Replacing Professional Nurses With Nursing Assistants In Hospitals Associated With Increased Deaths, Decreased Safety
November 27, 2016
A study published in the medical journal BMJ Quality & Safety, which was published online on November 15, 2016, analyzed adult acute care hospitals in Belgium, England, Finland, Ireland, Spain, and Switzerland and concluded: “A bedside care workforce with a greater proportion of profession[...]
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Stethoscope Contamination: What You Don’t See Can Hurt You
April 28, 2014
Studies have shown that most physicians and nurses do not disinfect their stethoscopes frequently – 70% to 90% of physicians do not disinfect their stethoscopes after each patient contact. The parts of the stethoscope most likely to come in contact with patients (i.e., the diaphragm and the b[...]
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CDC’s Shocking New Autism Data
March 28, 2014
On March 27, 2014, the CDC released new data regarding autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States based on a review of records of 8-year-olds (more than 5,300) in certain areas of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Utah, and Wis[...]
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New Lyme Disease Statistics (2013)
September 4, 2013
The CDC reported on August 19, 2013 that preliminary estimates indicate that the number of Americans diagnosed with Lyme disease each year is around 300,000, based on findings from three ongoing CDC studies that use different methods. The first study analyzes medical claims information for ap[...]
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A New Lyme Disease Vaccine?
July 27, 2013
Efforts are being made toward a new and effective Lyme disease vaccine. Baxter Healthcare Corporation has recently reported the results of its Phase 1/2 Lyme Vaccine Study that began on March 1, 2011 and ended on May 8, 2012. Study participants received three primary immunizations and one booster [...]
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Maryland Bed Bug Claim Ends In Large Verdict
July 18, 2013
Just the mention of bed bugs makes many people squeamish and uncomfortable. Being bitten by bed bugs that come out in the dark at night and bite people without warning while they are sleeping in their own beds is a nightmare for many people. While most people do not live with bed bugs in their ho[...]
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Acetaminophen And Severe Skin Reactions
June 22, 2013
The FDA has cited potential safety issues regarding acetaminophen-containing products that may cause severe skin reactions. In a posting on its website entitled “Potential Signals of Serious Risks/New Safety Information Identified by the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) between Oc[...]
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Z-Pack May Cause Fatal Irregular Heart Rhythyms
March 14, 2013
On March 12, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) issued a formal Safety Announcement warning the public that azithromycin (Zithromax or Zmax), commonly referred to as “Z-pack,” can cause abnormal changes in the electrical activity of the heart that may lead[...]
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3 Simple Ways To Prevent Getting And Spreading The Flu
January 28, 2013
“The flu” that people usually refer to is influenza, which is a serious disease that may require hospitalization and sometimes results in death (about 90% of flu deaths in a regular flu season, which lasts from as early as October until as late as May, occur in people 65 and older). Fr[...]
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Fecal Transplants?
January 18, 2013
What is a fecal transplant? The definition of fecal: “relating to or composed of feces.” The definition of feces: “the matter that is discharged from the bowel during defecation; excrement.” So, what’s a “fecal transplant”? It’s a legitimate and effec[...]
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