Hospital Wanderer

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

A Glimpse of Best Children's Hospital in US

Here is the list of the America’s Best Children’s Hospital in accordance with U.S. News & World Report. The criteria was not based on how many doctors they have in the hospital, nor children patients, nor how hi-tech are their medical instruments, medical equipments and tuning fork but Best Children's Hospitals focuses on medical centers whose young patients come with cancer, cystic fibrosis, defective hearts, and other life-threatening, rare, or demanding conditions. The rankings showcase the top 50 children's centers—20 more than last year—in each of 10 specialties: cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, neonatology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology, and urology.

Children's Hospital Boston

The hospital with a 396-licensed bed children's hospital in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Children's was the first stand-alone pediatric hospital in New England to be awarded Magnet status by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. One of the largest pediatric medical centers in the United States,Children's offers a complete range of health care services for children from birth through 21 years of age. Its Advanced Fetal Care Center can begin interventions at 15 weeks gestation, and in some situations (e.g., congenital heart disease and strabismus) Children's treats adults. Children's Hospital scientist Dr. John Enders and his team were first to successfully culture the polio virus and were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1954.Dr. Joseph Murray, chief plastic surgeon at Children's Hospital Boston from 1972-1985 was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1990 for his research on immunosuppression.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is one of the largest and oldest children's hospitals in the world. CHOP has been ranked as the best children's hospital in the United States by U.S. News & World Report and Parents Magazine in recent years. As of 2008, it was ranked #1 in the nation for paediatrics. Each year the hospital admits more than 15,000 children and more than 600,000 are seen in the emergency and outpatient departments.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) is a 523-bed pediatric hospital located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is home to the country's busiest pediatric emergency department, performs the second largest number of surgical procedures at a children's hospital in the nation, and is southwest Ohio's only Level 1 pediatric trauma center. Cincinnati Children's receives the second-most NIH funds of any pediatric institution in the United States. The pediatric residency training program at CCHMC is among the largest in the world, training approximately 130 graduate physicians each year. Cincinnati Children's is home to a large neonatology department that oversees newborn nurseries at local hospitals and the medical center's own 59-bed Level III Regional Center for Newborn Intensive Care.American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize for its leadership in improving outcomes through family-centered care and a dedication to transparency (2006).

Texas Children's Hospital, Houston

Texas Children's Hospital is a pediatric hospital located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas. With 639 licensed beds and 465 beds in operation, Texas Children's is the largest children's hospital in the United States and is affiliated with the Baylor College of Medicine as that institution's primary pediatric training site. Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthrough developments in the treatment of pediatric cancer, diabetes, asthma, HIV, premature birth, attention-related disorders, organ transplants and cardiogenic disorders. More than 42 pediatric subspecialties are available to patients at Texas Children's. The hospital's medical staff includes more than 1,580 board-certified, primary-care physicians, pediatric subspecialists, pediatric surgeons and dentists. In 2003, Texas Children's more than 1,000 nurses achieved national Magnet Recognition, one of the highest honors in nursing.

Children's Hospital Colorado, Denver

The Children’s Hospital is a nationally-ranked, nonprofit hospital for children located in Colorado. For more than a decade, U.S. News & World Report has recognized The Children's Hospital as one of the nation's top 10 children’s hospitals. The Children’s Hospital ranked seventh (7th) in the magazine's “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals” issue published in May 2008. The Children’s Hospital was awarded Magnet nursing status in 2005. The Magnet Nursing Services Recognition Program was established in 1993 to recognize healthcare organizations that provide the very best in nursing care. Out of 100 children’s hospitals in the nation, The Children’s Hospital ranked 10th for overall care; 2nd in pulmonary care; 7th in ER care; and 9th in orthopedic care.

Johns Hopkins Children's Center, Baltimore

Opened in 1912 as The Harriet Lane Home for Invalid Children, the nation’s first pediatric hospital affiliated with an academic research institution, Johns Hopkins. Baltimore banker Henry Johnston and his wife Harriet Lane bequeathed our founding funds in memory of their sons, who died in childhood from rheumatic fever. By 1930, their clinicians had discovered that sulfa drugs can prevent its fatal cardiac devastation. According from them, "for nearly a century now, we’ve been pushing the boundaries of American pediatric medicine and developing world-class care for the sickest children and their families. Visit here often for more about our revolutionary brand of medicine and the dedication, innovation and brilliance..."

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Doctors: Where Life and Death Lies

Even doctors wearing medical apparel especially white scrubs can't deny the fact that there are cases that they can't control the death of an individual. In their humble hands, patients can live or die, and yet too many situations had shown them that living and dying is beyond their power and control.

From: The Hands Where Life and Death Lies

Doctors were given the full responsibility within their patients’ health. No wonder that when their patients’ health had improved, it is the doctor in charge who is claimed as responsible to it. However, when their patients die, the doctor will always be blamed. This entails the fact that when it comes to patient’s life, the physician will be held accountable at all times.

The truth is, in this world, there really exists good and bad doctors. Here in this post, I got some excerpt of the latest news about good doctors and bad physicians. Check this out:

BAD DOCTORS

Philadelphia Abortion Doctor Accused of Killing Babies With Scissors, Charged With 8 Murders

An abortion doctor in Philadelphia has been charged with eight murders, including seven babies who prosecutors say were born alive then killed with scissors. Dr. Kermit Gosnell, 69, and nine employees from his West Philadelphia Women's Medical Society were arrested Wednesday. He and his staff also are charged with killing a woman who was given a lethal dose of Demerol. Gosnell catered to minorities, immigrants and poor women, and made millions of dollars over 30 years performing illegal and late-term abortions in squalid and barbaric conditions, prosecutors said. "There were bags, and bottles holding aborted fetuses were scattered throughout the building," said Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams. "There were jars lining shelves with severed feet that he kept for no medical purpose."

Polish medics accused of killing patients and selling the corpses to undertakers

A court in Lodz was told last week that a number of ambulance drivers, with the full co-operation of some doctors, allegedly injected patients with the muscle relaxant Pavulon to hasten their deaths. The drivers would not even take patients to the geriatric ward, but whisk them straight to the undertakers. Andrzej Nowocien, a paramedic, is charged with the murder of four people while his colleague, Karol Banas, is charged with murdering one patient. Janusz Kuklinski, a doctor, faces 10 charges of manslaughter and Pawel Wasilewski, also a doctor, faces four charges of manslaughter. He is further accused of illegally supplying information on people's deaths on more than 200 occasions to undertakers. All have pleaded not guilty. Nowocien told the trial: "On one occasion we were to transport a severely ill patient from Lodz, in central Poland, to a nearby hospital in Glowno.”We figured there was little sense in travelling all the way to Glowno because the patient was about to die any minute anyway. So we headed straight for the undertakers instead, knowing the problem would solve itself on the way. We passed on the woman's corpse to the funeral home."

GOOD DOCTORS

The List of Good and Bad Doctors

Monday, April 11, 2011

The Risk of Electronic Hands-Free Faucets at Hospitals

“We were surprised by the initially high bacterial counts.”

Study results showed Legionella bacteria levels between 0 and 3,000 bacterial colony forming units per milliliter of water from newly installed, electronic hands-free faucets at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, which is in fact all equipped with the latest electronic-eye sensors to automatically detect hands and dispense preset amounts of water. The study further shows that these faucets were more likely to be contaminated with one of the most common and hazardous bacteria in hospitals compared to old-style fixtures with separate handles for hot and cold water.

What is Legionella bacteria, anyway?

According to Mr. Wiki, Legionella acquired its name after a July, 1976 outbreak of a then-unknown "mystery disease" sickened 221 persons, causing 34 deaths. The outbreak was first noticed among people attending a convention of the American Legion – a congressionally chartered association of U.S. military veterans. Over 90% of legionellosis cases are caused by Legionella pneumophila, a ubiquitous aquatic organism that thrives in temperatures between 25 and 45 °C (77 and 113 °F), with an optimum around 35 °C (95 °F). It takes two distinct forms:

Legionnaires' disease, also known as "Legion Fever", is the more severe form of the infection and produces pneumonia.
Pontiac fever is caused by the same bacterium but produces a milder respiratory illness without pneumonia that resembles acute influenza.

For more info, read this article ; Hands-Free Electronic Water Faucets Found to be a Hindrance in Hospital Infection Control or look for the nearest doctors in scrub uniforms near your place.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

The Top 5 Finest Hospitals in US

Howdy,

I’ve been neglecting this blog for quite some time now, and I guess, I need to start all over again. Good thing, I stumbled upon the list of the considered best hospitals in America. This list is not just in accordance with the hospitals’ facilities or medical personnel in nurse shoes or mens scrubs but above all based from competence in complex demanding situations; often with patients whose age or other health conditions pose their own risks. Just for instance, replacing a heart valve in a man in his 90s, diagnosing and treating a brain tumor, and managing inflammatory bowel disease. Here, I’ll post only the top 5 best hospitals in the USA.

5. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles (Designed for comfort and efficiency)

Commonly referred to as UCLA Medical Center, which is located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles in Los Angeles, California. It has research centers covering nearly all major specialties of medicine as well as dentistry and ophthalmology, and is the primary teaching hospital for the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. The hospital's emergency department is certified as a level I trauma center for adults and pediatrics. Collectively, the hospitals and specialty-care facilities of the UCLA Health System make it among the most comprehensive and advanced healthcare systems in the world. In 2005, the American Nurses Credentialing Center granted the medical center "Magnet" status.

4. Cleveland Clinic

I love their banner:)

We are innovators, new technologies, new treatments, and medical "firsts"; We save lives everyday, no patient too sick, no patient too far; We are here for you, caring for your health, your comfot and your peace of mind; We are your caregivers, from infants to the elderly, our patients are an honor and commitment.

This hospital is formerly known as the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. It is a multispecialty academic medical center located in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1921 by four physicians in scrubs and mens scrubs for the purpose of providing patient care, research, and medical education in an ideal medical setting. It is one of the largest private medical centers in the world, having more than 3,200,000 patient visits in 2009, with almost 80,000 hospital admissions. It has also approximately 2,500 staff physicians and residents wearing hospital shoes or nurse shoes, and represents 120 medical specialties and subspecialties. It was ranked number one in America for cardiac care from 1994 to 2009.

3. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston

It was founded on 1811, making this year their 200 years of service to patients. This hospital is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and a biomedical research facility in Boston, Massachusetts. It is owned and operated by Partners HealthCare (which also owns Brigham and Women's Hospital and North Shore Medical Center). MGH is part of the consortium of hospitals which operates Boston MedFlight and is a member of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. MassGeneral Hospital for Children is a primary pediatric teaching site for the Harvard Medical School too.

2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Mayo Clinic, Saint Marys Hospital and Rochester Methodist Hospital form the largest integrated medical center in the world, providing comprehensive diagnosis and treatment in virtually all medical and surgical specialties. More than 350,000 patients from all walks of life seek answers at Mayo Clinic each year.

This is not for profit organization, which is an integral part of the larger Mayo Health System of clinics, hospitals and medical research facilities and schools consisting of Mayo Clinic, Mayo Medical School, the Mayo Graduate School, the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Mayo School of Health Sciences, and several other health science Mayo Clinic partners with a number of smaller clinics and hospitals in Minnesota, Iowa, Arizona, Florida, and Wisconsin. It specializes in hard-to-treat diseases, and is known for innovative and effective treatments for diseases that had gone undiagnosed or under-treated in the same patients with other doctors. It accomplishes high medical quality through values such as "The needs of the patient always come first", by coordinating the efforts of its entire group of doctors, and by devoting over 40% of its resources towards research (rather than just medical practice). Mayo Clinic has been consecutively on Fortune magazine's “100 Best Companies to Work For” in America list for eight years.

1. Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore

At the heart of patient-centered care. Determined to practice visionary medicine at its new hospital, Johns Hopkins embarks on a delivery model centered on patients and families.

America’s No.1 for 20 years in a row. Founded by the famous philanthropists John Hopkins and is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland (USA). The Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine are the founding institutions of modern American medicine and are the birthplace of numerous traditions including "rounds", "residents" and "housestaff". This hospital is widely regarded as one of the world's greatest hospitals.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Delivery Rooms' Memories vs Safety: What will Prevail?

Meritus Medical Center, a Maryland hospital, recently banned pictures for five minutes after the baby's birth. A hospital spokesperson said the policy is to "protect patient privacy" and "reduce potential staff distractions." This is according to The Baltimore Sun.

Indeed, there are times that pictures, videos and any other gadgets that are used to record the memories of the babies' first minutes on earth can distract some men and women wearing dickies hip flip and cartoon scrubs and even some patients.

The new policy however, created disagreements and criticisms from many including parents and as well as law officials. Let me quote some of them.

"There's no question in my mind or in the minds of other colleagues who I've worked with on the obstetrical side that hospitals are doing this so as not to have a piece of evidence generated that can be used against them in a court of law. They do it to hide the truth."

_Brian McKeen (medical malpractice attorney)_

"What's next, the father can't be in the delivery room?"

_Laurie Shifler(will be delivering her eighth child at the hospital under the new policy)_

On the other hand, doctors and nurses in cartoon scrubs or dickies hip flip don't give us any idea what they think about the said policy.

How about you? Are you in favor of the delivery room pictures ban?

Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Ethical Dilemma on Jesse Shipley's Case

If you are a parent and your child suddenly died of an accident, what would you feel? Of course you will be very lonely, right? But what will you do if your child died and two months after his funeral you received news from a friend of your late child saying that she had seen the brain of your child displayed in a morgue? Whoa! Horrified? Angry? Shocked?

The case of Jesse Shipley had attracted attention on the web lately. He was 17 years old and was a student of Staten Island, New York. He died in a car accident last January 2005. He was autopsied and his body was brought back to his parents, which is a misconception since one of his classmates in the said school that he attended saw his brain on a cabinet in the medical examiner's lab. Thus, there are still remains of his body that were not yet given to his parents. And his parents were shocked for they had thought that the body of their child was complete when it was brought back to them. After all who will be the parents that will be happy after finding out that part of their child’s body was taken without their permission?

The College of American Pathologists provides a sample autopsy consent form on its website. According to the form, the consenter authorizes "the removal, examination, and retention of organs....as the pathologists deem proper for diagnostic, education, quality improvement and research purposes." However, the form also states that "organs and tissues not needed for diagnostic, education, quality improvement, or research purposes will be sent to the funeral home or disposed of appropriately."

Is it really proper to take the brain of the young Shipley? Was his brain sent to the funeral? Or to his parents?

In a statement to CNN, the attorney representing the city wrote that although officials sympathize with the family, "it was within the Medical Examiner's discretion to perform an autopsy, and in appropriate cases, to remove and retain bodily organs for further testing."

Jesse Shipley died in an accident. What further testing and study was needed to know the cause of his death?

"To say someone died of a motor vehicle accident, doesn't really tell us anything," Dr. Victor Weedn, a forensic pathologist and a spokesperson for the National Association of Medical Examiners explains. "For example, if a passenger in the backseat was epileptic, their fit could have distracted the driver and led to the death. So, from the outside it may not be so obvious why the person actually died."

Dr. Cyril H. Wecht, a forensic pathologist and attorney who reviews cases like these but is not involved in the Shipley case, says the medical examiner was right to take out the brain for investigation but was wrong to openly display Shipley's name on it."You're talking about a matter of sensitivity and common sense," Wecht says. "Certainly if you're going to have student visitors, then you should not have names and numbers available to see."

Did the family of Jesse Shipley has right to sue the medical examiner who without their permission get the brain of their child?

Ethically speaking these medical examiners in medical scrubs and cargo pants for men or women have the right but did they do everything with due process of law? Did the medical examiners consider what will the family of the deceased will gonna feel? Certainly they weren't aware that "whenever the parent's remember their child, part of their memory is holding a jar of organs in their hands that they never should have known existed."

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Budget for Emergency Room Services at Vancouver Hospitals

VANCOUVER - Fifteen major hospitals across B.C. are getting a total of $22 million to fast-track patients through their emergency rooms as part of the government's strategy to tie funding to hospital performance.

Health Services Minister Kevin Falcon said Wednesday the money follows a pilot project that helped reduce congestion in emergency rooms at several hospitals in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

"With almost two million visits to B.C. emergency rooms last year alone, this investment will help ensure patients receive timely, high-quality patient care," Falcon said in a news release.

The hospitals sharing the cash include seven in the Vancouver area and others in Victoria, Nanaimo, Kelowna, Kamloops, Vernon and Prince George.