Health informatics is a field that lies at the intersection of medicine and information technology. It deals with "the storage, retrieval, and optimal use of biomedical information, data and knowledge for problem solving and decision making,"...
Whether your doctor keeps a paper file of your medical records or has converted your medical history to a portable digital file, medical identity theft is a growing problem you should take steps to avoid, according to the U.S. Federal Trade...
Home health services provided by Medicare offer elderly patients a chance to recuperate at home. Medicare-certified home health benefits include skilled professional care services, such as physical and occupational therapy, nursing, medical social...
The Food and Drug Administration is tasked with regulating electronic muscle stimulators. They review the safety and functionality of stimulators on the market, which are used mainly for physical therapy and recovery programs. While the FDA states...
Health care information systems replace medical history paper trails with electronic data. Written medical documents require storage, as well as time and money to transfer the information from one medical setting to another. When all your medical...
The state of Vermont, and its largest city of Burlington, are acknowledged as being among the healthiest places to live in the U.S. However, significant issues affect the current state health care system, which is presently undergoing a redesign....
Implanted morphine pumps are a valuable breakthrough in science. However, like any electronic medical equipment, they do not come without the potential for malfunction. If you have one of these devices implanted, it is vital that you educate...
Effective communication during a hand-off between caregivers in the medical profession is essential to understanding the health needs of a patient as he progresses from one area of care to the next. The purpose of improving hand-off communication...
Medication safety tips help people prevent medication errors and adverse drug reactions or negative drug effects. Sometimes these occur despite following all precautions and directions. But many adverse drug reactions occur because people do not...
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) notes that magnets have been used for health purposes for centuries. Today, healing magnets are widely available in a variety of strengths and applications. They are used in...
The use of digital body composition analyzers has increased in popularity to assess healthy weight in both the medical field and fitness industry. Body composition, also known as body fat percentage, is a more accurate predictor of healthy weight...
The success of electric muscle stimulation for muscle growth is debatable. However, its use in rehabilitating injured muscles and ligaments has proven beneficial. When recovering from injury, your muscles have a tendency to waste away from lack of...
The privacy of your medical information is protected by federal laws. These laws apply nationally, not just in Ohio, although some states have laws that are even stronger than the federal laws. The privacy laws in Ohio were re-emphasized by the...
Diabetes mellitus is a condition wherein blood glucose levels increase due to abnormalities in insulin-mediated regulation. Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a condition of insulin deficiency caused by destruction of the insulin-producing pancreas...
A physical therapist develops a treatment program to help a patient regain mobility, minimize discomfort and strengthen his body to help prevent future disability. A therapist supplements her hands-on techniques with targeted exercises on...
A universal health care system provides health care benefits to every citizen of the nation. The United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Canada employ universal health care systems funded by government-mandated or government-run programs. However,...
Retail clinics are a business approach for making money on common ailments (for example, sinus infection, pink-eye and ear infections) and serve the additional purpose of relieving a growing burden on hospital emergency rooms. You can find them...
Medicare provides in-home services to patients who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and have a life expectancy of less than 6 months. The benefits include a wide variety of services that are more comprehensive than those provided by...
Health policy broadly describes the actions taken by governments---national, state, and local---to advance the public's health. It is not a single action but requires a range of legislative and regulatory efforts ranging from ensuring air and...
Eating meals at fast food restaurants is an integral part of the daily lifestyle for many Americans who seek a quick and inexpensive way of fulfilling their hunger. Fast foods contain high concentrations of calories and unhealthy nutrients that...
The ovaries can give rise to benign, or noncancerous, tumors. These tumors most commonly occur in women of childbearing age, but may also arise in postmenopausal women. Benign ovarian tumors are categorized into three types: surface epithelial...
A healthy lifestyle that includes a balanced diet, regular exercise, limited alcohol and no smoking can lower the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Although several medical studies are inconclusive on the benefits of exercise to prevent this...
I am a baby boomer. At this stage of my life, there are many things important to me that were not on my mind even a few years ago. Like so many seniors, I want a place to call my own and plan to do anything I can to remain there. The popular...
Electronic muscle stimulators temporarily strengthen and tone muscles for physical therapy purposes, according to the Food and Drug Administration. They do not produce the results necessary for weight loss or body sculpting.
The website Health Effects of Smoking reports that an estimated 17 million Americans try to stop smoking each year. Non-tobacco cigarettes, also known as electronic cigarettes, work by delivering a nicotine vapor. Unlike actual cigarettes, with...
The muscles throughout the body contract in response to electrical currents. Electronic muscle stimulation utilizes this property to allow for the forced contraction of muscles, which allows it to be used for a variety of medical purposes.
Electronic pulse pads or electronic muscle stimulators are devices that mimic a muscular workout. When you attach the pads to your body, they send electronic signals that contract and release the muscles. You can build muscle with electronic pulse...
Electronic fetal monitors help medical personnel track the health of a laboring mother and her baby in the womb. Fetal monitors are especially useful in high-risk pregnancies. The technology has some drawbacks, including false positives that may...
Although participating in athletic activities is considered beneficial to your health, there is inherent physical risk in any athletic or sporting activity. A personal health record can literally be a life-saver in the event you need medical...
