While we are fortunate to be living in a modern world that is constantly making advancements in the field of medicine, the side effects of pharmaceuticals can often be dangerous and have implications that must be assessed. The March issue of the Journal of American Medical Directors published an article…
The March 2012 issue of the Journal of American Medical Directors Association features an article titled “Detection of Delirium and Its Symptoms by Nurses Working in a Long Term Care Facility.” Because delirium is often difficult to recognize, the article studied the accuracy of nurses in diagnosing delirium in their…
The February 2012 of Clinical Interventions in Aging published an article titled “Effect of Physical Training on Urinary Incontinence: A Randomized Parallel Group Trial in Nursing Homes.” While previous studies have proven that physical training and resistance exercises are effective in improving muscle strength, the significance of physical training in…
A recent article titled “Observing How RNs Use Clinical Time in a Nursing Home: A Pilot Study” observes how RNs allocate their time between direct and indirect care of their patients. While direct care generally involves physical and psychological care and the administration of treatments, indirect care is more administrative,…
Recently, the Los Angeles Times reported on a hospital that has been accused of patient dumping. Jesse Bravo, a patient at White Memorial Medical Center here in Los Angeles was admitted to the hospital for treatment of schizophrenia. When he was discharged, Bravo’s wife was not notified and instead, he…
Falls are becoming an increasingly prevalent problem in today’s skilled nursing facilities. Because the consequences of fall-related injuries are so detrimental to the health of elder adults and the costs associated with treating these injuries are so high, many recent studies have focused on fall prevention techniques. Many of these…
A recent article in the Journal of Clinical Nursing, titled “Use of Physical Restraints in Nursing Homes and Hospitals and Related Factors: a Cross-Sectional Study,” studies the risks of using physical restraints in hospitals and nursing homes. The article defines a physical restraint as any device that limits the freedom…
On February 8, 2012, Bloomberg News reported that fourteen hospitals in New York are paying $12 million to settle the allegations that they made false claims to Medicare. Beginning in 2000, and for eight years thereafter, these hospitals overcharged Medicare for kyphoplasty surgeries that were performed on osteoporosis patients with…
On February 2, 2012, the International Wound Journal published an article titled “Wound Outcomes in Patients with Advanced Illness.” The article studied elderly adults who were sustaining serious wounds, in addition to suffering from advanced illnesses, such as cancer. The patients had various types of wounds, including pressure ulcers, malignant…
A recent article, titled “Anemia in Nursing Homes: A Complex Issue,” was published in the Journal of American Medical Directors and studied the nature of anemia in skilled nursing facilities, including its causes and treatments. The article cited iron deficiency, protein malnutrition, frailty, and weight loss as some causes for…