There is more to choosing drugs for the intensive care unit than cost. How effective a particular agent is may be even more important than how much it costs. Pharmaceuticals are not cheap, especially not in the ICU. Acquisition cost is only one factor that goes into the overall cost...
The reduced risk inherent in the use of conscious sedation is a benefit that is appealing to both patients and surgeons. The primary challenge to safe and effective use of conscious sedation for cosmetic surgery is ensuring that adequate levels of local anesthesia are being administered. This is accomplished through...
Despite the ostensible health risks of low-carb diets, some people have followed this approach and lost weight. This anecdotal evidence, coupled with successful marketing campaigns, has led even neutral consumer advocates to encourage weight controllers to "Add a Little Fat" to their diets. Despite waning interest in this approach, acceptance...
Summarizing the Healthcare industry and the state of the precarious union between providers and payers is like trying to balance a gallon of fresh gelatin in hands. Healthcare is an industry perhaps more complex, fragmented and difficult to comprehend than any other. This article provides information on the various "Balancing...
No one has to remind ob/gyns that Preterm Birth PTB takes a heavy toll both medically and financially on the American public. Unfortunately, in past decades clinicians have had little success is reining in this problem. But in order to achieve the most benefit from this therapy, several educational and...
The growing trend for women to wait in life before having their first child has placed many women at a higher risk for difficult conception. Medications chosen for a patient will vary depending on the identified cause of the infertility. The purpose of this article is to provide information regarding...
Heart Failure HF is a major health problem and a leading cause of hospitalizations among the elderly. Keeping pace with the new treatment approaches, the American College of Cardiology ACC and the American Heart Association AHA task force released updated Guidelines for the Diagnosis and the Management of Chronic Heart...
This study compares the cost-effectiveness of the 4 most common empiric antimicrobial regimens used for the treatment of adults with Community-Acquired Pneumonia CAP at a community health system during a 6-month period. Associations between initial antimicrobials and total hospital costs were determined. Cost-effectiveness ratios were determined by dividing the total...
The inability to calculate therapeutic dosages for children accounts for the majority of pediatric drug errors. Most pediatric medication errors occur in the prescribing or ordering phase, usually dosing errors, followed by mistakes in administration of the drug. Because most medications are developed in concentrations for adults and do not...
This paper talks about a prospective cohort study that involved 5,418 women who planned to deliver at home. The findings from the study reveals that home births aided by a certified professional midwife apparently involve less medical intervention and cause less intrapartum and neonatal mortality, similar to that of low-risk...
This article highlights that the next generation of "Smart" IV pumps is getting smarter. The new systems that are in place are designed to guard more rigorously against errors of administration, dosing, drug interactions, and other issues. This software allows the hospital to preconfigure appropriate dosing limits for intravenous drugs....
Generics should get a large boost in the coming years as branded drugs accounting for more than $38 billion, including Prevacid, Prevachol, Zocor, Zoloft and Paxil, are expected to come off patent by the end of 2008. The paper outlines that the use of generics is definitely on the rise....
It is no surprise that many healthcare organizations are content with the status quo. But is the status quo good enough? According a World Health Organization report from 2000, the United Status spends more on healthcare than any other country in the world, but only ranks 37th in health system...
Research has shown that touching patients has several benefits. One study found that patients whose hands were held during cataract surgery reported less anxiety and had lower blood epinephrine levels than those who underwent cataract surgery without hand-holding. Another study found that elderly female nursing home residents who received comforting...
A professional portfolio is simply a collection of materials that reflect an individual's work. A best-work portfolio provides evidence of the nurse's competencies and expertise. It can also be used as documentation for career ladder promotions, job applications, the human resources portion, specialty certification, and more. The article outlines that...
Consumers more and more are trying to take control of their own healthcare destinies. They are looking for more therapy alternatives so they can better manage their healthcare dollars. With more of that responsibility falling to consumers, many managed care organizations are realizing that they must offer choices that until...
Hospitals are inherently stressful places, but no one should have to work in an abusive environment. When erratic behavior and the threat of physical violence become part of the clinical setting, staff RNs and nurse managers alike feel unsafe and uncomfortable, and everyone suffers. Though, equipping professionals with the skills...
The second half of the 20th century vastly increased the life span of those with mental retardation MR. Today the average life expectancy of older adults with MR is 66.1 years and growing. As these individuals age, they present increasing challenges to the clinician. Primary care providers need to be...
The paper reveals that weekly; thousands of physicians pack their bags and travel across the country to work on assignments lasting from a few days to several months, or longer. They provide coverage at hospitals, community clinics, managed care organizations, single- and multi-specialty practices, government medical facilities, and large healthcare...
Optimizing adolescent health Providers who care for adolescents must recognize and respond to issues that lie at the intersection of medicine, law, and ethics. Respecting an adolescent's right to privacy reduces one barrier to care. When a patient trusts a physician, they are likely to delay medical care and more...
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