Health Care


PAHO 2011 Administration Award Nominations Due March 31

An important award for health promotion since its introduction in 1969, the Award for Administration most recently was given to a Honduran for her work against communicable diseases.

NHTSA: Drugs Linked to 1 in 5 Fatal Car Crashes

"Today’s report provides a warning signal that too many Americans are driving after having taken drugs, not realizing the potential for putting themselves and others on the highway at risk," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.

A number of employees nationwide who have been exposed to diacetyl have developed the serious respiratory illness which in some cases has resulted in patients being placed on lung transplant wait lists or dying.

California Becomes First State to Set Safety Guidelines for Diacetyl

The new standard requires employers covered by the standard to create a regulated area for each process using diacetyl, unless the process is enclosed. Employers must also provide safeguards for employees who work with diacetyl at certain concentrations.

Cardiac Science AED

AED Mandates Continue to Rise

Oregon requires them for every business of 50,000 square feet or more where the public congregates if it has more than 50 visitors per day. Legislation may be introduced soon in Congress to mandate AEDs in all schools.

PAHO Offering Spanish-Language Infection Control Course

Intended for health care workers and medical and nursing students, the interactive course is available free online.

ASSE Says Holiday Travel Increases Risk of Bedbugs

In the past, pesticides were used to eliminate the problem, but as pest control practices have changed, the bedbug problem has grown. Experts note too that most bedbugs are homegrown and are being spread from belongings taken from one place to another.

FDA Warns Health Care Professions of Pre-Filled Syringe Malfunctions

The Food and Drug Administration is notifying health care professionals, especially those working in emergency and critical care settings, of reports of compatibility problems when certain needleless pre-filled glass syringes are used with some needleless intravenous (IV) access systems. These syringes may malfunction, break, or become clogged during the process of attempting to connect to needleless IV access systems.

Air Travelers at Risk from Secondhand Smoke: CDC

Although more airports prohibit smoking today than in 2002, smoking is still allowed inside seven of the nation's largest airports, including three of the five busiest airports.



FDA Urges 'Smart' Antibiotic Use

According to the Food and Drug Administration, millions of antibiotics will be prescribed this year. Antibiotics can be used to treat bacterial infections; however, they are commonly over-prescribed.

Report Estimates 15,000 Medicare Monthly Adverse Event Deaths

Responding to the HHS inspector general's report, the leader of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' administrator, Dr. Donald Berwick, outlined numerous steps being taken to reduce hospital errors.

Aged Cardiac Stem Cells Could Treat Heart Failure

“Regardless of the gender or age of the patient, or of diabetes, we were able to isolate in all of them a pool of functional cardiac stem cells that we can potentially use to rescue the decompensated human heart,” said Dr. Domenico D’Amario, author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Regenerative Medicine at Harvard in Boston.

Caffeinated Alcoholic Drinks are Unsafe: FDA

Experts have raised concerns that caffeine can mask some of the sensory cues individuals might normally rely on to determine their level of intoxication.

Serious research could quantify how much of a drain on productivity presenteeism truly is.

'Presenteeism' Difficult to Quantify, Researcher Says

A new paper questions the validity of available tools for measuring revenue loss from "presenteeism," which has become a buzzword in occupational health studies.

Hong Kong Reports First Case of Avian Flu Since 2003

Hong Kong has reported its first case of the avian influenza since 2003, and the Serious Response Level has been activated.

DOL Announces Enforcement Plan to Protect Workers' Retirement, Health Benefits

The enforcement cases represent civil cases filed in federal district courts across the country to protect the contributions made by employees and matching contributions promised by their employers.

FDA Launches External Defibrillator Improvement Initiative

Inviting manufacturers to a Dec. 15-16 public workshop, the agency says it intends to facilitate the development of safer, more effective "next-generation" devices.

FDA Working to Prevent Radiation Overdoses During CT Scans

The Food and Drug Administration has been investigating reports that patients undergoing computed tomography (CT) brain perfusion scans were accidently exposed to excess radiation. FDA found that when properly used, the CT scanners did not malfunction. Instead, it is likely that the improper use of the scanners resulted in these overdoses.

FDA: Majority of Drug Makers Meeting Postmarketing Requirements

Most makers of approved drug and biological products are meeting their regulatory obligations and meeting targets for postmarketing studies/clinical trials in a timely manner, according to a study released by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

MD Anderson Offers Holiday Exercise Tips: No Gym Required

By adding heart-pumping twists to tasks already on a holiday to-do list, men and women can get daily exercise throughout the holiday season, said experts at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Here's how to turn exercise excuses into heart rate-boosting opportunities this holiday season.

New Tobacco Control Strategy Coming from HHS

By June 22, 2011, FDA will choose nine larger warning statements and color images that will then appear on cigarette packages and in cigarette ads.

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