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Providing written information for the patient with heart failure to use at home is important for reinforcing what was taught, says Eileen Brinker, RN, MSN, heart failure program coordinator at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center.
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Last June, The Joint Commission announced its new focus on accountability measures. At that time, it was determined that all but six of the 28 Joint Commission core measures that were aligned with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) measures were accountability measures. Now, it has been determined that four of these six non-accountability measures that are common to CMS and The Joint Commission will be retired, effective with Dec. 31, 2011, discharges.
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Teach-back protocols in educational programs for heart failure patients have been helpful in reducing readmissions. When this technique is used to assess skills in key areas pertaining to the management of this disease, gaps in understanding can be addressed swiftly.
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The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has launched a new video on its lifelinepatients YouTube channel that highlights the need for responsible use of pain medication and proper disposal of the drugs.
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At St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, IA, the essential information that will help patients manage their heart failure and prevent hospital admissions is provided in the form of questions.
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The fundamentals of teach-back need to be taught to staff members who educate patients, says Eileen Brinker, RN, MSN, heart failure program coordinator at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. Brinker learned these fundamentals at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in Cambridge, MA.
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In a trial of two platinum-based chemotherapy regimens for non-small-cell lung cancer in older patients, pretreatment assessment of physical function and quality of life predicted certain different adverse outcomes but neither treatment assignment was superior to the other with regard to improved "global" quality of life.
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FDA issues multiple drug safety alerts; ARBs and cancer risk; and FDA actions.
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The use of sunlamps or sunbeds for tanning purposes has grown in popularity, such that their use is very common among teenagers and young adults. In a well-conducted Australian multicenter, case-controlled study, it is clear that such use among teenagers is associated with a significantly higher risk of cutaneous melanoma. In fact, the risk is higher than it is for middle-aged sunbed users.
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