Exceptional Experiences at Community Health Network

There has been a lot of news recently about a national health record being able to display a patient record for the clinicians if someone appears in a hospital.

The example that is cited the most is someone appears unconscious at an emergency room at a hospital when they are out of town.  The system pulls up their medical records even though they haven’t been there before.

This scenario depends on three factors occurring:

1. The patient is out of town.
2. The patient has an event that causes them to go to the emergency room.
3. The patient arrives unconscious and without family or without some sort of medical information on them.

While I’m sure this example does happen, it would not be the norm; it would be an aberration.  I would think that patients who have serious conditions like heart problems would take some medical information with them when they travel in case something happens.  Or at least they would be with family members who know what their medical issues are.  They would probably have their medications with them when they travel even if they don’t have them in the emergency room.

This scenario is very dramatic and compelling but would not occur often enough to justify the expense the time and effort to create these systems.  The scenario that should be targeted to improve would be the day to day flow of medical data in a health system.  Patients are asked to complete similar paperwork with similar pieces of data each time they visit a new location in a health care system, physician office, emergency room, surgery, etc.  Fixing this problem would save more expense and improve more patient care than the unconscious patient appearing in a out of town ER.

Community’s first eCycling event was a partnership involving the network’s green team, Computer Experts Inc., Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Virtual Scavengers and 1-800-GOT-JUNK. A team of volunteers processed donations during the 10-hour event in the Community North parking lot.

The event sought old electronic products—such as used computers, VCRs, DVD players, cell phones and televisions. Disposing of such items through regular trash pickups is not considered safe, due to hazardous materials they may contain. Equally important, in many cases these used electronics still have some good life left in them.

Virtual Scavengers, for example, reconditions old PCs, printers and monitors—or disassembles them for parts—and helps provide low-income families with low-cost technology and training. Donated items that were determined to have no potential for reuse were taken away for safe disposal by partner 1-800-GOT-JUNK. The preliminary weight total of objects that were e-cycled at the September 5 e-Cycling event was 27,292 pounds.

“I want to tell you how wonderful the whole event was for us. You work with an incredible group of people. The volunteers worked long, hard hours with enthusiasm and humor. We were also deeply touched by the enthusiasm of your donors; they were obviously genuinely excited by the knowledge that their ‘babies’ were going to remain in use and benefit other families,” says John Crooks, executive director of Virtual Scavengers.

To see a video of the day’s events, click here.

The FDA has issued a Health Information Advisory urging U.S. consumers to avoid all infant formula from China, after several brands sold there may have been contaminated with melamine, a chemical used in plastics. Although sales of infant formulas from China are illegal in the U.S., FDA officials are concerned that some formula from China may be on sale at ethnic grocery stores here. The FDA stresses there is no risk of contamination to the U.S. Domestic supply of infant formula. Melamine is known to cause kidney stones and other serious kidney conditions.

For more information, please go to the FDA Web site.

Football season is upon us, and although concussions occur year round, this seems like an appropriate time to briefly discuss concussions. Athletes who suffer a concussion during the season are at increased risk of recurrence during the same year. Studies have demonstrated a decrease in cognitive function in association with repeated head trauma. There are also concerns regarding second impact syndrome, but because of the very small number of documented cases, the diagnosis is controversial.

Data is not readily available to guide decisions about the timing of return to sports after concussion. However, conservative recommendations reflect concern regarding second impact syndrome. Sideline evaluation generally includes tests of mental function and coordination and provocation of symptoms such as headache, dizziness or unsteadiness with exertion.

Review the AAP/AAFP practice parameter on Acute Evaluation of Concussion

Review the 1997 American Academy of Neurology Practice Parameter

From PEDIATRICS Vol. 121 No. 5 May 2008, pp. 1062-1068 doi:10.1542/peds.2008-0564

The AAP Committee on Nutrition has updated its 1998 statement on the use of soy protein–based formulas in infant feeding.

In term infants, the few indications for use of soy formula in place of cow milk-based formula are: (a) for infants with galactosemia and hereditary lactase deficiency (rare) and (b) in situations in which a vegetarian diet is preferred.
Note:
1) For infants with documented cow milk protein allergy, extensively hydrolyzed protein formula should be considered, because 10% to 14% of these infants will also have a soy protein allergy.
2) Most previously well infants with acute gastroenteritis can be managed after rehydration with continued use of human milk or standard dilutions of cow milk-based formulas. Isolated soy protein-based formulas may be indicated when secondary lactose intolerance occurs.
3)Isolated soy protein-based formula has no advantage over cow milk protein-based formula as a supplement for the breastfed infant, unless the infant has one of the indications noted previously.
4)Soy protein-based formulas are not designed for or recommended for preterm infants.
5)The routine use of isolated soy protein-based formula has no proven value in the prevention or management of infantile colic or fussiness.
6)Infants with documented cow milk protein-induced enteropathy or enterocolitis frequently are as sensitive to soy protein and should not be given isolated soy protein-based formula. They should be provided formula derived from hydrolyzed protein or synthetic amino acids.
7)The routine use of isolated soy protein-based formula has no proven value in the prevention of atopic disease in healthy or high-risk infants.