Medicine | NC Health Action

4 Most Well Known Medical Organizations

Hospitals, great medical universities, and emergency relief organizations all make up a huge body of well-known medical organizations. But the four most recognized medical organizations are the American Red Cross, the World Health Organization, the AMA, and John Hopkins.

1. The American Red Cross

The first most recognized medical organization can always be found where there is a crisis or disaster. Founded in 1881 by Clara Barton, the Red Cross has become the most recognized emergency response organization in the country. It offers relief not only to those across the world suffering from the ravages of war, but also to those who are victims of natural disasters.

2. The World Health Organization (WHO)

Next is an institution established in 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO). It functions as the coordinating body for world-wide health concerns, including the reduction of the spread of diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. It was able to declare the complete eradication of smallpox and is attempting to do the same with polio.

3. The American Medical Association (AMA)

The American Medical Association, or AMA, represents one-third of those with careers in medicine. It also publishes one of the most renowned medical journals in the world, “The Journal of the American Medical Association.” Not only does the AMA lobby for and disburse funds for political campaigns, it also runs many health-related campaigns of its own in order to help change government policy in favor of the medical community.

4. John Hopkins Hospital

Finally, the John Hopkins Hospital opened in 1889 with the school of medicine following in 1893. This was the first time a hospital and a school worked together in order to combine research with medical care. Since that time, this facility has gained international recognition for its ground breaking research and unparalleled medical care.

Filed Under: Health Center Tagged With: American Medical Association, American Red Cross, John Hopkins Hospital, Medicine, Organization, World Health Organization

How Medical Malpractice Can Cost You

Medical Malpractice is one of the biggest concerns in the medical world today because of its high effect on the workforce. Many doctors are not malignant in their work when they commit medical malpractice. Instead, many are simply overworked and rushed. The many cases of medical malpractice have raised costs for doctors and patients alike, however, as doctors’ insurance increases dramatically as cases of malpractice are involved. These costs are then passed down to their patients. These high medical bills make keeping in good health or saving a life a costly expenditure that is simply not affordable for many people.

Insurance companies are not to blame, however. Doctors simply have little room for error when the life and health of a patient is on the line. With such a high-stress job, twelve-hour shifts may need to be replaced. One medical malpractice Southern California-based case involved a patient’s chart being misread by a doctor on the eleventh hour of his shift. The doctor overlooked her allergy to a specific medication, and the patient lost her life. Clearly, a new system of working must be implemented to ensure that doctors are alert and awake on the job.

If hospitals do not start to recognize their need for changes in how they staff and schedule, however, what else is passed down to the patient? Certainly more medical malpractice cases include loss of life or quality of life. Poorer care will also be a symptom, as will a higher chance of a misread chart or a missed life-threatening sign. These costs are not acceptable, just as the higher insurance premiums are unaffordable.

Filed Under: General, Health Tagged With: Medical malpractice, Medicine, Patient

Why The Doctor’s Staff is Important

Many doctors’ offices have staff in them that are not of the medical profession. These people can include secretaries, billing department personnel or even cleaning staff. While the staff might not be of a medical background they can actually have an impact on the way that patients perceive that particular doctor’s office.

Medical staffers are the patient’s first contact that the patient has with the doctor. This means if the staff is impersonal, mean, short or rude on the phone it could often give the patient the wrong impression of the doctor. In fact, many patients have been known to judge a doctor and their experience completely on how the front desk people acted.

Many doctors need to consider the impact that their staff may or may not have on their patient’s and whether or not they return. While it isn’t an integral part of the medical experience it is an important one. By understanding just how important their health care staff is to patients doctors will be able to properly train their staff to be professional, friendly and courteous.

A recent research showed that when the staff of a health care provider were friendly, personable and viewed in an overall good light, patients rated their overall health care experience higher than those that received bad health care. The study also showed that patients were more likely to ask questions to their doctor and be more involved with their health care in general.

With all these benefits why would a doctor not want to take the time to make sure his staff is professional, friendly and overall the best they can be.

Filed Under: Health Care, Medication Tagged With: Health care, Medicine

Preparing In Case of a Medical Emergency Invoving Your Child

It is every parent’s worst nightmare their child has fallen off the monkey bars or down the stairs and hit their head. There is blood everywhere and their child is crying. While you can never be properly prepared for this medical situation there are a few things that you can keep in mind and do to make this situation a lot easier on both you and the child.

Here is a look at some things that you can do to make sure that you are prepared for a medical emergency that your child might experience.

Keep Information Handy. It is important that you keep all necessary information handy. This will allow you to not have to go searching for it should an emergency happen. Necessary information can include health insurance, preferred hospital or doctor, medical history and any medications your child is currently on. This is all information you will need when you go to the doctor or hospital and having it handy will help you spend more time with your child.

Keep a First Aid Kit Handy. While a first aid kit won’t help if your child needs stitches it can help ease your child’s pain a little. Try to keep a first aid kit handy that has an emergency ice pack or heating pack as well as band aids, gauze and items to press on anything that is bleeding. First aid kit is often the key to preventing injuries from getting worse so make sure you have one handy.

Try To Stay Calm. It might be hard but you have to remember to stay calm. If you start to panic your child is likely to panic. Should you find yourself in an emergency medical situation the first thing you need to do is take a deep breath and try to be as calm as possible. You do not want your child getting stressed, nervous or even scared.

Filed Under: Child Health, Medical Procedures Tagged With: First aid, Medical emergency, Medicine

Researching Your New Doctor

There are thousands of doctors in the United States. This can often make choosing the right one hard. Many patients do not know how to properly research the doctors that they are planning on using. By not properly researching their doctors these patients are often unsatisfied with the service and quality health care they receive.

If you are planning on switching doctors or looking for a new one here are some ways that you can research your doctor so that you can get the quality care you want and need.

Review Sites. There are various review sites that previous and current patients use to review their doctor. While sites like this were not intended for medical reviews people have started to use them to offer their opinion on their doctors and what they had to offer. This is a great way to get a first hand opinion on the doctor that you are considering. Just remember all reviews should be taken with a grain of salt as some people can often post negative reviews in an effort to hurt or harm the doctor’s reputation.

Online Research. Search engines are great sources for finding out information on your doctor. You can find out if they are affiliated with any organizations or even if they specialize in certain forms of medicine.

Medical Boards. You can always call your state medical board to check up on a doctor that you might be considering. Your medical board might not be able to tell you if there are any pending investigations but they can tell you any previous reports or problems they might have had. In fact, your state medical board is the best place to check up on a doctor that you are considering as they keep a record of all problems and complaints.

Filed Under: Health Care, Medication Tagged With: Health care, Medicine, United States

Getting Your Sick Child to Take Medications

Dealing with a sick child can be difficult. When children do not feel good they are often needy, cranky and tired. This can make giving them the necessary medications difficult. As a parent there are a few things that you can do to get your sick child to take their medicine so that they can feel better quicker.

Mix it in Food. Many medicines that your child might be taking can often be mixed in with foods that they love to eat. You can crush up the pills and put them in pudding, jello or ice cream. Your child will be encouraged to eat the food and while they do so they get their medication. It is a good idea to make sure that you check with the pharmacist and make sure that the medications can be ground up or mixed with food.

Tell a Story. Children love to hear stories. A great way to get your child to take their medication is to try to create a story involving the medicine. In the story the medicine will usually come and save the day. A great example of this is a story that involves a princess that is stuck in a tower sick all day and the only thing that makes her better is taking the secret potion the cures her ailments.

Treat Your Child. If your child is looking forward to playing with their dolls or toys try to use those as treats. Explain to them that they can only play after they have taken their medication. This will get them to take the medicine and allow them to have a little fun afterwards.

These methods of getting your child to take their medicine will often work for many younger children. If you have an older child many parents have success with just explaining to them that medicines make them better and that they need to take them in order to get better.

Filed Under: Child Health, Medication Tagged With: Child, Medicine

Take Care of Your Eyes

: Image via Wikipedia

More people are afraid of losing their sight then of losing their memory. The irony is that those same amount of folks donâ€™t consider having simple eye exams to insure their optic lenses stay healthy. If youâ€™re lucky enough not to need glasses then the chances of you going for an eye exam decrease even more. You should treat your eyes like the rest of your body with annual exams by a qualified optometrist.

Glaucoma is often referred to as the â€œsight stealerâ€ as it is an eye disease that can sneak up on your and rob you of your vision. Glaucoma is the result of increased pressure on the optic nerve which ends up blocking out its functions. African American and senior citizens are at particular risk. Although glaucoma canâ€™t be reversed, it can be stopped.

Cataracts are another eye disease that is easily detected and just as easily treated. When a person contracts cataracts they are actually getting their eye lens clouded. Cataracts go hand in hand with old age and can be treated with glasses, brighter lights or surgery. Itâ€™s a very common ailment and equally common to cure.
Bacterial Conjunctivitis goes by its popular name of â€œpink eye.â€ This is a viral infection that targets the whites of the eyes causing redness and irritation. Pink eye is extremely contagious and results in the eye secreting a fluid. This makes opening the eye in the morning a challenge. Treatment for pink eye includes eye drops and antibiotics. It can last anywhere from three to ten days.

A sty in the eye is like a pimple on the face. Stys are caused by clogged skin pours and usually find themselves on the eyelid. The sty will go away on its own but can be helped along by a warm compress several times a day. You should try to â€œpopâ€ the sty on your own as this can lead to even bigger complications. Like most everything else on our bodies, we only have one set of eyes and we should be taking care of them the best way we can.

Filed Under: Health, Public Health Tagged With: Cataract, Conjunctivitis, Eye examination, Glaucoma, Health, Lens (anatomy), Medicine, Optic nerve

Is Cosmetic Surgery For You?

: Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Every time we look in the mirror we can see something about our bodies that we would like to change. Cosmetic surgery is one way to make those imperfections seemingly disappear. Undertaking a cosmetic surgery procedure is a very important decision that shouldnâ€™t be entered into lightly. You are setting out to change your physical appearance and some of these changes will be with you for the rest of your life. Whether it is Botox injections to smooth out facial lines or a breast augmentation that will improve your body shape, you want to make sure youâ€™re getting the procedure for all the right reasons.

One of the important benefits from cosmetic surgery is an immediate boost in our self-esteem. This added confidence can make all the difference when it comes to forging social relationships and making career advancements. Some recent studies have tied the increase in cosmetic surgery procedures with a decrease in prescriptions of antidepressant medications. Feeling good means looking good and there is nothing wrong with getting help to look good.

Even for people who have dedicated themselves to a work-out routine and healthy diet there is still the need for a bit of extra help. This is especially true for people who have gone through a major weight loss that has left behind skin folds. This is where cosmetic surgery can step in to finish the work. Itâ€™s also when most people turn to liposuction to help target those stubborn areas of the body that diet and exercise just canâ€™t seem to affect.

For couples, cosmetic procedures enhancements can be just the thing to put a little zip back in the marriage. Donâ€™t we want to look good for our spouses? With a new look comes a new vitality to maintain a healthier lifestyle. Youâ€™re not going to get â€œa new youâ€ and go back to the old ways!

Filed Under: Health, Public Health Tagged With: Botulinum toxin, Breast implant, Cosmetic and Plastic, Health, Medicine, Plastic surgery, Surgeons and Clinics, Surgery

The Differences Between Car Insurance and Medical Coverage

When you look at health and car insurance, there are some similarities. Both can help you get through an emergency, and they both deal with premiums and deductibles. Just because you understand car insurance, it doesn’t mean you know the ins and outs of health insurance.

With medical coverage, you will have a choice between a health maintenance organization (HMO) and a preferred provider organization (PPO). Both types of policies use a managed care plan, which means the insurance provider contracts with medical professionals like hospitals, doctors, and pharmacies. These medical professionals make up the network. If a provider is in-network, you get better coverage than if you use an out-of-network provider.

With an HMO, you get the most benefit from using an in-network provider. Most plans will break down what percentage the insurance provider will pay based on whether you use a contracted medical professional or one outside the network. HMOs also have you work with a primary care physician, who will have to refer you for any type of tests or procedures. In a PPO, you are free to choose which doctors you want to use, but you still get a better deal if you work with an in-network provider. You don’t have to work with a primary care physician. If you want a test done, you can get it without a referral.

Another thing to consider with medical insurance is the amount you pay when you visit a doctor or fill a prescription. This amount will vary depending on your policy, but you may find you have a different co-pay for a family doctor with a higher co-pay for a specialist. You may have a higher co-pay for brand-name prescriptions than for generic medication.

When you understand the basics of health insurance, you can find the best plan for your needs.

Filed Under: General, Health Insurance Tagged With: Health insurance, Managed care, Medicine