FAST FACTS
• Avian influenza, commonly referred to as “bird flu,” is a human respiratory illness caused by many different subtypes of Influenza A virus that have adapted to, and occur naturally in, birds.
• Recent outbreaks of avian influenza in domestic birds and humans have been attributed to highly pathogenic strains of the virus, including H5N1 and H9N2.
• A total of 409 cases of avian influenza and 256 deaths have been reported since emergence of the H5N1 virus in 2003.
• Global concern over the threat of an avian influenza pandemic has health officials on alert for epidemiological changes, as well as alterations in the virus that would confer efficient human-to-human transmission.
• Research is ongoing to develop effective antiviral drugs and vaccines against avian influenza, while pandemic response plans involve community mitigation effort such as social distancing and quarantine.
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FAST FACTS
• Economic recession adversely impacts the mental health of community.
• Therapists are treating people with anxiety, depression, stress related to financial problems.
• Counselors recommend self-measures when dealing with stressor out of one’s control, an economic downturn.» Full Article
Outpatient electronic medical records (EMR) adoption is a national concern. A New England Journal of Medicine survey indicates that only 4% of clinicians have a fully functional EMR (with order-entry and clinical-decision support capabilities) and only 13% deploy a basic system.1
The centerpiece of President Obama’s stimulus package targets adoption of electronic health records (EHR) by 2014. If outpatient healthcare organizations and private clinicians are unsuccessful in the deployment of EMR technology, how will health information be exchanged between healthcare organizations and personal health records supported universally?
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One of the most widely published anesthesiology researchers, Scott S. Reuben, MD, was found to have fabricated clinical study data in at least 21 academic journal articles, said Jane Albert, spokeswoman for Baystate Medical Center (BMC). An internal investigation was triggered when data from two abstracts under consideration for presentation at the hospital’s annual Research Week were found not to have had approval from the BMC’s Institutional Review Board (IRB), which oversees research on human subjects. This prompted BMC to conduct an investigation of Reuben’s past research, which eventually uncovered an extensive history of fabrication dating back to 1996. Reuben cooperated fully in BMC’s review.The investigation determined that he fabricated data reported in the referenced academic articles, and that all fabricated data were created under Reuben’s sole control. No other investigators or individuals were involved in or had knowledge of the fabrication, said BMC. There are no allegations concerning patient care.
Many of the articles were coauthored with other researchers, including those at other institutions. Evan Ekman, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Columbia, S.C., told Anesthesiology News that he never participated in these studies and that his signature on at least two of the retracted papers he was listed as having coauthored is a forgery.
Many physicians are now questioning the use of multimodal analgesia, the practice of giving patients analgesic and neuropathic drugs—supported by Reuben’s research—rather than narcotics after surgery. The journal Anesthesia and Analgesia plans an editorial in its April 2009 issue to address the impact of the retractions on this area of anesthesiology. Some of the research related to the retracted articles was funded by external sponsors, notably pharmaceutical companies, who were notified of BMC’s final action. No state or federal funds were used to fund Dr. Reuben’s research, some of which took place at BMC, where Dr. Reuben maintained an office. Since the investigation began last May, Dr. Reuben has been on leave from his employment with Springfield Anesthesia Services and is barred from research and educational activities at BMC for at least 10 years.
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View health care related press releases from Western and Central Massachusetts, and Connecticut. » Full Article
