Culture

Extended work shifts of twelve hours or longer are common and popular among hospital staff nurses, but a new study reports that nurses working longer shifts were more likely to experience burnout, job dissatisfaction, and patients were more dissatisfied with their care.

Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS-SOL) — which will be presented at the American Heart Association Annual Meeting in Los Angeles on Nov. 5 and published in the Nov. 7 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) — finds heart disease risk factors are widespread among Hispanic/Latino adults in the United States.

Phosphorus (P) is both an essential nutrient in agricultural fields and a contributor to poor water quality in surface waters. To encourage improved P management in fields, the P Index was proposed as a risk assessment tool in 1992. After 20 years of use, modifications, and growing pains, does the P Index accurately assess the risk of P loss?

Following a negative colonoscopy result at initial screening, regular follow-up with less-invasive screening tools may provide the same life-saving benefit with fewer risks for complication and at a lower cost than rescreening with colonoscopy every 10 years. Researchers used a microsimulation model to assess the effectiveness and costs of colonoscopy versus other rescreening strategies after an initial negative colonoscopy result.

Healthcare ethics consultants are called upon in the most difficult of times; where do they turn for advice? The American Society For Bioethics and Humanities' Clinical Ethics Consultation Affairs Committee (CECA) is taking a community approach, creating an online forum for feedback and shared experiences to accompany a paper published in the Fall 2012 issue of the Journal of Clinical Ethics.

Physicians with the least experience spend significantly more money treating patients than physicians who have the most experience, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

The findings, published in the November edition of the journal Health Affairs, are from the first study to examine the link between physician characteristics and medical costs.

CHICAGO – Eating meals and other foods from fast-food and full-service restaurants appears to be associated with increased caloric intake for children and adolescents, as well as a higher intake of sugar, total fat, saturated fat and sodium, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

CHICAGO – Physical exercise, including treadmill, stretching and resistance exercises, appears to improve gait speed, muscle strength and fitness for patients with Parkinson disease (PD), according to a report of a randomized clinical trial published Online First by Archives of Neurology, a JAMA Network publication.

Children and adolescents consume more calories and soda and have poorer nutrient-intake on days they eat at either fast-food or full-service restaurants, as compared to days they eat meals at -- or from -- home.

Amsterdam, NL, November 5, 2012 – Over the last 15 years, researchers have found a significant association between vascular diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, diabetes type 2, hyperlipidemia, and heart disease and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. In a special issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, leading experts provide a comprehensive overview of the pathological, biochemical, and physiological processes that contribute to Alzheimer's disease risk and ways that may delay or reverse these age-related abnormalities.

LA JOLLA, Calif. – New findings from a 15-year series of studies led by care providers at Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute reveal that culturally tailored community-created programs are effective at reducing health-related costs and delivering higher quality care.

CHICAGO --- If you have optimal heart health in middle age, you may live up to 14 years longer, free of cardiovascular disease, than your peers who have two or more cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

The study was published Nov. 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

After a natural disaster occurs, we often find ourselves glued to the TV, seeking out details about the extent of the damage and efforts at recovery. While research has shown that exposure to this kind of coverage is associated with symptoms of traumatic stress in youths, new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests that the relationship isn't quite so simple.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – November 5, 2012 – A multicenter registry has demonstrated that the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) to combat sudden cardiac death in high-risk pediatric patients suffering from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The study is being presented Nov. 5 at the 2012 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association (AHA) in Los Angeles.

According to an article in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology, a medical imaging facility in San Diego, Imaging Healthcare Specialists, has implemented a successful radiation dose reduction program, reducing radiation exposure by up to 90 percent in some patients.