In every calendar year, roughly 25% of all the patients in a nursing home are transferred to a hospital or emergency room. There have been recent concerns within the healthcare community that transfer rates are higher than what they should be. A recently published study looks at the frequency of…
The Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA) recently published an article titled, “Factors Associated with Physician and Nurse Practitioner Pressure Ulcer Staging Practices in Rehabilitative and Long-Term Care” that studied patterns of assessment, staging, and documentation practices concerning pressure ulcer wounds in skilled nursing facilities. The study investigated…
A recent study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection looks at the transmission of bacteria in long term care facilities. The researchers reported the results of their experiment in “Effect of an infection control programme on bacterial contamination of enteral feed in nursing homes”. The study measured the spread…
The job of prescribing medications requires balance. The goal must be to improve the health of the patient as much as possible while minimizing risks, taking into account any negative side-effects or quality of life issues. Such considerations are especially important for elder care in nursing homes, as the residents…
The Journal of the American Medical Director’s Association has just published a literature survey looking at the overuse of antibiotics and spread of resistant bacteria strains in long-term healthcare institutions. The authors have sifted through 156 scholarly reports on the subject to come up with a synthesized statement on long-term…
A recently published study examines levels of burnout in healthcare workers. Via interview and survey, the researchers looked to discover what percentage of workers suffer, what are the contributing factors that make staff more susceptible, and what types of facilities are most conducive to burnout. The study concluded that burnout…
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an infection that is commonly contracted by residents of skilled nursing facilities. It is a type of bacteria that lives on the surface of the skin and does not become a problem until it enters the body, usually via open wounds, such as pressure sores,…
A new study published in the Journal of American Medical Directors Association, looks into the care of dementia in nursing homes. The researchers focused the diagnosis and treatment aspects of dementia, finding very low levels of each in nursing homes in the US and across Europe. Knowledge about dementia and…
You go to a hospital to get better, or at least to receive what medical assistance as may be possible. What you do not expect is for the hospital to make you worse, to give you a new disease. This is exactly what has allegedly happened to patients at Exeter…
The long awaited Supreme Court verdict on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (dubbed Obamacare), has come back in mainly favor of the new law. In a close ruling, five Justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts, upheld Obamacare with the remaining four dissenting. Although the majority of the law…