RSS

Health Professionals who Helped Build Better Health System in 2011

While thinking for a nice year-end topic to post on this blog, I came across a site featuring 20 people who had great contributions to make the 2011 healthcare industry better. Some of these individuals are longtime industry fixtures while others can be clearly considered as outsiders. Some are persons we look up to while other seems never won in some popularity contests. However, all of them did an outstanding job to change or build a better health system.

From the 20 individuals introduced in HealthLeadersMedia.com, I chose to feature only 11 of them. These 11 people are health professionals who used to be in scrubs uniforms and skilled in using those hospital medical equipments.

Patrick J. Quinlan, MD
CEO, Ochsner Health System
New Orleans, LA
He headed in creating Change the Kids, Change the Future Program. Patrick J. Quinlan believed that the best way to happiness is found by helping others through improving the health and wellness of the entire community thus, he started it with the children. Hence; he conducted a study that focuses on changing the behavior of children and families in order to reduce chronic disease in the community.

AnnMarie Papa, DNP, RN
President, Emergency Nurses Association
Philadelpha, PA
The increasing prevalence of hospital violence that ER nurses’ often encounter while on the job led AnnMarie Papa to conduct a study concerning the safety of nurses, which then became an eye opener for senior hospital administrators to take a look at their nurse staff.

Vineet Arora, MD, MPP, FACP
Associate Professor of Medicine
University of Chicago
Pritzker School of Medicine
She always wanted to know why some things work while others don’t in healthcare. So she lead a research that reshapes sleep schedules for doctors to improve quality and safety of the patients.

(left)Brad Cohn, MD, and (right)Alex Blau, MD
Physicians and Mobile App Developers
Their study focuses on good communication between doctors and patients. They believed that the ability to communicate with patients, especially when obtaining medical history and physical exam, is the best diagnostic tool a physician could have since not all patients can speak the same language as their health providers.

George Berci, MD
Senior Directory of the Endoscopic Research Laboratory
Cedars Sinai Medical Center
Los Angeles, CA
As a surgeon, one of the difficulties he encountered during diagnostic procedure is seeing what is really happening inside the bile duct. So he asked help from a London physicist and they develop a new form of hospital medical equipment called rod-lens system that has the capacity to improve the visual field for the said procedure.

Robert Donaldson, NPC
Clinical Director of Emergency Medicine
Ellenville Regional Hospital
Ellenville, NY
In his study, he mentioned the important role played by emergency department nurse practitioners. He said that they are basically comparable to doctors as too can admit, manage, and discharge patients when they are rushed into the emergency department.

Thomas Hansen, MD
CEO, Seattle’s Children Hospital
He is the brainchild behind the Hansen ventilation – a hospital medical equipment that could lead to affordable care for infants in developing countries with breathing problems. He knows that in not so well-developed countries, mechanical ventilators are very expensive. And this is among the major factors why thousands of infant lives are not being saved.

Jeanne Yeatman, MBA, BSN, CEN, EMT
Vanderbilt LifeFlight Program Director
Nashville, TN
She believed that coping with the emotional connection to the patients is among the biggest challenges encountered by paramedics or flight nurses. Hence, she developed programs that help improve care coordination among flight crews, paramedics and ED staff.

Michael Edmond, MD
Epidemiologist
Virginia Commonwealth, U. Medical Center
Richmond, VA
He noticed that the way hospitals try to prevent infections is not making any sense. This is why he developed a program that promotes zero in on simple hand hygiene. He also recommend that hospital staffers should focus more on keeping the hospital medical equipment sterile at all times instead of testing  for MRSA.

Nicholas Christakis, MD
Professor of Medicine and Medical Sociology
Harvard Medical School
Cambridge, MA
He is both an expert physician and a social scientist. Christakis analyzed the old-fashioned face-to-face networks that people form as they connect with friends, families, neighbors, coworkers, and others. And through his study, he learned that people are connected hence; their health is also connected. A person’s health does not only depends on his personal choices and behavior but it is also influenced by the people surrounding him or her.

Diane Whitworth, RN, CWOCN
Nurse Safety Scholar-In-Residence,
Richmond, VA
She has been a champion in the nationwide effort to eliminate hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, which is recorded as the second most common patient safety incident. 

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Home Medical Equipment that Goes Digital

Getting the vital signs of the patient before is a little bit time consuming for nurses. Almost all instruments used monitoring the overall health condition of an individual are mechanically operated. But when advances in medical technology came, digital hospital and home medical equipments were invented.

Medical instruments play crucial roles in saving the lives of people. They are purposely designed to monitor health under difficult conditions. And with digital hospital and home medical equipments, these brought great convenience particularly for the part of nurses most especially on times when there are a lot of patients to attend to. These modern instruments are usually designed with high precision and fast response time. While for the part of the patient, modernize hospital and home medical equipments likewise offer them better comfort than traditional ones.

From a simple thermometer and blood pressure device, all these modern hospital and home medical equipments feature the basic systems of a digitally operated device. And that includes a power/battery management system, control and data processing unit, amplification, amplification and A/D conversion of the sensor input, display units and sensory element. No wonder why modern medical instruments are much better and safer to use.

By the way, I have hear some of the common hospital and home medical equipments that go digital:

Digital Thermometer

This replaces the glass thermometer that typically contains mercury. It is much safer to use and results are easier to read.

Digital Blood Pressure Device

Early diagnosis of hypertension becomes possible. One can easily check his or her blood pressure anywhere with a digital blood pressure device.

Digital Pulse Monitor

Monitoring ones heart rate and rhythm is made easier with this digital pulse monitor. It only needs to strap the opto-pulse transducer on the thumb/finger with Velcro straps; turn the power switch on and the pulse in beats per minute will be automatically displayed.

Portable Glucose Meter

Monitoring the blood sugar is very easy with portable glucose meter. With modern glucose meter, it uses a so called “drum” mechanism so there is no need to use test strips.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Medical Malpractice or Medical Negligence?

While searching for nurses who have been sued for medical malpractice, I came across Legal Law Help site and certain post makes me stop and think for a while. The said post talks about medical malpractice and medical negligence.


Here's the part of the write-up that makes me wonder whether the words medical malpractice and medical negligence can be used interchangeably.

WHAT IS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE?
Medical Malpractice, also called medical negligence, is the failure of a medical professional to meet the standard of good medical practice in the field in which the medical professional practices.
Medical malpractice occurs when a healthcare provider - doctor, hospital, HMO, nurse, other individual or entity licensed to provide medical care or treatment - does something that competent doctors would not have done, or fails to do what a competent doctor would have done, resulting in personal injury or wrongful death.

But as far as I can recall my law101, malpractice and negligence are two different law terms with different meanings. The first term is used to refer when a professional did a wrong thing or procedure that results in injury or damage. The latter term is used when a professional knows what must be done but failed to do it. Hence, medical malpractice should never be used as synonym for medical negligence.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

New Study Reveals Healthy Lifestyle Help Lower Diabetes Risk

A group of researchers claimed recently that if people will only have a long term commitment to healthier food intake and/or exercise on the succeeding years, this will help bring down the risk of developing diabetes. Based on their study, taking an additional step at a time toward healthy lifestyle significantly lowered their risk of developing the said disease despite their family history of diabetes or of being overweight.

This new study, which was led by Jared Reis Ph. D., highlighted 5 healthy habits that were deemed to bring a significant effect on lowering the person’s risk fall to diabetes. These healthy habits include maintaining a normal weight, avoiding smoking, being physically active, drinking alcohol moderately or no to drinking, and opting for hale and hearty diet.  The research result revealed that individuals who follow at least one of those five stated healthy behaviors reduce their chances to suffer from this metabolic condition at about 30% percent.

Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United States and this health condition allows the government to spend $174 billion every year, not to mention the $116 billion paid for direct medical expenses. Meanwhile in WHO data, diabetes ranks 9th as the leading cause of death worldwide. Since 2000, the American Diabetes Association estimated that there are a total of 171 million people who are suffering from diabetes who have been diagnosed to have diabetes and this figure is projected to increase up to 366 million in 2030.  This is exactly the reason why healthcare professionals who often comes wearing a white lab coat and uses stethoscope as among their primary medical instruments, keep on advising everyone to avoid unhealthy lifestyle behaviors to curb the risk of developing chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

The Effects of Boxing to Youngster’s Health

With Pacman’s unconquerable career in boxing, many amateur boxers of today are trying to follow his footstep. Sadly, boxing is not an appropriate sport for young children or those who are under 19 years of age. This is what the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Canadian Paediatric Society is telling to the public, particularly to concerned parents. These two organizations of pediatricians do believe that boxing could compromise the health of the youngsters.

image obtained from Blitzsport

Based on their recent studies, the number of amateur boxers who developed serious facial and brain injuries are found to be higher these days compared to the cases of boxing injuries recorded by US and Canadian healthcare officials in the past decades.  Aside from facial and brain injuries, one thing more that this concerned medical doctors worry about children and youth who are into boxing is that this sport could lead to chronic traumatic encephalopathy – a brain disorder brought by recurring blows to the head. A person with chronic traumatic encephalopathy may experience dementia-like symptoms in the later life.

We all know that a boxer is being rewarded for dedicated and deliberate blows to the opponent’s head. And even if amateur boxers are equipped with the same protect safety gear being used by professional boxers, the group of medical doctors (who often come with a pediatric littman steth hanging on their neck) highly stressed that these safety gears particularly the head guard provides no evidence that it can actually reduce the incidence of concussions and lacerations. 

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Obesity in America: Why it has Grown Worse?

image source:obesity.net
Obesity in America is now a growing problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed in their research that for the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States and prevalence estimates remain high. Based on the statistics of CDC for obesity in US, 33.8 percent of the adults’ populations are diagnosed to be obese and 17% of children and adolescents (ages 2-19) populations are suffering from obesity.

Despite the different weight loss formulas that most Americans follow, it is still so alarming to learn that the prevalence of obesity on the said country continues to increase. And why it is so alarming? Simply because carrying extra pounds is highly associated to increasing the risk of individuals to develop serious diseases such as stroke, diabetes, hypertension, heart and cardiovascular disorders, etc.

One of the common reasons why people become overweight and obese is over consumption particularly of foods and drinks that are high in calories. Let us admit it that our busy work schedule and lack of time to cook healthy meals forced us to be reliant on fast foods or prepared meals. Although these types of meals are usually cheaper and easy to access, what the consumers do not know much is these fast foods and beverages from drive-thru restaurants contain large amount of fats, salt, and sugar hence; they are considered as high calorie foods that provide little nutrition.

It is not too late to conquer obesity in US. If each of us will only be aware of our calorie intake and avoid sedentary lifestyle, for sure the number of obese individuals will be reduced in the coming years.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Tips to Naturally Lower Your Blood Pressure

One of the common reasons why people become obese and at risk for high blood pressure is because of their unhealthy lifestyle. Unhealthy lifestyle simply means the person is smoking, drinking, has poor diet, and lack of physical activity. According to survey, these people with unhealthy lifestyle are three times more likely to die from diseases especially heart-related disorders and cancer. Hypertension is also another prevalent disorder that a person with poor lifestyle may experience.

Today, hypertension or high blood problem is becoming the number one health problem not just of Americans but of all individuals around the world. With more and more children below 18 years old who are becoming obese these days, hypertension is also getting more and more common as obesity is among the risk factors for high blood pressure.

So if you are one of those people with poor lifestyle choices, better think now. If you want to shorten your life span or put an end to it right away, then continue with your poor lifestyle. However, if you still want to live longer and witness your future generation, then start practicing a healthy behavior.

Here in our nursing home facility, many of our clients are hypertensive. We don’t always give them beta-blockers unless the BP level is very high. And on this post, I will share to you our secrets to naturally lower one’s blood pressure or keep it stable at normal level (120.80 mmHg). If you are one those hypertensive people who still want to extend their life span, these tips are for surely beneficial for you.

Have a healthy eating plan
Anything that is too much is bad to your health. Therefore, consume only healthy portions of basic food groups each day. For hypertensive person or has already reached the pre-hypertension stage, having a healthy eating guide is very beneficial. You may consult to a reliable dietitian regarding the recommended number of serving food you need every day. Take note that the recommended daily allowance vary according to the person’s age, gender, as well as if he/she has a disorder. Hypertensive people usually follow a no-cholesterol, low-salt diet.


Be physically active

Avoiding sedentary lifestyle by doing some exercises regularly helps a lot bring your blood pressure down to a safer level. There are so plenty of exercises you can do that are effective to burn the calories you consumed. For hypertensive people, moderate-intensity exercises like brisk walking, biking, and other activities that moderately raise the heart rate are said to be effective in lowering one’s blood pressure.


Drink alcohol moderately and avoid tobacco

The body requires a certain percentage of alcohol for metabolism. However, excessive consumption of could bring a significant effect to the body and one of them is to raise your blood pressure. Meanwhile, hypertensive people should avoid smoking because it does not directly cause high blood pressure; the nicotine content in tobacco injures blood vessel walls and speeds up the process of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).


Regularly monitor your blood pressure

Nothing is better than monitoring your blood pressure regularly. You can now find in the market user-friendly medical instruments for BP testing, which are designed both for home and hospital use. So make sure you have one of these home medical equipment so you can always track your BP level at the same time immediately take preventative measures whenever required.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Easy Steps to Manage Nocturnal Leg Cramps

Night time is meant for sleeping, which is a very important to every individual’s overall health and well-being. Sleeping is the ideal time for the body to repair cells that are often damaged by metabolic wastes. It also helps recharge the fuel that the brain burned or consumed during the all-day activity. But let’s admit it that not all people today can experience a good night sleep. Some are perhaps too busy in their work while others may be suffering from severe health condition that’s why their sleeping habits are the ones being compromised.

Let me share to you one of my clients who often have an interrupted night sleep. Her name was Jaimee and she’s 65 years of age. Just last week, I was assigned as her nursing assistant. Jaimee is still energetic compared to other residents who are also at her age. In fact, she can still perform her activities of daily living by herself so my main responsibility is just to supervise her to prevent potential accidents and injuries. But if there’s one thing Jaimee would always complain, that is the leg pain that suddenly makes her sleepless. Jaime has never incurred injuries for the past days so I am pretty sure that the ache she’s currently feeling has nothing to do with fractures. I conclude that what she is suffering right now is leg spasm or the sudden, involuntary contraction of muscles in her legs. So the moment she told me about the condition of her legs, I offer a therapeutic massage with my hope that this will help relieve the ache. Fortunately, it helped.

The next day, I asked Jaimee how’s her legs and she quickly replied, “They’re better now.” So when she told me about that, I was hoping that she will no longer experience the same pain on the following days. But I was disappointed because 3 days after Jaimee told me that her legs are already ok, she’s here again telling me the leg discomfort. And by this time she said the pain get worse and moving her legs is now more difficult. Thinking that that it’s only muscle spasm, I did the same first aid but sad to say, it didn’t help relieve the pain and the muscles remained in a contracted position. The legs are really hard, almost like concrete, and I can see in her facial expression the intensity of the pain. After failing in my first aid, which includes applying hot compress and then massaging the cramped muscles, I immediately ask assistance from my co-workers so I can bring Jaimee to someone who knows better in medicine at the same time is equipped with the right medical instruments for diagnosing. After the doctor’s thorough examination on Jaimee’s condition, here comes the physician’s findings. There it was stated that Jaimee is suffering a nocturnal leg cramps.

Up to now, healthcare professionals (who often come stethoscopes hanging on their neck) don’t know the exact cause yet for such condition. But some studies claim that leg cramps are a result of increased electrical activity in the affected muscles. Others associate nocturnal leg cramps to dehydration as well as potassium deficiency. Whether or not these studies are true, the good news is nocturnal leg cramps are preventable.

Anyone can experience nocturnal leg cramps. So here are some tips on how to prevent it from happening:
  • Drink plenty of water. Being dehydrated is one probable reason why people suffer from leg cramps. Therefore, drinking enough glasses of water every day will keep your body hydrated. It will also help balance your electrolyte.
  • Eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals especially those that are high in potassium, calcium, and manganese.
  • Stretch regularly, especially the calf muscles. Sitting down often at work provides your calf an abnormal nerve activity, which then leads to leg cramps. So to prevent this from happening, stretch your calf muscles once in a while.
  • Massage your leg muscles at night to loosen them. Massaging is one way of telling the muscles to relax. And if you take a shower, make sure it’s a hot shower or warm bath.
  • Avoid too much alcohol, caffeine, and high-sodium diet because they can make your body lose more fluid, which then bring you to dehydration.
  • Do not overstress your muscles. Getting too much exercise can overstress your leg nerves and make them muscles cramp. 

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Have a great 4th...

photo source: topuspost.com

As we celebrate today the 4th of July, let’s remember also the men who died just to give us the most important thing that every individual desires – independence!

GOD BLESS AMERICA!

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

HIV Testing Day


It's been awhile since my last post. Been busy for the past days that's why I missed to update this page. Anyways, since I am off-duty today, I make it to include blogging in my schedule for this day. And what I will be sharing to you this time is about HIV testing. 

Here in United States, we are currently celebrating the National HIV Testing Day. It is a part of our National Health Observances. The National HIV Testing Day aims to promote testing as an important strategy to prevent and treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Through HIV testing, the person is able to determine his or her HIV status at the same time is able to receive appropriate treatment, monitoring, and health care to delay the progression of the said disorder, extend the life of the patient, at the same time reduce the transmission of virus to other individuals. 

It is essential to immediately take precautionary measure once a person is diagnosed to be positive on HIV because failure to do so could mean another worse disease called acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). And based on the recent survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people who suffers from HIV infection continues to rise each year. So for those who never know their HIV status yet, it would be a good idea to go to a hospital now and be tested before the bad turns to worst. 

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

So Sad



This is how I feel when my fave team Miami Heat fails to get the NBA championship title

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

10 Medical Equipments and Products that Nursing Home Must Have

Similar to other healthcare facilities, nursing homes are also equipped with a number of medical equipments that will help caregivers or nursing assistants like me to effectively carry out our every day duties to people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living. Below is a list of home medical equipment and products essential in my duty. By the way, I work in an assisted living type of nursing home care.




Sphygmomanometer – This serve as a blood pressure device in order for me to accurately monitor the BP reading of my client. Through this, I am able to save my patient from possible hypertension or hypotension. Blood pressure device comes in various types but I feel more comfortable the one with an analog manometer.







Thermometer – This instrument is very essential in getting my patient’s body temperature. And it is so impossible to determine whether the person is suffering from hypo- or hyperthermia without using a reliable thermometer. There are two classifications of thermometer – the glass thermometer and the digital thermometer. I often use the latter device it is easier and safer to use.












Heart Monitor – Portable heart monitor is another important home medical equipment for me when working in nursing homes. Through this, I become aware the heart condition of my patients.















Wheelchair – The wheelchair is among the important ambulatory devices for those who cannot walk. But aside from them, I also use wheelchair to safely and comfortably transport my patient from one place to another. Wheelchairs are available in two types – automatically operated and manually operated. From these two types of ambulatory device, I am at ease in using a manual wheelchair to my patient.






Crutches – This is another essential mobility device for my patients who have mobility impairment or an injury that limits his or her walking ability.
















Gloves – They are part of the personal protective equipment required for every healthcare workers like me. Gloves help protect my hands from being exposed to harmful germs and bodily fluids, which often causes cross-contamination.













Disinfectants – Preventing the spread of infection is always the first priority in healthcare facility. This is the reason why every healthcare worker should have with them a disinfectant like hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap, antibacterial wipes, and sterilizer solution in order to keep ourselves, the facility, and the equipments clean.









Forceps – This handheld, hinged instrument is intended for grasping and holding objects. Its functionality is something that a healthcare professional truly appreciate because without this device, it is very difficult too large fingers to grasp small objects or to hold several objects at one time yet the other hand is busy performing other tasks. The forceps also help in preventing cross-contamination.









First Aid Products – Gauze, bandage, adhesive tape, antibiotic ointment, instant cold pack, and doctor prescribed drugs are just some of the medical products that should be included in a nursing assistant’s first aid kit. They are all necessary when giving first aid like burns, cuts, bruises, sprains, breaks, etc.










Scissors – This is one of the medical instruments for cutting. Scissors comes in different types and the bandage scissors is the one that I commonly used. The said cutting instrument features an ergonomically designed blunt tip at the bottom blade to prevent accidental injury when cutting bandages.



  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Why Am I Obsessed to NBA Lately?


Don't have any idea what to write this time that is connected to healthcare. But if you will allow me, let me just share about the sports that I pay much attention.

I admit I have been obsessed to basketball lately, NBA in particular. Why not? My favorite NBA player Dwyane Wade is competing, along with other Miami Heat players, to grab the championship title for the 2010-11 NBA Season. And it really makes me happy every time I watch Wade's team defeating the Mavs.

Right now, team Heat lead the series with 2 wins 1 loss over Dallas Mavericks (1 win 2 losses). Hopefully, they will still defeat the Mavs in game 5 and that will be on June 7, 2011 at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Caregiving: A Career Where You Will Always Find Employment

It has been a norm in the United States and other developed countries that once a person becomes old or is incapable for taking care of himself due to mental or physical problems, the family will immediately send him to nursing homes – a type of facility that provide long term care for elderly beings. It is housed with experienced therapists, caregivers, and other nursing staffs who will provide continuous nursing care or 24-hour supervision to less active or frail elderly people.  

With the great number of people being sent in nursing facility every year, I can say that caregiving or nursing aide will always be one of the careers where you can find employment, even in a slow economy. So for those who have a dedication of helping others but do not have enough money to obtain a degree in medicine, caregiving is an ideal option.


I’ve worked as a resident caregiver in one of the private institutions based in Georgia before I become a nursing assistant. And based on my experiences, I can say that caring someone who badly needs your help is really overwhelming and fulfilling to the heart. The salary is not bad especially for someone who has no working experience yet as it ranges from $8.91-$12.70 per hour.  Working beyond your schedule is also paid fairly. Moreover, if your client comes from a well-off or generous family; expect to receive a higher bonus especially if they are impressed with the service you provide to their loved ones.  

Just like any other professions, there are also some qualifications required for caregiving jobs. The applicant should be at least 18 years of age and possesses that caring personality. It is also important for a caregiver applicant to have a license since he or she is expected to promote a healthy living for adult by assisting in their activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, toileting, shopping, cooking, cleaning the house and managing schedules appointments. Helping in taking the medicines and monitoring the vital signs of elders depending on the recommendation of their attending physician is likewise included in the day-to-day tasks of a caregiver. When taking the vital signs, some procedures will require the use of basic hospital medical equipment like thermometer and sphygmomanometer thus, it is necessary for a caregiver to be adept in using such instruments.  Furthermore, the ability of a caregiver to speak English clearly and record plan updates are essential. 

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Does Obama Health Care Act Beneficial to Every American?

I have already worked in facilities wherein most of the patients are in chronic health condition. From that, I can say the benefits of healthcare insurance to these ill individuals are undeniable. The difference on hospitalization expenses for patients with health insurance is absolutely amplified compared to those who have none. Patients with no health insurance are expected to pay all the services provided to them, from the medical or surgical instruments used to the medicines to the doctor’s fee and other miscellaneous fees.

But for the past few months, U.S. President Barrack Obama’s Health Care Act has been the talk of the town. The adjustments and added provisions on the House and Bills that have been passed by the Congressional Democrats are among the top reasons that make this health care law controversial. One of the adjustments made is the provision that mandates every American to buy health insurance by 2014 and failure to do so means paying for a penalty.

The opponents of Obama administration regarding the said issue is requesting to repeal the law because they believe that this Health Care Act violates a fundamental right of the citizens. They added that the Congress has no right to require individuals to enter a marketplace and purchase a particular product or goods.

In your opinion, do you think this Affordable Health Care Act of President Obama is beneficial to everyone?


  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

A Simple Card for My Mom


this is to the most special woman in my life... I love you mom!

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Insomia

It's almost dawn and still I cannot sleep yet... It seems I am experiencing an insomnia. Insomnia is a condition wherein the person is having sleep problems that is directly or not directly associated with medical, psychiatric or environmental cause.



  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

Why Do Healthcare Professionals Still Choose Mercury Sphygmomanometer?

Monitoring your blood pressure regularly provides a number of benefits. First, it lets you make early diagnosis of abnormal blood pressure level.   From the BP monitoring result, you and your doctor are able to determine what is the best care or treatment for your condition. Another advantage of checking your blood pressure is that it makes you become more responsible at the same time boosts your self-control. Being at risk of hypotension or hypertension likewise enables you learn how to avoid those things that will aggravate your condition. And with that, you gain a stronger sense of responsibility. Moreover, maintaining your BP reading within normal level definitely reduces your healthcare expenditure.  

Checking your BP level is not possible without the aid of a blood pressure device called sphygmomanometer. It is one of the most important medical instruments that should always be found in every home. The sphygmomanometers, just like any other hospital and home medical instruments, have also undergone series of improvements. The first type of BP monitoring device was invented by Samuel Siegfried Karl Ritter von Basch and this instrument is universally known as mercury sphygmomanometer. After this, a BP device with manometer or an aneroid sphygmomanometer is then discovered. When electronic devices become popular, digital or electronic blood pressure devices are also introduced in the market.  This latter version of sphygmomanometer is offered with manual or automatic inflation.

Although more innovative and user-friendly blood pressure devices are now offered in the market, many healthcare professionals, including myself, still prefer to use mercury sphygmomanometer for some reasons. First of all, this medical instrument cannot be decalibrated so you do not have to clean or repair it regularly. In terms of reliability, you can expect that this type of blood pressure device will always give you a consistently accurate result. Additionally, the mercury sphygmomanometer is cheaper than the modern styles. 

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

The Importance of Eye Chart


At some point in our life, many of our body organs and/or senses will degenerate. And vision has no exemption to that. The normal vision is 20/20, which means the person is able to read or see the objects even if it is 20 feet away. But because of lifestyle, accident, disease, or hereditary factors, our visual acuity becomes poor overtime. Fortunately, along with the advances made in technologies, eye specialists find solutions for us to maintain good eyesight. It may be through surgery, wearing of eyeglasses or contact lenses.

How will we know if it is now time to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses? That will be based on the eye examination result. The ophthalmologist or the person in charge for indentifying eye problems will first conduct an external eye examination then followed by visual acuity.  In determining visual acuity, the ophthalmologist basically makes use of a medical instrument called eye chart. This is one of the important tools being used by eye specialist in determining whether a person is experiencing eye problems or not.

To determine the visual acuity, the ophthalmologist will request the patient to read the characters provided on the eye chart while standing 20 feet or 6 meters away from the chart. Every line of character has a corresponding value. The ability to read the smallest character means having good eyesight.  Aside from testing the visual acuity, the amplitude of accommodation test is the next step. In this examination, the eye specialist wants to find out your ability to focus clearly on objects when they are placed near. Your ability to identify the right color is also checked, followed by a cover test, stereopsis, and extraocular motilities. The ophthalmologist will also check the condition of your internal eye including the pupil, its blood vessels, retina, and the likes using specialized medical equipments.

If for instance your examination brings you good result, then you’re lucky. However, if eye problems arise, treatment will depend on the severity of the disorder.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

How to Get the Pulse and Respiratory Rate Without Using Medical Instruments

As a nursing assistant, one of my tasks is to monitor the vital signs of my client or patient regularly. The frequency of checking the vital signs depends on the physician’s order. For patients who are in critical condition or have just undergone operative procedure, nursing assistants like me are usually advised to do constant monitoring; say within 15 minutes until the vital signs become stable. While for those are not in critical condition but is sick, checking of vital signs is often done after 4 or 6 hours.

What are the things I have to check? This will definitely include body temperature, blood pressure, pulse rate, respiration rate, and other changes on the patient's skin, eyes, etc. Adults and child have different vital signs range but in this post, I will be focusing on adult. The normal body temperature for adult usually ranges from 36.5 to 37.5 degrees Celsius. Average pulse rate should not be less than 60 beats per minute but should not also exceed to 100 beats per minute. Normal respiratory rate is between 18 to 20 cycles per minute. One complete respiratory cycle is equivalent to 1 inhale and 1 exhale.  Meanwhile for the blood pressure, 120/80 millimeters of Mercury is the suggested normal reading. 

Getting the patient’s vital signs does not always need medical instruments. Some of them can be obtained through sensation and observation, just like the respiration rate and the pulse rate. In this type of examination, using of hospital or home medical equipment is not very necessary. As long as there is a properly functioning wristwatch or clock with a second hand, I can always obtain the accurate value for pulse and respiration of my patient. To get the pulse rate, what I do is to palpate the wall of radial artery using the tips of my two fingers (the index and middle fingers). The radial wall is found on the base of the thumb, with the hand out and the palm up. The number of pulsating beats that I accumulate within one minute will serve as my patient’s pulse rate.

Same as the pulse rate, the respiration rate can also be obtained without using medical instruments. To get the respiration rate, all I need is to look and count how many times the chest of the patient rise and fall within one minute. The rising of chest means the person is inhaling and the falling of chest means the person is exhaling. One inhale and one exhale sums up to one respiration cycle. In some patients, acquiring the respiration rate via chest is difficult. On situations like this, I observe the stomach instead.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS

What to Expect in this A Nursing Assistant's Online Journal?

Writing is one of my passions. Whenever I have a spare time, I often spend it into blogging because with this kind of hobby, I am able to continuously exercise and further enhance my skills in writing. Professionally, I work as a nursing assistant in one of the healthcare institutions in Florida. Every day, I use different instruments to my clients who are mostly aged. With my basic knowledge on medical or nursing diagnostic tools, I decided to create an exclusive blog about the different medical equipments and instruments that medical and nursing practitioners like me often use when checking the patient's health condition.  Expect to learn  about the brief history of various diagnostic tools (if they have) as well as their proper usage and maintenance. I will also include in this blog some of the medical equipments or tools that each one of us should always have in our home and the reasons why we should have them. From time to time, I will be featuring too some of the latest medical gadgets that will aid in diagnosing or treating health disorders as well as some of the current issues in the healthcare industry.

  • Digg
  • Del.icio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • RSS