July 14, 2023 Patient Safety: Stethoscopes and Bacterial Contamination Results from a recent study involving clinicians at two American teaching hospitals showed that only 20% reported that they clean their stethoscopes regularly between patient visits. Despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation that clinicians should clean their stethoscopes after every patient encounter, the study’s findings show just how much a quick … Read More »
July 12, 2023 Updated Vaccination Recommendations for Children and Adolescents Numerous national health organizations have come together in sponsorship of a new vaccination schedule for children and adolescents. Organizations including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) (in addition to several others) recently published these important updates. For those who … Read More »
April 13, 2023 Colorectal Cancer Rates Continue to Grow in Young Americans According to a new report written by researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS), colorectal cancer rates in individuals under the age of 50 have grown by a whopping 50% since the mid-nineties. While most people in this age group may believe they are too young to receive a cancer diagnosis, this new data proves … Read More »
February 13, 2023 Fall Prevention in Hospitals and Nursing Homes: How Providers Can Limit Adverse Events Falls are some of the most common injuries that patients sustain in a hospital setting. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), roughly 700,000 patient falls occur in American hospitals every year, leading to 250,000 injuries and 11,000 deaths. Approximately 1 in 4 patient falls result in injury, with 10% resulting in serious … Read More »
February 2, 2023 Nursing Home Neglect: Primary Cause of Bedsores According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), more than 2.5 million people in the United States develop pressure ulcers, or bedsores, each year. Bedsores are injuries to the skin and underlying tissue that result from sustained pressure on the skin. They are accompanied by an array of medical complications; some of these … Read More »
December 3, 2022 American Heart Association Updates Cardiovascular Health Checklist “Life’s Essential 8” is the American Heart Association’s (AHA) heart health checklist; it contains eight key elements that a person can follow to maintain and improve their cardiovascular health. The Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) estimate that one person dies every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease, making it the leading cause of death for … Read More »
December 2, 2022 Children’s Health: How to Tell the Difference Between a Common Cold and Something More Serious According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), almost all children will have RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, by the time they are 2. For most infants and children, RSV presents like a common cold with minor complications. But for some, respiratory syncytial virus causes potentially life-threatening symptoms. In this article, we take a closer … Read More »
October 28, 2022 Pennsylvania Supreme Court Changes State’s Medical Malpractice Rules Recently, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in favor of adding new provisions to the state’s existing medical malpractice rules. The Court’s decision is a major win for medical malpractice victims, who will now be able to sue negligent healthcare providers for damages in areas where they regularly conduct business and not exclusively in the jurisdiction … Read More »
September 9, 2022 How Do Medication Errors Happen? People of all ages take medications prescribed for ongoing medical conditions as well as to treat one-time illnesses. These medications are intended to help the patient manage the condition, not cause further harm. However, medical errors are quite common, leading to injury or death. The most common type of this form of medical malpractice is … Read More »