Copyright 2008 Medical News Today Latest Public Health News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/public_health/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119648.php All too often child victims of sexual exploitation and trafficking are blamed and punished across South Asia, where weak national legislation can lead to further victimization of children, according to a UNICEF report launched recently. The report "South Asia in Action: Preventing and responding to child trafficking" found that laws need to be strengthened to protect children after they have been trafficked, as well as from being trafficked. Public Health Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119659.php The Wall Street Journal on Thursday profiled Carilion Health System, a large not-for-profit hospital system in southwestern Virginia that critics maintain has created a monopoly on health care services in the area. According to the Journal, not-for-profit hospitals, which account for the majority of U.S. Public Health Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119658.php The costs incurred by U.S. hospitals in 2006 increased by 0.9%, compared with the average annual increase of 4.8% from 1997 through 2006, according to a study released Wednesday by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Bloomberg/Denver Post reports. Public Health Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119689.php The Kickapoo American Indian tribe in Kansas has declared a health care emergency and has requested $150,000 from Indian Health Services, the AP/Kansas City Star reports (AP/Kansas City Star, 8/27). The request will allow the tribe to continue running its health clinic through the fiscal year ending Sept. Public Health Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119649.php Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) has chosen his vice presidential pick and is expected to announce his choice on Friday, the Washington Post reports. McCain, who opposes abortion rights, in an interview in Abortion Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119630.php MarkMonitor®, the global leader in enterprise brand protection, released the Summer 2008 Brandjacking Index™, reporting that brandjackers increasingly abuse top-ranked pharmaceutical brands, endangering consumers via a supply chain compromised by the sale of questionable prescription drugs through dubious online pharmacies and exchange sites. Public Health Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119639.php The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation's oldest and largest, independent association for physicians-in-training, announces its partnership with the Massachusetts Medical Society, owner and publisher of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). Beginning today, AMSA student members will be eligible for a $52.00 annual subscription to the journal including online access to NEJM.org. Medical Students / Training Fri, 29 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119608.php The Stanford University School of Medicine will no longer accept support from pharmaceutical or device companies for specific programs in continuing medical education, as industry-directed funding may compromise the integrity of these education programs for practicing physicians, officials said. The action on CME builds on a 2006 policy that banned gifts, including free meals, and industry marketing at the Stanford University Medical Center. Stanford is one of the few U. Medical Students / Training Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119585.php 91 percent of people with disabilities think they receive less attention than other minority groups from the presidential candidates, according to a poll recently conducted by Disaboom (OTCBB: DSBO), the premier online community for people with disabilities. Rehabilitation / Physical Therapy Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119587.php Statistics published by The NHS Information Centre show that vacancy rates across the NHS are continuing to fall, with long-term vacancy rates for all of the main staff groups now below 1.0 per cent. The NHS Vacancy Survey 2008 reports on NHS vacancies that remained unfilled for three months or more on 31 March 2008. Public Health Fri, 29 Aug 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119595.php New technologies will force fundamental change in the way healthcare systems operate. Low-cost gene sequencing and biopharmaceuticals will make personalized medicine a reality - tailoring the treatment to the patient. The spread of broadband networks makes telemedicine feasible for many, and computerized patient records will transform medical research. New imaging and diagnostics technologies open the door to more preventative medicine. Public Health Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119547.php The cost of patient care in U.S. hospitals rose just under 1 percent between 2005 and 2006, much slower than the average 5.3 percent per year between 1997 and 2005, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. However, over the 9-year period from 1997 to 2006, the overall cost for stays in the hospital nearly doubled from $177 billion to $329 billion. Public Health Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119563.php BT Business has launched a practical guide - Get fit for mobile working - to help businesses tackle the problems encountered by some of the UK's 14 million mobile workers. The guide is designed to help mobile workers to avoid the back, neck and arm problems that can arise as a result of working in unfamiliar environments with a poor posture. Official figures show that back, neck and arm problems are the most common occupational illnesses in the UK. Over a fifth (20. Public Health Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119566.php The Australian Medical Students' Association (AMSA) has reiterated calls for State and Federal Governments to urgently address the shortage of clinical training places available to medical students and junior doctors. The number of medical students graduating annually in Australia is expected to increase almost three fold in 10 years, from 1200 in 2002 to 3300 in 2012. Medical Students / Training Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119523.php World renowned health experts will present overwhelming evidence that singing has a profound effect on health and wellbeing. Their findings could one day pave the way for 'singing on prescription.' These leading authorities on music and health will present their research at a two-day conference to promote the positive impact of singing in a bid to encourage other healthcare professionals to recognise music as a crucial form of treatment. Public Health Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119533.php Modern Healthcare magazine has named Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, FACEP (Emeritus), executive director of the American Public Health Association (APHA), as one of the 100 most powerful people in health care for 2008. Dr. Benjamin shares this honor with current APHA members Carolyn Clancy, MD; Karen Davis, PhD; and Margaret (Peggy) O'Kane. Public Health Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119661.php A new report from the World Health Organization suggests that the reason most people in the world do not enjoy the good health that their bodies potentially offer from a biological perspective is due to a "toxic combination of policies, economics, and politics" and if this is to change, the world must unite to put equity at the centre of the agenda for human health and development. The report reveals stark contrasts within and between countries. Public Health Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119513.php The South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Tuesday examined how across the U.S., "some insured patients are being asked by hospitals to pay larger portions of their bills upfront -- and sometimes hospitals will not do the procedures until they get their copayments. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119510.php Former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) on Tuesday spoke at the Democratic National Convention in support of presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) and his proposals on health care and other issues, Dow Jones reports. Public Health Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119534.php The National Science Foundation has awarded $356,000 to Cindy Lee, environmental chemist and a professor of environmental engineering and earth sciences at Clemson University, to look at how pollutants cycle through fish and other organisms and wind up on the dinner table. The research will focus on PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), pollutants that have been implicated in problems with brain development in humans. Neurology / Neuroscience Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119558.php Injury prevention experts have long known that teens are less likely than other motorists to wear seat belts while driving. Now, researchers from the Meharry-State Farm Alliance at Meharry Medical College have discovered lack of seat belt use by teen passengers may be an even bigger problem. Public Health Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119484.php Now that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is making headway with an Education Revolution, he should immediately turn his attention to spearheading a Rural Health Revolution, the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) urged. Public Health Thu, 28 Aug 2008 03:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119486.php The Joint Commission and Joint Commission Resources (JCR) announce the 2008 Hospital Executive Briefings conferences. The conferences offer leaders an opportunity to stay up-to-date on key changes to The Joint Commission's accreditation process by focusing on the annual changes to the standards, elements of performance and National Patient Safety Goals. Public Health Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119464.php The inaugural year of The Kavli Prize will be celebrated with a special ceremony that features H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon Magnus presenting the prize to the seven Kavli laureates. Acclaimed scientists in the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience will give lectures throughout the week. For more about the Kavli Prize, including a schedule of all lectures and events, click Neurology / Neuroscience Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:00:00 PDT http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/119466.php Leaders from Summa Health System's Institute for Professionalism Inquiry have released a new book, "Narrative in Health Care." The book delves into the practice of narrative medicine, which recognizes that the stories of patients and clinicians are at the heart of patient care. Primary Care / General Practice