Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Nov
20
2009

Doctors nurses in teaching hospitals report widespread job stress and sleep deprivation

Despite recently mandated reductions in medical student workload hours, a new study reveals the widespread presence of job stress, and sleep deprivation among physicians and nurses in teaching hospitals. When asked to keep a running account of work activity, patient load, and work stress using handheld computers, physicians reported much higher levels of work stress than nurses.


__________
Print Now! Print Now!   

If you liked this post, be sure to
subscribe to OUR RSS feed!

May
4
2009

Obesity surgery complications and costs declining

A new study by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) found that the average rate of post-surgical and other complications in patients who have obesity surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, declined 21 percent between 2002 and 2006.

Researchers found that hospital payments dropped by as much as 13 percent for bariatric surgery patients time period, partially because fewer complications meant fewer readmissions.


__________
Print Now! Print Now!   

If you liked this post, be sure to
subscribe to OUR RSS feed!

Feb
26
2008

More elderly Americans are living with heart failure

The number of elderly individuals newly diagnosed with heart failure has declined during the past ten years, but the number of those living with the condition has increased, according to a report in the February 25, 2008, issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

“Heart failure affects nearly five million people in the United States, and more than 300,000 die each year as a result of the disease. Heart failure is primarily a disease of elderly persons and, consequently, places a significant and growing economic burden on the Medicare program,” according to background information in the article. The number of people age 65 or older hospitalized for heart failure from 1984 to 2002 rose by more than 30 percent.

Over the next decade, as further studies are conducted, it will be interesting to see the correlation between sleep apnea and heart failure, as well as survival rates, show up in the statistics.


__________
Print Now! Print Now!   

If you liked this post, be sure to
subscribe to OUR RSS feed!



Interesting Apnea Statistics
~~ Apnea in United States ~~

As of May 2, 2009 at 9:47 p.m. (-0500) (ET), the U.S. population
was 306,340,710. Sleep researchers estimate approximately seven percent
of the population suffers from obstructive sleep apnea. Using that
estimate, there are potentially 21,443,850 apneics in the U.S.

~~ Apnea around the world ~~

As of May 2, 2009 at 9:47 p.m. (-0500) (ET), the world population
was 6,777,286,604. Sleep researchers estimate approximately seven percent
of the population suffers from obstructive sleep apnea. Using that
estimate, there are potentially 474,410,062 apneics in the world.