Even mild iron deficiency anemia, as defined by the World Health Organization, is associated with increased mortality and significant morbidity in elderly individuals who are cancer free. Yet, anemia in the elderly is...Even mild iron deficiency anemia, as defined by the World Health Organization, is associated with increased mortality and significant morbidity in elderly individuals who are cancer free. Yet, anemia in the elderly is often dismissed as a benign sign of aging. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that elderly individuals often suffer from gastrointestinal complaints that preclude treatment with iron supplements by mouth. The FDA has approved two brands of injectable iron for treating such patients. Nonetheless, a major American health maintenance organization refuses to treat elderly patients with injectable iron, even when it is indicated, unless their anemia is associated with cancer. This may well reflect a public health crisis afflicting many elderly residents of the United States.展开更多
Community based organizations play a vital role in the health of communities in the United States, particularly among immigrant and minority populations. Yet the gap between the needs of the community and the health i...Community based organizations play a vital role in the health of communities in the United States, particularly among immigrant and minority populations. Yet the gap between the needs of the community and the health issues that are being addressed remains quite large. This qualitative assessment provides a brief summary of community-based organizations in the US that focus on health issues specifically addressing the needs of South Asian Americans. In addition, this assessment explores the health needs of the South Asian American community living in the Washington DC metropolitan region, the fifth largest densely populated city in the US of South Asian Americans. While the report provides an array of organizations serving this population, the question of how effective can community-based organizations be if they can not prioritize their needs based on the community’s needs still remains.展开更多
Introduction: Disaster damage to health systems is a human and health tragedy, results in huge economic losses, deals devastating blows to development goals, and shakes social confidence. Hospital disaster preparednes...Introduction: Disaster damage to health systems is a human and health tragedy, results in huge economic losses, deals devastating blows to development goals, and shakes social confidence. Hospital disaster preparedness presents complex clinical operation. It is difficult philosophical challenge. It is difficult to determine how much time, money, and effort should be spent in preparing for an event that may not occur. Health facilities whether hospitals or rural health clinics, should be a source of strength during emergencies and disasters. They should be ready to save lives and to continue providing essential emergencies and disasters. Jeddah has relatively a level of disaster risk which is attributable to its geographical location, climate variability, topography, etc. This study investigates the hospital disaster preparedness (HDP) in Jeddah. Methods: Questionnaire was designed according to five Likert scales. It was divided into eight fields of 33 indicators: structure, architectural and furnishings, lifeline facilities’ safety, hospital location, utilities maintenance, surge capacity, emergency and disaster plan, and control of communication and coordination. Sample of six hospitals participated in the study and rated to the extent of disaster preparedness for each hospital disaster preparedness indicators. Two hazard tools were used to find out the hazards for each hospital. An assessment tool was designed to monitor progress and effectiveness of the hospitals’ improvement. Weakness was found in HDP level in the surveyed hospitals. Disaster mitigation needs more action including: risk assessment, structural and non-structural prevention, and preparedness for contingency planning and warning and evacuation. Conclusion: The finding shows that hospitals included in this study have tools and indicators in hospital preparedness but with lack of training and management during disaster. So the research shed light on hospital disaster preparedness. Considering the importance of preparedness in disaster, it is necessary for hospitals to understand that most of hospital disaster preparedness is built in the hospital system.展开更多
文摘Even mild iron deficiency anemia, as defined by the World Health Organization, is associated with increased mortality and significant morbidity in elderly individuals who are cancer free. Yet, anemia in the elderly is often dismissed as a benign sign of aging. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that elderly individuals often suffer from gastrointestinal complaints that preclude treatment with iron supplements by mouth. The FDA has approved two brands of injectable iron for treating such patients. Nonetheless, a major American health maintenance organization refuses to treat elderly patients with injectable iron, even when it is indicated, unless their anemia is associated with cancer. This may well reflect a public health crisis afflicting many elderly residents of the United States.
文摘Community based organizations play a vital role in the health of communities in the United States, particularly among immigrant and minority populations. Yet the gap between the needs of the community and the health issues that are being addressed remains quite large. This qualitative assessment provides a brief summary of community-based organizations in the US that focus on health issues specifically addressing the needs of South Asian Americans. In addition, this assessment explores the health needs of the South Asian American community living in the Washington DC metropolitan region, the fifth largest densely populated city in the US of South Asian Americans. While the report provides an array of organizations serving this population, the question of how effective can community-based organizations be if they can not prioritize their needs based on the community’s needs still remains.
文摘Introduction: Disaster damage to health systems is a human and health tragedy, results in huge economic losses, deals devastating blows to development goals, and shakes social confidence. Hospital disaster preparedness presents complex clinical operation. It is difficult philosophical challenge. It is difficult to determine how much time, money, and effort should be spent in preparing for an event that may not occur. Health facilities whether hospitals or rural health clinics, should be a source of strength during emergencies and disasters. They should be ready to save lives and to continue providing essential emergencies and disasters. Jeddah has relatively a level of disaster risk which is attributable to its geographical location, climate variability, topography, etc. This study investigates the hospital disaster preparedness (HDP) in Jeddah. Methods: Questionnaire was designed according to five Likert scales. It was divided into eight fields of 33 indicators: structure, architectural and furnishings, lifeline facilities’ safety, hospital location, utilities maintenance, surge capacity, emergency and disaster plan, and control of communication and coordination. Sample of six hospitals participated in the study and rated to the extent of disaster preparedness for each hospital disaster preparedness indicators. Two hazard tools were used to find out the hazards for each hospital. An assessment tool was designed to monitor progress and effectiveness of the hospitals’ improvement. Weakness was found in HDP level in the surveyed hospitals. Disaster mitigation needs more action including: risk assessment, structural and non-structural prevention, and preparedness for contingency planning and warning and evacuation. Conclusion: The finding shows that hospitals included in this study have tools and indicators in hospital preparedness but with lack of training and management during disaster. So the research shed light on hospital disaster preparedness. Considering the importance of preparedness in disaster, it is necessary for hospitals to understand that most of hospital disaster preparedness is built in the hospital system.
