News, features & more

Features

In January 2006, an explosion at the Sago mine in West Virginia left twelve miners dead and Randy McCloy desperately fighting for his life. Suffering from shock, carbon monoxide poisoning, a collapsed lung, cardiac and renal failure, McCloy was an excellent candidate for a medically induced coma.

• Spanish for You: Bridging the Language Gap in Healthcare
• Please Don’t Leave Me: How to Deal with Separation Anxiety
• Patient Safety Indicators: A Measurement of Care

Headlines in Health

Some of us experienced sweaty palms and rapid heartbeats as we watched the Winter Olympics this past February, and grieved when we heard about the accidental death of a young athlete. But how many of us thought about the healthy, young athletes who collapse and die during sporting events every year due to tachycardia (excessively rapid heartbeat) or other heart conditions?

• Applying the Brakes on Depression
• Take Heart: How To Manage Atrial Fibrillation
• New Guidelines for Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV Patients

Nursing organizational news

By Suzi Birz, principal, HiQ Analytics, LLC

In December 2008, the California HealthCare Foundation published Equipped for Efficiency: Improving Nursing Care Through Technology—a report that examined hospitals’ experiences with a variety of technologies that enhance nursing care delivery.

• Holistic Nursing Considers All Aspects of a Patient’s Life
• Hospitals Switch to Reusable Sharps Containers

Clinical Insights

This month’s Tip to Treasure focuses on Infection Prevention. Did you know that nearly 2 million infections are acquired in healthcare settings every year across the country, and hospital acquired infections (HAIs) kill about 100,000 Americans each year?

• Joint Commission Alert: Preventing Deaths During and After Pregnancy
• Kids Corner: The ABCs of Administering Pediatric Medications
• Chemical Biomarkers: Identifying the Heart of the Matter