Yesterday’s strike by NSW hospital staff over security concerns has highlighted just how serious the issue of workplace violence has become for health-care workers. The Health Services Union, whose members include administration, cleaning and security staff; as well as paramedics and other health professionals; has reportedly called for measures including 250 more security guards across the state to better protect workers. But…
Care management; More than 1 million sepsis survivors are discharged annually from acute care hospitals in the United States. Although the majority of these patients receive post-acute care (PAC) services, with over a third coming to home health care (HHC), sepsis survivors account for a majority of readmissions nationwide. Effective interventions are needed to decrease…
Attending a health check as part of the England National Health Services “Health Checks” program is associated with increased risk management interventions and decreased risk factors for cardiovascular disease in the six years following the check, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Samah Alageel of King Saud University, Saudi Arabia,…
The CMS on Tuesday rolled out a new pilot program to give clinicians access to claims data for their Medicare patients. Agency leadership announced the “Data at the Point of Care” pilot at the White House’s Blue Button 2.0 Developer Conference in Washington, D.C. The CMS launched Blue Button 2.0 last year to allow Medicare…
For the fourth consecutive year, the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, claimed the number one spot in the annual honor roll of best top hospital published today by US News & World Report. Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston holds the number two spot this year (up from number four last year) in the magazine’s annual honor…
Prescribing of opioids at the time of discharge from an acute hospitalization represents an important but underdescribed potential avenue through which previously opioid-naïve patients may develop long-term use. Use of opioids during and shortly after hospitalization is warranted in many clinical settings, for example, in patients with orthopedic injuries, those undergoing surgery, and those receiving palliative…
As political leaders debate the merits of a future Medicare for All system in the U.S., some analysts predict that implementing universal coverage could cause a sharp, unaffordable increase in hospital use and costs, overwhelming the system. But new research by a team at Harvard Medical School and The City University of New York at…
U.S. government hospitals placed Native American patients at increased risk for opioid abuse and overdoses, failing to follow their own protocols for prescribing and dispensing the drugs, according to a federal audit made public Monday. The report by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General does not draw conclusions about…
Modernizing health records by making them electronic has gain momentum as technology evolves and policies push health care toward digital solutions. But the same trend has not been evident for physicians who remain in private practice, new research finds. The research led by Jordan Everson, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy at…
A change in the care protocol of patients undergoing weight-reduction operations exceed its desire effect by cutting postoperative hospital stays in half, reducing postoperative hospital readmissions by 38%, and reducing the amount of opioids the patients were sent home with by 95%, according to study results from a large bariatric and metabolic surgery center in…
Patient Safety; Her more than 3 million kids are hospitalized in the United States every year. Whether it’s for a planned test or surgery or an injury or other emergency, knowing how to be involved in your child’s care can help you get through what’s often a stressful event. The single most important thing you…
Biofilm Formation; Some people who are hospitalized feel worse rather than better. On average, 7% of all patients in industrial countries are affected by “nosocomial” infections. In intensive care units, the risk increases even more. This can result in serious illnesses and life-threatening blood poisoning. If patients are treated with invasive medical measures; hospital germs…