed help in the diagnosis and treatment of brain tumours is being developed by an international consortium of scientists and medics.

10 Jul 2006

Hospitals can be harmful to your health

According to a report on the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK, 1 in 10 patients admitted to NHS hospitals is unintentionally harmed and almost a million safety incidents, more than 2,000 of which were fatal, were recorded last year.

6 Jul 2006

UK sexually transmitted infections on the rise

New figures released by the Health Protection Agency show that the number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other conditions diagnosed in genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics in the UK increased by 3% between 2004 and 2005.

5 Jul 2006

Safety of popular painkiller Tylenol questioned

According to a new study the popular painkiller Tylenol may not be as safe to take as previously thought.

5 Jul 2006

Syphilis, chlamydia and herpes on the rise in the UK

Sexually transmitted diseases are steadily rising in the UK despite a concerted effort on the part of the government to tackle them.

5 Jul 2006

Hospital quality measures do not fully account for the variation in hospital death rates for heart attack patients

Hospital quality measures do not fully account for the variation in hospital death rates for heart attack patients, according to a study in the July 5 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association.

4 Jul 2006

External catheters reduce risk of urinary tract infection in men

It's one of the things about a hospital stay that men loathe, and that infectious bacteria love: the urinary catheter. Now, a new study shows that a less-unpleasant option for male hospital patients is also a much safer one.

3 Jul 2006