Technology and Communication Barriers

New developments in technology are helping overcome communication barriers in health care. With new computer systems in place, nurses have quicker access to patient clear and concise patient charts, which decreases the probability of misleading information. Hearing aids collect sounds, make them louder, and then transfer them to the ear canal giving the user the ability to better hearing therefore improved communication with other individuals. In the hospital setting this has a major impact with the older population in improving their hearing, and allows for better treatment. Overall as technology continues to develop and be implemented in the hospitals I believe that communication barriers will be on the decline.

Debt and Health Problems

I have added a video to describe how debt leads to health issues. Enjoy!

Choose a Workout Buddy.

Whether you are new or have been exercising for awhile, there are great benefits to having a Workout Buddy (WB). A WB can be someone who works out with you, side by side, or someone who just gets you to physically go with them to classes or the gym. A buddy can often help you stay motivated, challenge you and make exercising fun. That said, there are certain qualities to a WB that are crucial to making the ‘buddyship’ work. If those qualities aren’t there, the buddy system might fail. Further, if YOU are considering being a WB to someone else, you too should possess some of the qualities below:

Commitment:

A lot of people have good intentions about exercise and about ‘Buddying Up’. At the same time, a lot of people, can be a lot of talk with very little action. As a result, you want to make sure that you choose a WB who is committed to your friendship and motivates you to work out!

Likes to Try New Things:
If your WB doesn’t like to try new things, they might drag you to the same class every day of every week. Finding new activities to enjoy with one another is a great way to keep your workouts interesting and fun. Further, keeping your workouts fresh and diverse helps you to continually see results.

Is Selfless:
Your WB may have similar goals to yourself or may be different. Ensure that both of you create challanges for yourselves and strive to achieve those goals.

Works Hard:
Both parties need to be invested in working hard together. Further, you want someone who is more interested in getting something out of the workout than about the latest gossip about what is happening in media.

Kids being Meidicated for Chronic Conditions

The number of children on medication for chronic illnesses in the United States went up between 2002 and 2005 across a range of diseases, with a doubling of medication for type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.

The researchers investigated commercial medical insurance claims made between 2002 and 2005 for a nationally representative sample of more than 3.5 million children aged from 5 to 19 years.

The results showed that:

• Out of 1,000 children 29.5 of them recieve medication to treat asthma.
• Type two diabetes prevelance doubled within the two years this study occured.
• This was due to a 166 per cent rise among females aged 10 to 14 and 135 per cent among females aged 15 to 19.
• Overall the number of children recieving medications for chronic conditions, is more prevelant in girls than boys.

This information was recieved from:

Cox, R., Halloran, D., Homan., Welliver, S., Mager, D. (2008). Trends in the Prevelance of Chronic Medication Use in Children 2002-2005. Pediatrics. 122(5), 1053-1061. Retrieved Octover 30th, 2008, from http://depts.washington.edu/thmedia/news.cgi?section=bodyimage

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. All of the pink ribbons are meant to remind women everywhere to get a mammogram, and to learn and practice regular self-exams of their breasts. Getting to know your own body gives you the best advantage of finding an abnormality early. Early detection is a huge factor in the successful treatment of any cancer but especially breast cancer.

As nurses we need to set the example by doing. Schedule your mammogram today! Or remind your wife and other loved ones.

More information about breast cancer, treatment, symptoms, and exams please see the following website:
http://www.yapstuff.org/page/healthy_breasts.html?gclid=CIrZhMKIyJYCFSYMDQodpi3OLw

My first blog

Hello to my fellow peers!

This is my first Blog entry. People have asked me for a while why I do not start a blog of my own; frankly I didn't have the time. I have come to the realization that there is so much useful information that I come across in my daily life, and I need a way to share it with others. In many cases the ideas and information do not require much writing anyway. Blogging seems to make a lot of sense as an actual time saver for me, and I can still share my new knowledge with everyone. Thanks for reading and I hope all my time and effort helps (or at least entertains) you on many levels.