Health Care


Next Pandemic PPE Meeting Set for Feb. 25

The Institute of Medicine committee that is studying research, testing, and certification issues surrounding PPE for health care workers during a flu pandemic is scheduled to meet with NPPTL personnel in Washington, D.C.

OSHA Offers Pocket-Sized Safety Tips on Marine Cargo Handling Ops

Industry operations covered include the transfer of cargo between ships, trucks, pipelines, and other modes of transportation, and the operation and maintenance of piers, docks, and associated buildings and facilities.

Free CPR Training App Offered

ZOLL Medical Corp. is offering its popular Pocket CPR for iPhone free during February in recognition of American Heart Month.

More Time Granted for Sterilizing System Replacement

FDA this week told health facilities they have 18 months to switch from the STERIS System 1 to alternatives, three times longer than it recommended previously. STERIS Corp. continues to seek clearance for the new device.

"We face a pending epidemic of occupational injuries to surgeons, and we can no longer ignore their safety and health," said Dr. Adrian E. Park, chief of general surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Laparoscopic Procedures Hurting Surgeons

In a University of Maryland School of Medicine survey of this profession, the largest such survey to date, 87 percent of them reported experiencing discomfort.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2008 lost-time injury and illness rate for nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants overall was 449 per 10,000 full-time workers.

Guide Addresses Top Hazards for Home Health Aides

The new resource from NIOSH is sure to be needed: BLS has projected this occupation will grow faster than any other through 2016.

Three Kentucky Coal Mines Sued for Nearly $665K in Delinquent Civil Penalties

"There is no excuse for mine operators to deliberately flout their obligations to pay civil penalties for safety and health violations," said Joseph A. Main, assistant secretary of labor for mine safety and health.

Conference Aims to Solve World's Problems

Researchers from more than 80 research and government institutions from the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Canada will engage in discussions, share best practices for successfully establishing partnerships, and focus on finding solutions to the 14 "Grand Challenges" facing the planet.



Breaking germ-carrying habits

Old Habits Die Hard—It's Time to Form New Ones!

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) tells us that proper hand washing is the single most important action each of us can perform to help stop the spread of diseases.

This FDNY photo, taken during an EMS Week 2009 competition on May 21, 2009, shows EMTs treating a simulated victim of cardiac arrest.

Big EMT Class Joins New York's Fire EMS

"Welcome to the premier emergency medical service in the country," Chief of Department Edward Kilduff told 77 new EMTs on Jan. 27. "Be ready, be prepared, be on your toes, be proud."

World Health Day 2010 Theme: Urbanization and Health

1000 Cities, 1000 Lives is the campaign. Cities are being registered now, and WHO says events will be held worldwide April 7-11.

Health Care Worker Violence Prevention Program Tips

A written program for job safety and security, incorporated into the organization's overall safety and health program, offers an effective approach for larger organizations. In smaller establishments, the program does not need to be written or heavily documented to be satisfactory.

Massachusetts Starts Home Oxygen Fire Safety Campaign

The state fire marshal and a task force announced the campaign Jan. 21 at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where they said 24 fire deaths and seven firefighter injuries have occurred in such fires since 1997.

The bills would require the U.S. Labor Department to enact a safe patient handling standard, and each covered employer would have to create and implement a safe patient handling and injury prevention plan within six months after the standard is promulgated.

Patient Handling Bills Shouldn't Cover Home Care, AIHA Says

The association's president wrote to U.S. Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., who sponsored S. 1788, warning that risk control approaches aren't available at this time to address all of the workers' exposures in that industry.

Mobile MedlinePlus will be a valuable health information source for laypeople and medical professionals who are increasingly turning to mobile communications devices, according to NIH.

Mobile MedlinePlus Launched

The government's hugely popular health information site has rolled out a new version for mobile device users. Down a bit from its peak, the site still attracts more than 10 million unique visitors per month.

Postsurgical Monitoring Approach Shown to Minimize ICU Transfers

A simple yet enormously effective patient surveillance system implemented by anesthesiologists at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. has proven to dramatically decrease the number of rescue calls and intensive care unit transfers in postsurgical patients, allowing doctors to intervene in more cases before a crisis situation develops.

Study Finds Cancer Treatments Vary Between County, Private Hospitals

Researchers at Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego and colleagues have found that prostate cancer treatments varied significantly between county hospitals and private providers. Patients treated in county hospitals are more likely to undergo surgery while patients treated in private facilities tend to receive radiation or hormone therapy. These findings were published today online by the journal CANCER.

An image of a soldier

Study: Combat Injury Not Leading Cause of Medical Evacuation from War Zones

According to researchers at Johns Hopkins, the most common reasons for medical evacuation of military personnel from war zones in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years have been fractures, tendonitis, and other musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders.

FDA Commissioner Addresses Health Care Professionals on H1N1 Vaccine Safety

Food and Drug Administrator Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg recently sent a letter to America's health care professionals thanking them for their efforts during the 2009 H1N1 influenza outbreak and providing information on safety monitoring of the 2009 H1N1 vaccines.

The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act bans use of "light," "low," or "mild" or "similar descriptors" in tobacco product labeling or advertising as of June 22, 2010.

FDA Moving on Tobacco Marketing Claims

The agency asked Tuesday for comments about packaging that uses adjectives such as "silver" or "smooth," pastel or white colors, using the letter L, and displaying terms such as "natural" and "no additives."

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