quality | Page 44 of 48 | Health Newstrack

4000 new midwives for the NHS

The UK government says it will recruit 4000 extra midwives in England by 2012 to relieve pressure on overstretched maternity services in NHS. – UK Health Secretary Alan Johnson announced a package of measures to recruit an extra 4,000 midwives to the NHS over the next three years. During a visit to Royal Victoria Infirmary Maternity Unit in Newcastle, the Health Secretary will outline plans to give former midwives a ‘golden hello’ worth up to ?3,000 to help them return to work after a break in service.

Aquatic exercise could benefit fibromyalgia sufferers

The addition of an aquatic exercise programme to the usual care for fibromyalgia in women, is cost-effective in terms of both health care costs and societal costs. – Patients suffering from fibromyalgia could benefit significantly from regular exercise in a heated swimming pool, a study published today in the open access journal Arthritis Research & Therapy shows. The findings suggest a cost effective way of improving quality of life for patients with this often-debilitating disorder.

UK government wasting money on private treatment centres

UK government continues to waste money on private treatment centres, says British Medical Association (BMA). – Researchers writing in the BMJ, argue that there is no good evidence that independent sector treatment centres provide value for money or high quality care. The involvement of private companies in the UK’s National Health Service always generates controversy.

Colorectal cancer deaths are down in US

The American College of Gastroenterology is committed to national policy changes to improve access to colorectal screening and increased use of these proven prevention strategies. – New data revealing decreasing trends in cancer deaths in the United States overall, and in colorectal cancer deaths in particular, highlight the remarkable benefits of colorectal cancer screening tests, but the lifesaving potential of these tests is unrealized for many Americans, according to experts from the American College of Gastroenterology.

Cholesterol drug statins may reduce heart’s atrial fibrillation

Special issue of JACC features intriguing link between statins and Atrial Fibrillation (AF) prevention, tools to ensure the highest-quality AF care, and more. – When we’re young, a racing heart often means love is in the air. If you’re a “baby boomer,” it might mean you’ve just joined the 2.2 million Americans who have atrial fibrillation (AF), an irregularity in the heart’s rhythm that grows more common as we age and markedly increases the risk for stroke.

Stem cells may aid stroke recovery

Human embryonic stem cell-based therapies have the potential to help treat stroke disease. – Neural cells derived from human embryonic stem cells helped repair stroke-related damage in the brains of rats and led to improvements in their physical abilities, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Higher formaldehyde exposure in travel trailers, mobile homes

CDC releases results of formaldehyde level tests; FEMA to expedite relocation of residents from temporary housing units. – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released preliminary results from recent testing that found higher than typical indoor exposure levels of formaldehyde in travel trailers and mobile homes used as emergency housing in the Gulf Coast Region.

Marijuana smoking impairs cognition in multiple sclerosis patients

Smoking marijuana can have a harmful effect on the cognitive skills of people with multiple sclerosis (MS). – People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who smoke marijuana are more likely to have emotional and memory problems, according to research published February 13, 2008, in the online edition of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Male births increase postnatal depression

This research is the first to show that the birth of a boy reduces several dimensions of the mothers’ quality of life. Further research needs to explore the effectiveness of programmes targeting the construction of parenting skills as a preventative measure against PND, especially for parents of boys. – Giving birth to a boy can lead to higher levels of severe post-natal depression (PND) and reduced quality of life than having a girl, according to research published in the February issue of Journal of Clinical Nursing.

DCIS patients overestimate breast cancer risks

Many women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) have inaccurate perceptions of their breast cancer risks, according to a study published online February 12 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. – Many women with newly diagnosed DCIS have inaccurate perceptions of the breast cancer risks that they face, and anxiety is particularly associated with these inaccurate perceptions.