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Adaora Adimora, MD, MPH, professor of medicine in the division of infectious disease at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, NC, recently discussed her research on the nuances of HIV risk behavior among women with AIDS Alert.
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The Heinz Family Philanthropies, Welvista and Abbott recently announced a solution that will help HIV patients waiting for access to antiretroviral medications.
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CD4+ t cells were obtained from HIV-negative donors and HIV-positive patients receiving HAART with suppressed viremia. Using a single-cycle replication system and an X4 pseudovirus used to infect cells, minocycline, at concentrations from 0-50 ug/mL, demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction in the percentage of infected cells.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently updated its guidance on antiretroviral Therapy (ART) and sexual transmission in a question and answer format posted on one its websites. Highlights of the Q&A include:
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Tuberculosis is the world's leading cause of death from HIV infection in most parts of the world, but other than a TB vaccine given to infants, little has been done to prevent the spread of TB in this population.
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Evidence continues to mount in favor of starting HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) soon after diagnosis. And San Francisco public health doctors are leading the way to making early treatment standard practice with new guidelines that recommend the practice.
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States that do not require HIV testing in prison might consider an opt-out testing option that has been shown in North Carolina to dramatically increase HIV testing among inmates.
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[Editor's note: This is the second in what is now scheduled to be a three-part series on reducing violence in the ED, due to breaking news. In last month's article, our experts discussed the importance of a "zero tolerance" policy. In this article, we outline key steps recommended for reducing violence and discuss the importance of having clear procedures when it comes to dealing with patients and their families. Next month we will examine the Sentinel Event Alert just published by The Joint Commission that discusses why the ED is particularly susceptible to episodes of violence, outlines leading causal factors, and provides additional guidance for violence prevention.]
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[Editor's note: This article is the first in an ongoing series reviewing the latest findings of the Emergency Department Benchmarking Alliance (EDBA) and how ED managers are addressing the challenges that members have identified. This first article discusses how ED managers are combating steadily increasing volume. The EDBA for 2009 shows increases of 5%-10%. The EDBA findings are significant because they represent feedback from 376 high performing EDs serving 14.8 million patients in the calendar year 2009.]
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Unless your ED is planning an expansion, the amount of space you have to work with is finite. However, as the leadership team at Jersey City (NJ) Medical Center has shown, creative use of that space can significantly improve your department's capacity and help slash wait times and the number of patients who leave without being seen. In less than a year, average wait times went from 3-4 hours to 30 minutes, and the left without being seen (LWBS) rate went from 6% to 1.5%.
