Patients who have a new tool to ask physicians about their hand hygiene feel more empowered to do so, researchers say. The tool, a cardboard paddle (similar to a ping-pong racquet), has a question: “Did You Wash Your Hands?”. The study was published in the American Journal of Infection Control, the official journal of the… Continue reading Physicians, Health Care Workers and Hand Hygiene
Category: Medical Procedures
A Simpler Flu Shot?
Getting a flu shot may soon become easier and less painful via a vaccine “skin patch.” Researchers believe that a new self-administered, painless vaccine skin patch containing microscopic needles could significantly increase the number of people who get vaccinated. Despite the potentially severe consequences of illness and even death, only about 40 percent of adults… Continue reading A Simpler Flu Shot?
Who Should Get the Shingles Shot?
Are you at risk for shingles, and should you get a shot? The latest from SeniorHealth, a division of the National Institutes of Aging: Shingles is a painful rash that develops on one side of the face or body. The rash forms blisters that typically scab over in 7 to 10 days and clear up… Continue reading Who Should Get the Shingles Shot?
Hospitals and Data Breaches
People who are hospitalized have many things to worry about besides a personal data breach, yet this is happening at a startling rate: recent research co-authored by a Michigan State University business scholar found nearly 1,800 occurrences of large data breaches in patient information over a seven-year period. The study, by Xuefeng “John” Jiang, MSU… Continue reading Hospitals and Data Breaches
Should Your Child Take Part in A Clinical Trial?
You may have heard of clinical trials, and your doctor may even have suggested your child enroll in one. Here, from the experts at the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are some of the things to consider: Clinical trials are voluntary research studies conducted in people and designed to answer specific questions about the… Continue reading Should Your Child Take Part in A Clinical Trial?
Brain Training Can Help Post-Chemo Nerve Pain
The brain training technique known as neurofeedback shows promise in reducing symptoms of chemotherapy-induced nerve damage, or neuropathy, in cancer survivors, according to a study by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The pilot study, published in the journal Cancer, is the largest, to date, to determine the benefits of neurofeedback… Continue reading Brain Training Can Help Post-Chemo Nerve Pain
4 Things to Tell Your Surgeon before Your Operation
By Laura Ashbury Doctors need as much information as possible to make good decisions while performing surgeries. Before you undergo your next surgery, let your doctor know about the following four things. What you say could influence the choices that your surgeon makes before, during, and after your procedure. Your Health History Don’t assume that… Continue reading 4 Things to Tell Your Surgeon before Your Operation
Keeping Home Medical Devices Safe
Although using a medical device in your home may seem overwhelming at first, it’s crucial that you know how the device works and when the device experiences any problems. The Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health regulates medical devices to provide reasonable assurance of their safety and effectiveness. Here, from their… Continue reading Keeping Home Medical Devices Safe
What Nanoscience Can Do
Nanoscience research involves molecules that are only 1/100th the size of cancer cells and that have the potential to profoundly improve the quality of our health and our lives. Now nine prominent nanoscientists look ahead to what we can expect in the coming decade, and conclude that nanoscience is poised to make important contributions in… Continue reading What Nanoscience Can Do
New Insight into Complication of Bone Fractures
Researchers have identified risk factors that may help orthopedic surgeons better predict a serious complication of bone fractures. The complication, fracture nonunion, may be increasing as more patients survive serious fractures. The investigators included Dr. Robert Zura, the Robert D’Ambrosia Professor and Head of Orthopedic Surgery at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine. The… Continue reading New Insight into Complication of Bone Fractures
Radiologists Can Detect Breast Cancer in Less than A Second
Radiologists can detect breast cancer in the “blink of an eye” while studying mammograms, according to new research. The study, by investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in collaboration with researchers at the University of York and Leeds in the UK and MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, was published in the Proceedings of the… Continue reading Radiologists Can Detect Breast Cancer in Less than A Second
Hope for Coma Patients
UCLA researchers have discovered how to “jump start” a brain after an injury, They say that a 25-year-old man recovering from a coma has made remarkable progress following the treatment. The technique uses sonic stimulation to excite the neurons in the thalamus, an egg-shaped structure that serves as the brain’s central hub for processing information.… Continue reading Hope for Coma Patients
E. Coli to The Rescue?
Researchers experimenting with harmless strains of E. coli —the majority of E. coli are safe and important to healthy human digestion have developed an E. coli-based transport capsule designed to help next-generation vaccines do a more efficient job than today’s immunizations. The research, described in a study published in the journal Science Advances, highlights the… Continue reading E. Coli to The Rescue?
Patients Trust Doctors Who Acknowledge Their Own Bias
Patients tend to trust doctors more if they disclose a bias toward their specialty, research shows. In fact, though, such an admission should be a bit of a red flag to a patient. Doing research in a real-world health care setting, a Cornell expert and her colleagues have found that when surgeons revealed their bias… Continue reading Patients Trust Doctors Who Acknowledge Their Own Bias
Fighting Zika on a Cellular Level
Scientists have shown that a very small protein we have in our bodies can dramatically reduce the ability of the Zika virus to infect human and mouse cells, and in some cases can also prevent Zika from killing our cells. The findings, about interferon-induced protein 3 (IFITM3), were published in the journal Cell Reports. “This… Continue reading Fighting Zika on a Cellular Level
Devices That Make Life Easier for Caregivers and Patients
By Nancy Wurtzel The Alzheimer’s caregiving industry is ripe for innovation. Currently, more than 17 million Americans are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. As our population ages, and the disease affects more and more people, the number of unpaid caregivers will also steadily increase. That’s why companies and entrepreneurs are scrambling to come up… Continue reading Devices That Make Life Easier for Caregivers and Patients
What Medical Tests Should You Be Taking?
What tests you should take, and how often you should take them, can present a confusing picture. Here, from SeniorHealth division of the National Institutes of Health, drawn from Women Stay Healthy at 50+, developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, is an alphabetical list of recommended health screening tests for women over… Continue reading What Medical Tests Should You Be Taking?
My Sister’s Lungs, Part One
Editor’s Note: In the first of a five-part series, thirdAGE contributor Nancy Wurtzel (at left in the above photo) shares the ordeal her sister Barbara (at right in the above photo) is undergoing as she waits for a match for a lung transplant. Barbara’s situation is complicated by the fact that her husband, Jim, has… Continue reading My Sister’s Lungs, Part One