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An elderly woman presents with a chief complaint of constipation, with few symptoms of acute abdomen. Would you suspect appendicitis in this patient? You may find a misleadingly benign physical assessment in older patients, despite the presence of a potentially lethal illness, warns Karen Hayes, ARNP, PhD, assistant professor at the School of Nursing at Wichita (KS) State University.
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In proposed rules published May 18, 2004, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes to incorporate these provisions of the BBA into Conditions of Participation (COPs) applicable to hospitals and to extend these requirements to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).
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The following goals were developed for home health care, but may not apply to all areas of home health, says Maryanne L. Popovich, RN, MPH, executive director of the Joint Commission home care accreditation program.
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Midcycle self-assessments, tracer methodology, and less emphasis on examination of policy books are signs that the new survey process implemented by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is truly different from the survey process of the past.
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These drugs recently received final approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
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Few new antibiotics are in the pipeline; Pharmacy groups establish compounding accreditation board; Be aware of possible drug mix-ups for obstetrical patients; Pancreatic extract makers to submit marketing applications; Concurrent oxandrolone, warfarin use may have adverse effect.
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Pharmacists may turn to drug interaction compendia for detailed information on serious drug-drug interactions (DDIs). New research, however, shows that the compendia seldom agree on which DDIs are considered to be of the highest clinical importance. In the study, researchers found that of the 406 DDIs identified in one or more of the references as having the greatest clinical severity or importance, only nine were identified as major in all four compendia.
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Continued from the May 1, 2004 isssue. Part 2: Clinical Trials Summary, Recommendations, and Criteria for Use.
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New research shows that mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene correlate with clinical responsiveness in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib (Iressa).