They’re fun and stylish, but can wearable fitness trackers really make an improvement in a person’s health? According to recent research from Australia, it appears they can. The study looked at the effects of wearable fitness trackers on the health and wellbeing of pediatric cancer survivors.
The role of private equity in healthcare has recently come under scrutiny in Washington, as lawmakers argue over the effect of private investors in a sector that relies heavily on public funding. The fact is, private equity has been a part of the healthcare industry for a long time and has both contributed innovations and committed abuses. How can these disparities be addressed to the benefit of all concerned?
Mental health care is always pushed to the side, it seems. That’s even more true when the sufferers are children. Read this discussion between two health reporters on how the pandemic exacerbated an already-extant problem in pediatric medicine.
“I enjoy working with patients with ADHD and wanted to look for other cost-effective, safe, efficacious options to be able to give parents and patients as tools for their toolbox to help with ADHD,” said Dr Key, who specializes in the care of children and adolescents with ADHD in a pediatric primary care office in Austin Texas.
Communication can be difficult for children and babies, especially those with special needs. There are many benefits, health and otherwise, to using sign language to communicate with children. From a medical standpoint, if they are in pain, they may have trouble voicing it or may be crying. Sign language can remedy this.
Chances are you can remember a time when the health care system did not seem to take your concerns seriously or provided care in a way that hardly seemed “caring”. After all, the “system” is huge, so it is not always easy for one patient or parent to be heard. If this situation arises, what do you do? The answer has to do with your unique style of dealing with conflict, your trust in the health care system, and the degree of inadequate treatment. Remember: you are your child’s voice. Any child, and especially an ill child, depends on his or her parent(s) or caregiver to be proactive advocates for their needs.
Being hospitalized for cancer can be a frightening experience for a child, but a friendly and approachable nurse can make all the difference.
“For these children with an oncology diagnosis, they’re very vulnerable. And many times they’re excluded in decisions for their care,” said Bethany J. Petronio-Coia, PhD, RN, a nurse educator at the Rhode Island College School of Nursing. “So it’s really important for pediatric nurses, and providers of all kinds that they think about and reflect on actions and words, and hopefully make some changes to improve the lives of these children.”
While in nursing school, I was taught that there are five key vital signs to monitor: heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure and temperature. These key indicators are constantly monitored and watched for alarming trends. This real-time information gives medical providers an idea on how the patient is coping with whatever aliment placed them in the hospital. We spend years studying how different disease processes affect these five key vital signs, so when those alarming trends surface, we’re in a position to diagnose and act quickly.
COVID-19’s arrival accelerated what pediatricians were able to learn about how kids and their caregivers interact with telehealth. The explosion of visits allowed them to gain knowledge and data it may have otherwise taken a decade to gather, experts say.
Communication can be difficult for children and babies, especially those with special needs. There are many benefits, health and otherwise, to using sign language to communicate with children. From a medical standpoint, if they are in pain, they may have trouble voicing it or may be crying. Sign language can remedy this.