Article • Dutch healthcare
Divisions need revisions
Dutch healthcare is internationally viewed as high level. However, the cost of care continues to rise, despite all the cuts.
Care
Sponsored • Breast Cancer
Scalp cooler prevents hair loss in early stage breast cancer patients
A pioneering scalp cooling treatment that prevents alopecia in early stage breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy will be showcased at the 15th St. Gallen International Breast Cancer Conference, Vienna.
Sponsored • Skin treatment
New medical 3D scanner will be shown at KIMES fairs in Seoul
Big reveal is going to happen at KIMES fairs in Seoul. SMARTTECH together with its Korean Distributor, the KAIS Company, will present the 3D scanning technologies dedicated to medicine. KIMES provides attendants with the opportunity to identify and confirm the great potential and prospect of the future medical industry as well as the latest medical industry trend as a venue where 1,200 domestic…
News • Cancer Care
Biosimilars Create New Opportunities
Biosimilars create opportunities for sustainable cancer care, says the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in a position paper published in ESMO Open.1 The document outlines approval standards for biosimilars, how to safely introduce them into the clinic, and the potential benefits for patients and healthcare systems.
Sponsored • Portable intelligence
Creating a new breed of panel computers
Taiwan-based firm Adlink specialized in providing medical solutions with the highest computing power, increased safety and maximum user comfort. Employing 1,800 people, and with design and technology centres in the USA, Pacific Rim regions and Germany, the company currently supplies electronic solutions to more than 40 countries in five continents. Its goal: providing optimum patient care.
Article • Patient care
Robots will never replace human beings
As the number of patients and people requiring care increases, exacerbating the shortage of care staff for in- and out-patients, care robots might solve the problem. For menial tasks, many devices can contribute well; however, at the complex interactive human level of care, the idea that advancing technologies could replace human caregivers to alleviate staff shortages is clearly simplistic.
Smartwatch interface could prevent falls at nursing homes
Poor communication systems at nursing homes can lead to serious injury for residents who are not tended to in a timely manner. A new smartwatch app being developed at Binghamton University could help certified nursing assistants (CNAs) respond to alerts more quickly and help prevent falls.
Article • Home care
Pioneering NHS ‘test beds’
A ‘technology’ project to modernise healthcare for patients with long- term medical conditions is being trialled in the United Kingdom in seven ‘test bed’ initiatives. Test Beds, a term used to describe a technology project resulting from collaborations between the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and international innovators, aims to harness technology to address issues facing…
News • Antimicrobial Resistance
AMR may cause over 10 million deaths per year globally by 2050
Following a meeting of professional organisations on the healthcare workforce implications on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) held at World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters on 2 March 2016, the International Council of Nurses calls on governments to support the Global Action Plan on AMR and stresses the key role of nurses in reducing the impact and limiting the spread of this major threat to…
News • Burnout
Trauma team members face risk of 'compassion fatigue'
Trauma team members are at risk of compassion fatigue and burnout syndrome, as supported by the new research by Gina M. Berg, PhD, MBA, of University of Kansas School of Medicine–Wichita and colleagues. They identify some "stress triggers" contributing to these risks, and make recommendations to help trauma teams cope with secondary traumatic stress.
News • Zika virus
Nurses are first point of care for education and community resilience
As the largest group of health professionals in the world, and the first point of care for many, nurses are key to educating patients on prevention and risk of the Zika virus and providing care to those who need treatment.
News • Patient ratio
Higher nurse to patient ratio linked to reduced risk of inpatient death
A higher nurse to patient ratio is linked to a reduced risk of inpatient death, finds a study of staffing levels in NHS hospitals, published in the online journal BMJ Open.
Lower patient satisfaction in hospitals that employ more nurses trained abroad
Many Western countries including England and the United States have come to rely on nurses trained abroad in times of nurse shortages. Yet little is known about how such practices affect quality of care and patient satisfaction.
News • Hygiene
Care, human dignity and the management of excreta
It's a topic which is frequently marginalised and tacitly accepted – care recipients are given a nappy even though they're continent simply because it's awkward and time-consuming for them to get to the toilet. The medical service of the German Central Federal Association of Health Insurance Funds and the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds highlighted this problem in their…
News • Integration
Cookbook for large scale coordinated care
Royal Philips and its ACT-program consortium partners today announced the debut of a ‘cookbook’ outlining key enablers necessary to scale connected care and telehealth programs. The cookbook is the result from a two-and-a-half year scientific evaluation of data from different connected health programs in five European regions. It provides new insights that apply across the EU on why certain…
Who benefits from a catheter - and who does not?
A new detailed guide gives doctors and nurses information to help decide which hospital patients may benefit from a urinary catheter - and which ones do not. That should help spare patients the pain, embarrassment, and potentially serious side effects that can come with having a catheter placed - which may bring more risk than benefit to the patient.
Article • Robotic Care
Ambient Assisted Living Systems on the rise
New technologies in healthcare and geriatric care promise great benefits. A Congress held by the Evangelical Academy in Berlin, Germany at the end of February provided a platform for discussions around the potential as well as the risks of new technological developments and trends. Furthermore, the event also saw the introduction of an instrument which can be used to check the ethical dimensions…
News • Connected care
Practicing nursing care in a virtual world
Oculus Rift, a gaming headset, can help teach nurses how to communicate better, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have found.
News • ICU
New care model enhances recovery of ICU survivors
The Critical Care Recovery Center care model - the first collaborative care concept focusing on the extensive cognitive, physical and psychological recovery needs of intensive care unit survivors - decreases the likelihood of serious illness after discharge from an ICU, according to a new study from the Regenstrief Institute and the Indiana University schools of medicine and nursing.
News • Quality
Hospital readmissions are not tied to errors in care
A study from Northwestern Medicine and the American College of Surgeons suggests that penalizing hospitals for patient readmissions following surgery may be ineffective, and even counterproductive, for improving the quality of hospital care in America.
Trauma care: the alpha and omega in emergency
Recently, ways to improve trauma care, particularly the care of acutely injured victims of traffic accidents, was discussed by international experts gathered at the World Trauma Congress (held in Frankfurt/Main, Germany).
Hospital care for the dying must improve
Ten recommendations drawn up to improve care of the dying in the United Kingdom, will provide data to help hospitals to identify good and poor practice and to make changes to enhance learning in this care area.
ICU-quality respiratory technology enters home care
John Power is breathing easier after agreeing to let the Philips Home Healthcare deal with the complex and competitive consumer market for medical technology.
NICE sets new guidelines
Pointing out that it is unacceptable that some 300,000 people become adversely infected while being in the care of the UK’s National Health Service every year, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care, has launched a new set of quality standards.
