Get With The Guidelines® is a program that helps ensure consistent application of the most recent American Heart Association/American Stroke Association scientific guidelines for patient treatment. The program includes in-hospital modules for heart failure, stroke and resuscitation as well as a program for outpatient practices.

February is American Heart Month

The American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Outpatient has become The Guideline Advantage™ in collaboration with American Cancer Society and American Diabetes Association.

Mission: Lifeline® is a national, community-based initiative created by the American Heart Association to improve systems of care for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The program focuses on streamlining and coordinating processes to help speed the delivery of appropriate treatment.

Target: Heart Failure is an initiative that provides healthcare professionals with content-rich resources and materials designed to help them advance heart failure awareness, prevention, treatment and recovery.

Target: Stroke is a campaign created to help hospital teams achieve the goal of door-to-needle (DTN) times of 60 minutes or less for ischemic stroke patients that receive thrombolytic therapy by providing evidence-based strategies, clinical decision support, measurement tools and other resources.

More resources for healthcare professionals are available on the American Heart Association’s website.

Source: The American Heart Association

Osteoporosis and heart failure are common, chronic and costly conditions that share common etiologic factors like older age, post-menopausal status and diabetes. Previous studies have suggested that heart failure may predispose a patient to fractures not only because it increases incidence of falling, but because both heart failure itself and its medical treatments can lead to loss of bone mass.

“Our study demonstrates for the first time that heart failure and thinning of bones go hand in hand,” said Sumit Majumdar, MD, of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, and lead author of the study. “Understanding the mechanism between heart failure and osteoporosis might lead to new treatments for both conditions.”

In this study, researchers conducted a population cohort study consisting of 45,509 adults undergoing bone mineral density testing for the first time and followed them for up to ten years. Of the 45,509 adults included in the study, 1,841 had recent-onset heart failure. After adjusting for traditional osteoporosis risk factors, researchers found that heart failure was associated with a 30% increase in major fractures.

“Part of screening for osteoporosis should involve looking at chest X-rays of patients with heart failure,” said Majumdar. “Heart failure patients get a lot of X-rays and they often incidentally show many fractures of the spine that would automatically provide an indication of severe osteoporosis and need for treatment.”

Other researchers working on the study include: Justin Ezekowitz of the University of Alberta; Lisa Lix of the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada; and William Leslie of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada.

The article, “Heart Failure is a Clinically and Densitometrically Independent Risk Factor for Osteoporotic Fractures,” appears in the April 2012 issue of JCEM.

Source: Endocrine Society

Developing good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.

The ADA has free online resources that can help you with oral health presentations, ideas for the classroom and coloring and activity sheets that can be used as handouts. We also have booklets, videos and other materials available for purchase through our ADA Catalog.

NCDHM resources are available on the ADA website.

Source: American Dental Association

NEWS-Line for Nurses – Vol. 13, No. 1F

Joanna J. Burgess, BSN, RN, CWOCN, is a RN specializing in wound, ostomy and continence nursing at an acute care center. She also has a specialty in the treatment of lymphedema, and has educated nurses on a state and national level utilizing the technique of Combined Decongestive Therapy. Joanna graduated with a BSN from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1985, and holds certifications as a massage therapist (1993), a lymphedema therapist through the North American Dr. Vodder School of Lymphatic Therapy (1995), and a WOCN through the Emory School of Nursing (2007). After surviving a rare cancer as a child, Joanna knew she wanted a career helping others in a “nurturing and caring way.” Joanna was named the 2011 Great Comebacks® South Region Award Recipient by Great Comebacks®, a program designed to raise awareness of quality of life issues for people living with intestinal diseases that can lead to ostomy surgery.

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NEWS-Line for Occupational Therapists & COTAs – Vol. 11, No. 1F

Melissa A. Abrams, MS, OTR/L, is an OT specializing in pediatrics at Theraplay, Inc. She graduated from Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania, with a BS in health science and MS in occupational therapy with a pediatric track. She is also certified in Interactive Metronome and Therapeutic Listening®. Melissa has been an occupational therapist for more than three years at Theraplay, and describes her work environment as both “fun” and “rewarding.”

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NEWS-Line for Physical Therapists & PTAs – Vol. 17, No. 1F

Michele Kehrer, PT, DPT, ATC, Owner and CEO of LifeStyle Physical Therapy is a physical therapist specializing in PT for patients with vestibular and orthopedic disorders at her own facility in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from Western Illinois for her undergraduate degree and the University of Illinois at Chicago for her doctorate. Dr. Kehrer also has certifications in cervicogenic dizziness and vestibular rehabilitation. Michele’s clinic, LifeStyle Physical Therapy and Balance Center, has been in business for more than five years, and she describes her job as “exciting!”

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NEWS-Line for Physician Assistants – Vol. 21, No.1

Misericordia University has named Scott L. Massey, PhD, PA-C, as founding department chairperson, program director and professor of the new Physician Assistant program. The five-year Master of Science program, which is offered through the College of Arts and Sciences, begins classes in late August 2012.

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NEWS-Line for Nurse Practitioners – Vol. 18, No. 1

Marcelle Pick, MSN, OB/GYN NP, is an NP and author of The Core Balance Diet and the recent best-selling book, Are You Tired and Wired? She has a BSN and a BA in psychology from the University of New Hampshire and an MS in nursing from Boston College-Harvard Medical School. Marcelle is a certified nurse practitioner in OB/GYN and pediatrics, hosts the weekly radio show, Core Balance for Women’s Health on Hay House Radio, and writes a bi-monthly newsletter featured on the web site for Women to Women, www.womentowomen.com. Marcelle is also a regular contributor for The Huffington Post.

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NEWS-Line for Pharmacists – Vol. 21, No. 1

Melody L. Hartzler, PharmD, AE-C, is a pharmacist specializing in outpatient/ambulatory care in a family practice residency clinic and an assistant professor of pharmacy practice. She graduated from Ohio Northern University in 2009 with a Doctor of Pharmacy, earned a teaching certificate from the Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, and completed an ASHP Accredited Pharmacy Practice Residency with an emphasis in Ambulatory Care at Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center. Melody is a registered pharmacist in the state of Ohio and has certifications in Basic Life Support, APhA Pharmacy-Based Immunization Delivery and APhA Delivering Medication Therapy Management Services in the Community. Melody began teaching at CU in August 2010 and describes her job as “fun!”

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NEWS-Line for Respiratory Care Professionals – Vol. 11, No. 1/2

Keith Siegel, RRT, CPFT, AE-C, Director of Respiratory Care and Neurodiagnostics at Pen Bay Medical Center is a registered respiratory therapist in charge of managing the Respiratory Care and Neurology departments and Center for Sleep Medicine at a community hospital on the coast of Maine. He has an associate’s degree in applied science in respiratory therapy from Southern Maine Community College, and is currently enrolled in a bachelor of science in business administration program at Southern New Hampshire University (graduating in 2012). In addition to being an RRT, Keith is a Certified Pulmonary Function Technologist (CPFT) and Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C). He is also involved with the Maine Society for Respiratory Care and the American Association for Respiratory Care, and believes that “individuals can make a difference” in the lives of others through advocacy.

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NEWS-Line for Speech-Language Pathologist & Audiologists – Vol. 11, No. 1/2

Irela R. Stout, MA, CCC-SLP, is an SLP specializing in dysphagia in Doctors Hospital at Renaissance in Edinburg, Texas. She has a master’s degree in communication disorders from the University of Texas at Pan American and a Certificate of Clinical Competence from the American Speech and Hearing Association. Irela works full-time in a physician-owned acute care hospital and does contract work in a nursing home. According to Irela, she chose to focus on dysphagia in an acute care setting because “it’s one of the few areas in my field where I feel that I can make an immediate difference and contribution to the patient’s care.”

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Groundhog Club handler John Griffiths holds Punxsutawney Phil. This was the 126th celebration of Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, PA

Temperatures were near freezing when he emerged at dawn — unseasonably warm — and were forecast to climb into the mid-40s in a winter that’s brought little snow and only a few notably cold days to much of the East.

Thursday’s ceremony is largely that: Phil’s prediction is determined ahead of time by the Inner Circle, a group who dons top hats and tuxedos and decides in advance what the groundhog will predict.

Organizers expected 15,000 to 18,000 people to witness the furry creature’s prognostication ceremony just before 7:30 a.m. EST.

This year’s crowd was warmer than most. The average early-morning temperature usually hovers around 17 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett was among the spectators this year. Those who couldn’t make it to Gobbler’s Knob could follow the groundhog on Twitter and Facebook, or watch a webcast of the event on his website.

“What started as a small gathering in 1887 has now evolved into tens of thousands of visitors from around the nation and even the world coming to Punxsutawney to participate in this time-honored Groundhog Day tradition,” Corbett said.

The Groundhog Day celebration is rooted in a German superstition that says if a hibernating animal casts a shadow on February 2, the Christian holiday of Candlemas, winter will last another six weeks. If no shadow is seen, legend says, spring will come early.

Phil has now seen his shadow 100 times and hasn’t seen it just 16 times since 1886, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club’s Inner Circle, which runs the event. There are no records for the remaining years.

The tradition attained a large following with the 1993 Bill Murray comedy “Groundhog Day,” in which a weatherman covering the event must relive the day over and over again. Before the movie came out, Phil was lucky to have an audience of 2,500, said Mike Johnston, vice president of the Inner Circle.

And while the group has records of Phil’s predictions dating back to 1886, what it doesn’t have is a tally of whether Phil was right.

Johnston said the reason is simple: “He’s never been wrong.” Phil is “incapable of error,” he said, because the groundhog smartly avoids being site-specific in his prognostications.

If Phil predicts six more weeks of winter, said Johnston, “I guarantee you someone’s going to have six more weeks of winter.”

Source: MSN

Nurses indicated that, despite the implementation of electronic medical records, much of their time away from the bedside is spent documenting orders in multiple places and for regulatory purposes and completing checklists and paperwork.  Less time consuming non-patient care activities include coordinating care between hospital departments and with other caregivers, restocking supplies and preparing medication.

“Our nurses are telling us that while they are now entering orders electronically, they still have to manage many of their activities and records on paper,” said President of Jackson Nurse Professionals, Scott L’Heureux.

His company, along with Care Logistics, partnered with Jackson Healthcare to complete the second biennial study of more than 400 nursing professionals across the country.

In the study, the nurses were asked for recommendations on how to reduce the amount of time spent on indirect patient care.  Solutions frequently offered by study participants include increased staffing resources and more efficient, simplified charting.

“There is a substantial amount of benefit for nurses that can be gained by looking at the processes that support the management and movement of patients within a hospital,” said Karl Straub, President of Care Logistics.

Further details of this survey can be found at www.jacksonhealthcare.com/research.

Findings from this survey are based on data collected from 420 nursing professionals from July to November 2011.  The survey has an error range of +/- 4.8% at the 95% confidence level.

Source: Jackson Healthcare

Oral bisphosphonates are currently taken by some 3 million women in the United States for the prevention or treatment of osteoporosis. In addition, intravenous bisphosphonates are given to thousands of cancer patients each year to control the spread of bone cancer and prevent excess calcium (hypercalcemia) from accumulating in the blood. Bisphosphonates work by binding to calcium in the bone and inhibiting osteoclasts, bone cells that break down the bone’s mineral structure.

“These drugs have been widely used for years and are generally considered safe and effective,” said study leader Athanasios I. Zavras, DMD, MS, DMSc, associate professor of Dentistry and Epidemiology and Director of the Division of Oral Epidemiology & Biostatistics at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. “But the popular literature and blogs are filled with stories of patients on prolonged bisphosphonate therapy who were trying to control osteoporosis or hypercalcemia only to develop osteonecrosis of the jaw.”

Osteonecrosis of the jaw, or ONJ, often leads to painful and hard-to-treat bone lesions, which can eventually lead to loss of the entire jaw. Among people taking bisphosphonates, ONJ tends to occur in those with dental disease or those who undergo invasive dental procedures.

There are no reliable figures on the incidence of ONJ in patients taking oral bisphosphonates. Estimates range from 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100,000 patients for each year of exposure to the medication, according to the American College of Rheumatology. ONJ is more common among cancer patients taking the intravenous form of the drug, affecting about 5 to 10 percent of these individuals, noted Dr. Zavras.

Studies have suggested that genetic factors play a major role in predisposing patients to ONJ.  Delving deeper into this question, Dr. Zavras and his colleagues performed genome-wide analyses of 30 patients who were taking bisphosphonates and had developed ONJ and compared them with several bisphosphonate users who were disease free.

The researchers found that patients who had a small variation in the RBMS3 gene were 5.8 times more likely to develop ONJ than those without the variation. The study also identified small variations in two other genes, IGFBP7 and ABCC4, that may contribute to ONJ risk.

“Our ultimate goal is to develop a pharmacogenetic test that personalizes risk assessment for ONJ, a test that you could give to people before they start to use bisphosphonates,” said Dr. Zavras. “Those who are positive for this genetic variation would select some other treatment, while those who are negative could take these medications with little fear of developing ONJ.”

“At the moment, many women discontinue or avoid treatment for serious osteoporosis because they are afraid of losing their jaw bones,” added Dr. Zavras. “There even are reports of dentists who have refused to perform certain invasive procedures in patients taking bisphosphonates. So there is a great need for a pharmacogenetic screening test to determine which patients are really at risk for ONJ.”

The current study looked only at Caucasians. Further studies are needed to determine whether the RBMS3 gene variation is seen in other racial groups, according to the researchers.

“Genomewide Pharmacogenetics of Bisphosphonate-Induced Osteonecrosis of the Jaw: The Role of RBMS3,” was published in The Oncologist, and is freely available online.

Source: The Oncologist

We’re passionate about school-based healthcare because we know SBHCs are the best way to keep students healthy and in the classroom. That’s why we do this work every day – so that kids have access to the care they need to thrive.

Source:NASBHC