Close-to-the-heart catheters safer for hospitalised children
Location, location, location. A new Johns Hopkins Children
Location, location, location. A new Johns Hopkins Children
Caesarean section increases the risk of persistent pelvic girdle pain after delivery compared with vaginal delivery, according to a new study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.
Caesarean section rates are increasing worldwide, and this trend has partly been explained by women
The scents which permeate our health spas from aromatic essential oils may provide more benefits than just a sense of rest and well-being. For according to a new study the essential oils which form the basis of aromatherapy for stress relief are also reported to have a beneficial effect on heart rate and blood pressure following short-term exposure – and may therefore reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, on the downside, those beneficial effects were reversed when exposure to essential oils lasted more than an hour.
The study was performed in men and women working in various spa centres in the city of Taipei in Taiwan, where the traditions of ancient Chinese civilisations are maintained in religious ceremonies and healing therapies. Aromatherapy, as practised today, is still presented as natural healing with essential oils extracted by infusion from aromatic plants.
One hundred young, healthy non-smoking spa workers taking part in the study visited the study centre on three occasions (about once a week), when each volunteer was exposed to vapours of essential oils released from an ultrasonic ioniser for two hours. During this time and on each visit three repeated measurements
It sounds futuristic, but today Carnegie Mellon University researchers are developing edible electronic devices that can be implanted in the body to improve patient care.
‘We are creating electronically active medical devices that can be implanted in the body,’ said Christopher Bettinger, an assistant professor in the departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at CMU. ‘The idea is for a patient to consume a pill that encapsulates the device.’
Bettinger, along with Jay Whitacre, a professor of materials science and engineering, is creating edible power sources for medical devices that can be taken orally using materials found in the daily diet.
‘Our design involves flexible polymer electrodes and a sodium ion electrochemical cell, which allows us to fold the mechanism into an edible pill that encapsulates the device,’ Bettinger said.
CMU researchers report that the edible device could be programmed and deployed in the gastrointestinal tract or the small intestine depending upon packaging. Once the battery packaging is in place, Bettinger’s team would activate the battery.
Bettinger reports that the battery could power biosensors to measure biomarkers or monitor gastric problems. The battery also could be used to stimulate damaged tissue or help in targeted drug delivery for certain types of cancer.
‘There’s so much out there we can do with this novel approach to medical devices,’ said Bettinger, a recipient of the National Academy of Sciences Award for Initiatives in Research for his innovative work on advanced materials for next-generation implanted medical devices.
Bettinger has worked for more than a decade at the interface of materials science and biomedical engineering. Some of his innovative technologies include new synthetic materials that mimic the natural properties of soft tissue and biodegradable electronics that could usher in a new era of electronically active implants.
Carnegie Mellon University
A new trial is underway to determine if a short course of oral steroids can improve the hearing of children suffering from glue ear.
Glue ear is the most common reason for childhood surgery, with approximately 25,000 operations carried out each year in the UK. Also known as otitis media with effusion (OME), the condition is caused by an accumulation of sticky fluid in the middle ear and affects around 80% of children by the age of four.
For most children, glue ear gets better by itself. But for thousands of children each year it results in deafness that can affect speech, social development and learning. This in many cases leads to depression, as well as behavioural and attention disorders.
With a substantial award from the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) Programme, researchers from Cardiff University
The relationship between a physician practice’s adoption of electronic health records (EHR) and quality improvements in patient care remains unclear. However, a new study published by Weill Cornell Medical College and the Primary Care Information Project (PCIP) of the New York City Health Department shows evidence that EHR implementation can improve patient care in small physician practices in New York City when combined with sustained high-intensity technical assistance.
To evaluate the effects EHRs have on patient care within small physician practices, the research team used an independent data source using multi-payer medical claims in New York state (New York Quality Alliance), linking the data to small practices enrolled in the Primary Care Information Project. This New York City Health Department initiative provided subsidised EHR software with clinical decision support and onsite technical assistance to 3,300 physicians at 600 primary care practices in under-served neighbourhoods serving disadvantaged populations to improve quality of care. This is the United States’ largest community-based EHR implementation program, and the PCIP continues to provide technical assistance and education to more than 7,200 providers through its regional extension centre, NYC REACH.
The research study found EHR implementation alone was not enough to improve patient care overall or known ‘EHR sensitive’ quality improvement measures, such as cancer screenings and diabetes care. In fact, the researchers reported it took physician practices a minimum of nine months of EHR exposure, combined with eight or more technical assistance visits, to demonstrate any significant statistical improvements in certain key quality measures, including breast cancer screening, retinal exam and urine testing for diabetes patients, chlamydia screening for women and colorectal cancer screening. Physician offices with minimal or no technical support did not show any significant improvements, even when these practices had been using EHRs for up to two years.
‘EHRs were once thought to be a cure-all for helping improve patient care, but there are implementation issues and the technology has a steep learning curve,’ says lead author Dr. Andrew M. Ryan, assistant professor of public health at Weill Cornell Medical College. ‘Our study shows EHRs can in fact be a tool for quality improvement, but not in isolation. Technical assistance must be at the heart of the EHR implementation process. Under resourced, small physician practices, especially those taking care of under-served populations; need help to effectively use EHR technology to improve patient quality of care.’
‘These study findings are consistent with observations from our field staff that small physician practices serving the disadvantaged areas of New York City need considerably more technical support to use EHRs to improve quality,’ says Sarah Shih, executive director of Health Care Quality Information and Program Evaluation at PCIP. ‘High-intensity technical support has helped improve the quality of care provided by small physician practices in some key quality measures after nine months. In addition, PCIP has made major strides in using EHRs to improve population health among other key quality indicators not measured by claims data. We have also observed improved quality trends for smoking cessation counseling, blood pressure control, cholesterol screening and treatment.’
Researchers say it will be important to continue to evaluate the effectiveness of various levels of technical support provided by regional extension centers in improving health outcomes.
EHRs supply physicians with clinical decision support, tools to reduce medical errors, e-prescribing, test result displays, patient health registry information, population data management and improved communication with patients and other providers. The rate of EHR adoption for outpatient care is rising. Physician use of basic EHR systems has increased from 22 percent in 2009 to 35 percent in 2011. But small practices, which constitute the majority of practices in the U.S., have the lowest rate of EHR adoption. Some evidence suggests small practices, especially those in under-served communities like New York City, are less likely to use EHRs.
‘EHRs hold a lot of hope and promise and the technology is taking health care a step in the right direction. Our study supports proof of concept that EHRs can improve outcomes, but widespread implementation of the technology and strong technical assistance is needed,’ says Dr. Ryan. ‘Our hope is the extension of EHRs with proper technical support will have a direct impact on population health.’
Weill Cornell Medical College
Injuries caused by needles and other sharp instruments are a major occupational hazard for surgeons
What we don’t appreciate is the vital role that our own natural biomolecules play in the healing process, including their contribution to the growth of new cells and the development of new blood vessels that provide nutrients to those cells.
Now, UCLA researchers led by Heather Maynard, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a member of UCLA’s California NanoSystems Institute, are working to take advantage of our body’s ability to heal itself by developing new bio-mimicking therapeutics that could be used to treat skin wounds.
Among the key players involved in natural wound-healing is a signalling molecule known as basic fibroblast growth factor, or bFGF, which is secreted by our cells to trigger processes that are involved in healing, as well as embryonic development, tissue regeneration, bone regeneration, the development and maintenance of the nervous system, and stem cell renewal.
bFGF has been widely investigated as a tool doctors could potentially use to promote or accelerate these processes, but its instability outside the body has been a significant hurdle to its widespread use, Maynard said.
Now, Maynard and her team have discovered how to stabilise bFGF based on the principle of mimicry. Relying on the growth factor’s ability to bind heparin
A new study found that between 40 to 50 percent of older adults with visually impairing eye disease limit their activities due to a fear of falling. Vision scientists warn that this protective strategy puts seniors at risk for social isolation and disability.
In the paper, ‘Activity Limitation Due to a Fear of Falling in Older Adults with Eye Disease,’ researchers report on their examination of patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma and Fuchs corneal dystrophy, as compared to a control group of older adults with good vision. Of the three groups with visual limitations, the patients with Fuchs corneal dystrophy were the mostly like to report activity limitation due to fear of falling, followed by those with glaucoma and the AMD group.
‘I expected all of the groups to limit their activities due to a fear of falling but I was a bit surprised that the group with Fuchs corneal dystrophy was the most likely to limit their activities,’ says Ellen E. Freeman, PhD, Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Montreal, Qu
Most children with isolated skull fractures may not need to stay in the hospital, which finding has the potential to save the health care system millions of dollars a year (‘Isolated Skull Fractures: Trends in Management in U.S. Pediatric Emergency Departments’). In addition, a new device more accurately estimates children’s weights, leading to more precise drug dosing in the ER (‘Evaluation of the Mercy TAPE: Performance Against the Standard for Pediatric Weight Estimation’). Two studies showcase some of the work emergency physicians are doing to improve care for children in the nation’s emergency departments.
One study posits that most children who are hospitalised with isolated skull fractures may instead be discharged home safely from the ER. Researchers found that of children hospitalised with isolated skull fractures between 2005 and 2011, 85 percent were discharged within 1 day and 95 percent were discharged within 2 days. A very small number
April 2024
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