UK programmes designed to help the unemployed get back to work and support young parents are losing impact because they are not designed with the participants’ gender in mind. Men as well as women can lose out as a result of ‘gender blind’ policies. This finding, based on two case studies in the North East [...]

Making flu shots mandatory in 2008 dramatically increased the vaccination rate among St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare’s nearly 26,000 employees to more than 98 percent, according to a report now online in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
The study’s lead author, infectious disease specialist Hilary Babcock, M.D., says the success of the mandatory program demonstrates it is [...]

Quintiles have announced findings from a recent study from a program in which a team of 19 nurse educators helped raise awareness of a newly approved oncology drug for a major pharmaceutical company from 37% to 57%. The results are from an awareness study of 150 clinical practice registered nurses who were provided a survey [...]

Aine Brady, T.D., Minister for Older People and Health Promotion, announced that applications for the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, A Fair Deal, have exceeded 7,000.
“I am delighted that so many people have applied for the scheme. However, I am aware that there are many other people who could benefit from applying for the scheme and [...]

Elsevier, the leading global publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, is pleased to announce that the AORN Journal, the official journal of the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), has expanded its editorial content and redesigned the layout of its print format. These changes reflect AORN’s commitment to their mission and [...]

As president of the G-8 in 2010, Canada will champion a major initiative to improve the health of women and children in the world’s poorest regions,Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper writes in a Toronto Star editorial. Canada will lay out its plans as president of the G-8 and host of June’s G-20 summit when global leaders meet this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Harper says.

According to Harper, “The world’s poor have been hit hardest by the global economic downturn, and in these difficult times we must address their pressing needs.” He continues, “Each year, it is estimated that 500,000 women lose their lives during pregnancy or childbirth,” adding that “an astonishing nine million children die before their fifth birthday.” Harper writes, “This is simply not acceptable.” The United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals called for reducing the number of pregnancy-related deaths by 75% by 2015, according to Harper. “It now appears this target will go unfulfilled,” he says, adding, “What makes it worse is that the bulk of deaths during pregnancy — experts claim as many as 80% — are easily preventable.”

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners has joined the ACT Division of General Practice ( ACTDGP), the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Pharmacy Guild in opposing the establishment of stand alone nurse practitioners working from pharmacies in the ACT.

The organisations are calling on the ACT Assembly to put the ACT Health Chief Executive’s approval of five stand alone nurse practitioners positions on hold until the community is assured that such positions will do no harm.

RACGP NSW and ACT Faculty Chair Dr Elizabeth Marles said it was concerning that there has been no consultation with the general practice community or the GPs in the local area prior to these positions being approved.

Dallas businessman Mike Roberts flew to Haiti on his company jet Monday with two doctors, a nurse and a load of medical supplies. His aim was to help in any way he could.
One of his first tasks was to comfort a dying boy.

“I have seen 3 people die in my first 5 hours. One was just a boy – he slowly died of respiratory failure. As he gasped for air he rarely took his eyes off me,” Roberts said in an e-mail message Tuesday evening.

More than 1,500 registered nurses from across the U.S. have responded in less than one day to the call by the nation’s largest organization of registered nurses for volunteers to provide assistance to residents of earthquake devastated Haiti -leading the RNs to now issue an urgent appeal for the public to support these efforts with donations of funds to support travel costs and medical supplies on their upcoming emergency nursing mission.

More than 700 registered nurses from across the U.S. have responded in just a few hours to the call by the nation’s largest organization of registered nurses for volunteers to provide assistance to residents of earthquake-devastated Haiti – and the RNs are now issuing an urgent appeal for the public to support these efforts with donations of funds to support travel costs and medical supplies on their upcoming emergency nursing mission.