Author Archive, nburgess

How many friends do you have on Facebook? Not only can you friend someone now, you can actually share your decision, or not, to be an organ donor in the event of your death. This social media connection will also allow you to be aware of the wishes of your family members and friends. The Need for Organ Donation Currently, there are close to 114, 000 adults and children awaiting an organ transplant, according to Donate Life America. This organization ... More »

So, you are admitted to the hospital and your primary care physician (PCP) does not participate in your day-to-day care. Who is in charge of coordinating your care? The answer is simple: a hospitalist. The term, hospitalist, was first used by the New England Journal of Medicine in 1996 when there were a few hundred physicians practicing in this category. There are currently thousands of hospitalists in this rapidly growing specialty. The Need for This Role As physicians work to increase their ... More »

Primary care physicians (PCP) are in high demand. Patient needs are rising and the PCP shortage is worsening. These multifaceted MDs are the "go-to" person for preventive and maintenance healthcare. They are critical players in the overall health care system. Primary care physicians fall under the auspice of many titles: family doctor, general practitioner, pediatrician, internist, and family physician just to name a few. The Statistics According to the Harvard Medical School Center for Primary Care, only 2% of medical students are interested ... More »

Watch out! Ticks are everywhere and they are nasty. These creepy little creatures often carry Lyme disease, which is a very serious type of bacterial infection. Depending upon the type of tick, the season, your geographic location and how long the tick has been attached to the skin, the risk of developing Lyme disease varies substantially. Basic Information About Ticks Deer ticks are the culprits that carry Lyme disease. They are brown in color and the size of a poppy seed or ... More »

Did you ever wear a nursing cap? Until the 1980s, the crisp white nursing cap represented several traditions to the wearer, the patient and the other professional staff members. Then, things changed. History of the Cap Florence Nightingale was the organizer of modern nursing at the time of the Crimean War in 1854. She encouraged nurses -- who were typically women -- to dress professionally by wearing a modest uniform (usually an ankle-length dress made from wool) complete with an apron and ... More »

Is it worth the dues to join a professional nursing organization? Well, that's up to you. There are a multitude of positive reasons to join up with one but you must first decide which organization best suits your professional needs and expectations. A Variety of Choices There are "general" nursing organizations like the American Nurses Association (ANA) and also many specialty organizations that are focused on one particular medical discipline. The specialty groups range from Occupational Health to PeriAnesthesia and everything in ... More »

The health topic of the week is a simple but important one: heart transplantation and the issues that accompany this life-saving surgery. Former Vice President Dick Cheney recently underwent this surgery after his name was on a national waiting list for 20-months. So what's all the buzz about? Here are a few basic facts: The first heart transplant was performed in 1967. 5,000 heart transplants are performed worldwide every year; 2,000 are done in the United States. 3,100 patients in the U.S. are currently ... More »

Vitamin D is essential for our health and well-being. Sunlight is a strong source of vitamin D, but new research reports that it is not sufficient to meet our body's vitamin D requirement. The study, reported by Dr. Richard Gallo, chief of dermatology and professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego, states that, "nutritional sources [of vitamin D] are clearly required." What is the Problem? Dr. Gallo reported that vitamin D is "absolutely necessary" for bone health. ... More »

As the general patient population changes, primarily as result of advanced aging, healthcare needs to also change. As healthcare changes, so do the places where the vast majority of nurses are employed. Such circumstances do not occur overnight, but rather they slowly evolve and begin to develop as a trend. In addition to the changing patient population, the federal government's health care reform will dramatically impact the 2.7 million nurses working in the United States. With a key component of the ... More »

Hospitals need adequate staffing to deliver safe patient care with positive outcomes. When there is a gap in the schedule, administration often relies on the nursing staff to step up and cover the hours. Nurses working overtime, more than 40 hours a week, compromise patient care and safety on a daily basis. Voluntary versus Mandatory Research shows that there is little difference in error occurrences whether nurses work voluntary or mandatory overtime. Nurses working voluntary overtime do not sleep any longer than ... More »