Coming soon to a hospital near you: nurses with mobile technology. And for patients at the University of Minnesota Medical Center and Sarasota Memorial Hospital smartphones are already in use. In Minnesota, the phones have created a direct line between patients and nurses. Prior to adopting the technology, patients would ring their call button which someone at the nurse's station would answer. Then the patient request would be relayed to their specific nurse via pager. With this method, patients could be waiting upwards of 10 minutes for a response. With the new system, patient requests are answered almost instantaneously. For more information, click here.
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Nurses working in oncology often see people at their worst. Facing a tough diagnosis, some patients choose to forgo lengthy hospital stays and intense chemotherapy infusions. Instead they decide on quality of life instead of quantity and choose to spend their time at home with friends and loved ones. A question open for debate is how much influence should healthcare providers have on end-of-life decisions? Continue reading here about an oncologist and nurse's differing opinions in a newly-diagnosed cancer patient.
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A national task force of infusion therapy experts was recently convened by the Infusion Nurses Society (INS) to examine the practice of registered nurses determining the distal tip placement of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) by chest radiograph. To reach a conclusion, the task force examined current practices and reviewed existing studies. A survey of state nursing boards was also conducted. Task force analysis determined a need for the expansion of the RN scope of practice to include viewing chest radiographs to determine distal tip placement of PICCs. To read the entire position paper, continue here.
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A panel of physicians and scientists from the Cleveland Clinic has selected 10 breakthrough devices and therapies as their Top 10 Medical Innovations for 2010. The list was unveiled at their Medical Innovation Summit and includes therapies and techniques which:
- Have significant potential for short-term clinical impact (either a major improvement in patient benefit or an improved function that enhances healthcare delivery)
- Have a high probability of success
- Are on the market or close to being introduced
- Have sufficient data available to support its nomination
"Cleveland Clinic is known for its tradition of innovation, and this Top 10 list reflects the hospital's continuing commitment to exploring new ways to treat illnesses and to develop new therapies," said Christopher Coburn, Executive Director, Innovations, the Cleveland Clinic's corporate venturing arm. To see the entire list of innovations, click here.
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There has been a lot of buzz around how medical device and pharmaceutical brands are starting to explore social media. To see social media in action though, you may only need to look as far as a local hospital. In the United States, there are more than 360 hospitals actively using social media tools. As a group they have 186 YouTube channels and have created 267 Twitter accounts. Some real-world examples include:
- A patient being treated for a rare carcinoid cancer shared her experience via YouTube which generated enough requests for the surgery for a hospital to open a monthly clinic for the condition.
- Children's Hospital Boston launched the first health and science blog from a pediatric hospital called Thrive.
- A hospital near Detroit used Twitter to connect with almost 2,000 people to answer questions during brain surgery on a 47-year-old patient.
To read more about how hospitals are incorporating social media and why it matters, continue here.
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Peripherally inserted central catheters are being used more frequently in hospitalized patients. The benefits of using a PICC can be offset by complications including upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (UEDVT). A recent study published in the Journal of Hospital Medicine examined 7,444 PICC-days for 777 patients at the Methodist University Hospital (MUH) in Memphis, TN. Of the 777 patients studied, 38 experienced one or more venous thromboembolisms (VTEs). Patients with a PICC inserted in a location other than the SVC had an increased risk of VTE. PICC-related VTE was also more common in patients with a past history of VTE.
To read the study abstract or to purchase the full study, click here.
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