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November 17, 2009
Marietta Register - Marietta, OH
Emergency Nurses Association Offers Tips for Staying Safe
The winter holidays are traditionally a time of family get-togethers, parties and happy times, but they can also be a time of stress and errors in judgment that can land people in the emergency department. This year, the Emergency Nurses Association is urging everyone to take care to ensure that they enjoy their holidays in good health and good spirits by offering holiday safety tips, developed by the ENA Injury Prevention Institute.
http://www.mariettaregister.com/index.php?content=1537 |
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November 16, 2009
Denver Post
Study: Injured uninsured more likely to die in ER
Uninsured patients with traumatic injuries, such as car crashes, falls and gunshot wounds, were almost twice as likely to die in the hospital as similarly injured patients with health insurance, according to a troubling new study.
http://www.denverpost.com/healthcare/ci_13801075 |
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November 16, 2009
The Daily Times - Blount County, TN
Hospital officials work to keep ER wait times short
According to a new study, emergency room wait times are getting longer nationwide, but local officials said that isn't the case at Blount Memorial Hospital. "We don't think there has been an increase in wait time," Blount Memorial emergency department director Debbie Teffeteller said.
http://www.thedailytimes.com/article/20091116/NEWS/311179983 |
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November 16, 2009
Enterprise-Record - Chico, CA
Nurse killed in helicopter crash worked at Chico hospital
A flight nurse, Clinton Reger, killed early Saturday morning in the crash of a Mountain LifeFlight helicopter near Reno, also worked as a nurse in the critical care unit at Enloe Medical Center.
http://www.chicoer.com/news/oroville/ci_13804607 |
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November 12, 2009
Santa Ynez Valley News
Flu hitting patients, staff and visitors
This year’s flu season is not only taking a toll on patients but also making extra demands on the staff and visitors at Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital.
http://www.syvnews.com/articles/2009/11/12/news/featurednews/news01.txt |
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November 12, 2009
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Nurse eyes upgrades in ambulances in the city
Outfitting St. Louis ambulances with machines that save precious minutes for heart attack patients would be one of Helen Sandkuhl's biggest accomplishments in her 36-year-career as an emergency room nurse — ranking with saving a newborn's life and comforting a scared family member.
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/lifestyle/stories.nsf/healthfitness/story/1ED3AD05F02817A58625766B00729A0F?OpenDocument |
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November 11, 2009
Voice of America
Surge in H1N1 Cases Puts Strain on Hospital Emergency Rooms
Some hospital emergency rooms in the United States are facing severe strains dealing with the H1N1 flu outbreak, while others are handling cases without much difficulty. One small hospital outside of Washington began planning last April for an influx of flu patients.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-11-11-voa48.cfm |
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November 11, 2009
Medical News Today
Statewide Trauma System Improves Patient Outcomes - Alabama Department Of Public Health
Gov. Bob Riley is a strong supporter of Alabama's progress in creating a statewide trauma system. Seventy percent of the state is now covered by Alabama's trauma system. In 2007 the governor pointed out that this trauma system is very critical in reducing deaths and injuries in the "golden hour" after accidents and injuries occur.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170556.php |
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November 10, 2009
The New York Times
Stuck by a Needle, Not by a Decision
I didn’t think it would happen to me so soon, just a few months after beginning my second career as a nurse. I stuck my thumb with a large-bore needle filled with the blood of a patient with hepatitis C who had come to the emergency room with abdominal pain.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/health/10case.html?_r=1 |
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November 10, 2009
Charlotte Observer
Mental patients stuck in emergency rooms for days
Across North Carolina, mental patients are routinely languishing for days in emergency rooms ill-equipped to care for them, waiting for a bed to open at one of four state-run psychiatric hospitals. Often, they pass the time handcuffed or sedated.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/local/story/1047123.html |
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November 9, 2009
EurekAlert (press release)
Fewer emergency patients seen within recommended time frame
One in four emergency department patients in 2006 waited longer to be evaluated by a clinician than recommended at triage, an increase from one in five in 1997, according to a report in the November 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/jaaj-fep110509.php# |
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November 9, 2009
Los Angeles Times
Headed to the emergency room? Bring a book
The stereotype of hospital emergency rooms crowded with patients waiting endlessly to be seen by a doctor is true, according to a new study in Tuesday's edition of Archives of Internal Medicine. The conventional wisdom that throngs of low-income, uninsured people who use the ER as a substitute for primary care visits are to blame, however, is wrong.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/11/wait-times-at-emergency-rooms-getting-worse.html |
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November 6, 2009
The New York Times
With Doctors in Short Supply, Responsibilities for Nurses May Expand
In many states, nurse practitioners perform medical services once provided only by primary care doctors. If the health care system is overhauled, patients and practitioners are likely to face a primary care bottleneck, experts say. An estimated 30 million newly insured people will begin making appointments for check-ups and other routine care with physicians who are already stretched thin caring for existing patients.
http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/with-doctors-in-short-supply-responsibilities-for-nurses-may-expand/ |
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November 4, 2009
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Delray nurses revive unconscious air traveler
A Delray Medical Center emergency room nurse had to make use of her training recently while returning from a conference in Baltimore.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/palm-beach/delray-beach/sfl-fldrfnurses1028drfnov04,0,2592944.story |
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November 4, 2009
AIS's Health Business Daily - Washington, DC
Kaiser Hospital Settles EMTALA Civil Monetary Penalty Case After the Death of a 12-Year-Old Patient
Kaiser Foundation Hospital Santa Clara in California has agreed to pay $100,000 to settle a civil monetary penalty (CMP) case alleging two violations of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), one involving the death of a 12-year-old boy. In both instances, the emergency department (ED) charge nurse allegedly sent the patients to on-campus clinics instead of facilitating their treatment by an ED physician, according to Kaiser’s settlement with the HHS Office of Inspector General.
http://www.aishealth.com/Bnow/hbd110409.html |
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November 3, 2009
MIdland Reporter-Telegram - Midland, TX
Hospital telephone nurse triage system well used
Since Midland Memorial Hospital’s telephone nurse triage system went live July 6, the service — which allows residents to speak with health care professionals about medical concerns they or their family members may be experiencing — has averaged four calls an hour.
http://www.mywesttexas.com/articles/2009/11/03/news/top_stories/doc4aefc4c6bfa24616439722.txt |
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November 3, 2009
U.S. News & World Report
Trauma Deadlier for Kids Without Insurance
Uninsured children in the United States are three times more likely to die from trauma injuries than children with private insurance, according to a new study.
http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/11/03/trauma-deadlier-for-kids-without-insurance.html |
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November 3, 2009
Reuters
New Survey Finds Doctors and Nurses Behaving Badly
Screaming matches in front of bewildered patients. Angry surgeons hurling instruments across the operating room. Treachery and backstabbing as physicians and nurses try to undermine one another. It may sound like a script from a television medical drama, but these kinds of scenarios are occurring frequently in hospitals and health care systems across the country, according to a new survey conducted by the American College of Physician Executives.
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS118794+03-Nov-2009+PRN20091103 |
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November 2, 2009
Marketwire Press Release
VHA Regional Network Helps Oklahoma and Arkansas Hospitals Drive Efficiency and Manage Increasing Emergency Department Traffic
Since 2005, 28 hospitals in Oklahoma and Arkansas have worked together, through VHA Inc., the national health care network, to identify ways to improve ED throughput. Building an efficient ED system takes intense coordination across a hospital, meaning patient assessments must be correct, lab tests must be performed in an accurate and timely manner, and imaging and surgical resources must not be bottlenecked.
http://in.sys-con.com/node/1168553 |
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November 2, 2009
Nurse.com
New York-Presbyterian Celebrates Emergency Nurses Week
New York-Presbyterian Columbia University Medical Center in New York City topped off a week long series of events for its ED nurses in celebration of Emergency Nurses Week with lectures by guest speakers from the hospital’s nursing education department and the local chapter of the Emergency Nurses Association.
http://news.nurse.com/article/20091102/NY02/111020026 |
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November 1, 2009
Bennington Banner - Bennington, VT
Officials in city seek to calm H1N1 fears
School and health officials are asking the public to remain calm amidst rumors that the H1N1 influenza (formerly known as swine flu) has been prevalent in area schools.
http://www.benningtonbanner.com/local/ci_13691500 |
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November 1, 2009
The State Journal-Register - Springfield, IL
Caregivers, patients glad to have trauma center here
Regardless of the result, the work of caring for patients in Springfield’s Level 1 trauma system is rewarding, two veteran caregivers said last week.
http://www.sj-r.com/health/x1972885545/Caregivers-patients-glad-to-have-trauma-center-here |
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October 31, 2009
Wicked Local Brockton
Brockton area medical providers say security efforts key to protecting staff, patients, visitors
Kathy Metzger knows that tense situations can turn violent at hospitals, just as tempers can erupt elsewhere in society. As a registered nurse at Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital, Metzger said there’s always a potential for doctors, nurses and even patients to end up in harm’s way if a situation escalates.
http://www.wickedlocal.com/brockton/homepage/x1659494011/Brockton-area-medical-providers-say-security-efforts-key-to-protecting-staff-patients-visitors |
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October 30, 2009
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Mayor Nutter declares public health emergency
Mayor Nutter this morning declared a public health emergency issued to help alleviate the burden caused by the H1N1 flu pandemic on city emergency rooms.
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20091030_Mayor_Nutter_declares_public_health_emergency.html |
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October 29, 2009
The Philadelphia Inquirer
Philadelphia-area hospitals adjust to fight swine flu
Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury yesterday banned anyone younger than 18 from visiting patients. Children's Hospital of Philadelphia counted a record 524 emergency-room patients Monday, and has converted a portion of its soaring atrium into a third emergency room (face masks provided). Confirmed cases of swine flu nearly doubled in the extended Philadelphia region during the last two weeks, triggering a flurry of new hospital policies aimed at slowing the spread of infection.
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/health_science/daily/20091029_Philadelphia-area_hospitals_adjust_to_fight_swine_flu.html |
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October 29, 2009
HealthLeaders Media
Mass. General Stabbing Shows Difficulties in Preventing Violence
Violence at Boston hospitals over the past eight days—including a fatal patient shooting—proves that healthcare security is an unpredictable business. While it's hard to immediately learn lessons from this latest series of incidents, safety and security professionals at several medical centers offered steps they take to prevent and respond to workplace violence.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/241323/topic/WS_HLM2_HR/Mass-General-Stabbing-Shows-Difficulties-in-Preventing-Violence.html |
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October 27, 2009
The New Britain Herald - New Britain, CT
OUR VIEW: Grumping about wonder of modern medicine
Gov. M. Jodi Rell is grumping about the supply of swine flu vaccine sent to the state. Sunday, she called on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius for “a substantial overhaul of the vaccine production and distribution system.” But, according to Lynn Abrahamson, director of the Bristol-Burlington Health District, “It’s not quite that simple.”
http://www.newbritainherald.com/articles/2009/10/27/opinion/doc4ae7a47163ad3616101430.txt |
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October 26, 2009
Reuters PRNewswire
New Research Shows That Insurer Contracting Policies Threaten Success of Health Care Reform
At a time when improving access to primary care is crucial, less than half of managed care insurers routinely recognize nurse practitioners as primary care providers.
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS136354+26-Oct-2009+PRN20091026 |
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October 26, 2009
The Brunswick News - Brunswick, GA
Long waits cause for concern
An official with Southeast Georgia Health System says the hospital in Brunswick is doing its best to tend to emergency room patients as quickly as it can. Sometimes, though, it's simply unavoidable.
http://www.thebrunswicknews.com/open_access/local_news/Hospital-10-26-09 |
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October 24, 2009
Los Angeles Times
County-USC hospital ordered to reduce ER wait times
Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center has become too overcrowded to handle the expected surge of H1N1 flu patients in coming months, county leaders said this week as they forced hospital officials to reduce wait times by transferring patients more quickly.
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-me-county-usc25-2009oct25,0,7904732.story |
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October 24, 2009
Washington Post
President Obama declares H1N1 flu a national emergency
President Obama Saturday declared the H1N1 flu a national emergency, clearing the way for legal waivers to allow hospitals and doctors offices to better handle a surge of new patients. The proclamation will grant Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius the power to authorize the waivers as individual medical facilities request them.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/24/AR2009102401061.html |
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October 23, 2009
Reuters Health
ER crowds mean longer waits, even for the very ill
Crowding in EDs leads to longer waits and delays in care for all but the very sickest patients, according to a study of four different ERs. Waits of five to six hours have become the norm and the arrival of flu season -- with not just one, but two, strains to worry about -- has only made things worse.
http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE59M4ZE20091023 |
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October 23, 2009
The New York Times
Flu Vaccine Requirement for Health Workers Is Lifted
The Paterson administration backed away on Thursday evening from a health regulation that would have compelled hundreds of thousands of health care workers and hospital volunteers to be vaccinated for seasonal and swine flu.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/23/nyregion/23flu.html?_r=1&ref=todayspaper |