| Public Health
Weblog collected and organized by Laura Larsson Clinical Faculty, SPHCM University of Washington |
||
About{ 2003 }Current
January Previous Years { 2002 } December November October July - Sept Jan-June 2001 2000 1999
eLearning Blogs eLearningpostInternettimeMore about Blogs and Their Variations The Art of Blogging - Part 1 Overview, Definitions, Uses, and Implications by George Siemens. December 1, 2002 The Art of Blogging - Part 2 Getting Started, "How To", Tools, Resources December 6, 2002 Weblog to Moblog By Justin Hall, Nov 21 2002 |
July 2003[Note: This site uses popup
windows to display links. Close the popped-up window to return to this
page]
July 30, 2003 10:01 AM Just Ask Cosmo from NLM The National Library of Medicine (NLM) receives hundreds of e-mailed questions each day on its customer service line (custserv@nlm.nih.gov). Because many of them are simple and asked numerous times each day, NLM decided to develop software that would answer these queries and thus free up customer service representatives and reference librarians to answer more complex questions. Based on software from a company called NativeMinds, Cosmo (Customerservice M. Owl) the wise old owl was the result. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Cosmo nests at http://wwwns.nlm.nih.gov/. Cosmo is familiar with hundreds of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Type your question in the box and up pops an answer. I know that many of you use PubMed and MEDLINEplus for getting information from NLM. Judging by the information given in the top two paragraphs NLM is trying to improve service with Cosmo, a wise old owl that answers your questions about the library. Actually, the more questions you put to it, the smarter it gets. To try it out I typed in, Where can I get information on aging? The answer: Seniors' Health (General) . Then I tried, Where can I get information on bioterrorism? Cosmo's answer: It knew to add smallpox, anthrax and chemical weapons. It didn't do a very good job when I asked it, "where can I find information on healthy people 2010?" Even when I changed it to ... healthy people, I was not able to get a response. It seemed to me that there are links all over NLM pointing to the Healthy People 2010 site. However, I expect that that will change as the Cosmo database gets filled up and that an answer will eventually pop up when you ask it for help -- but for now, ask for help on very specific diseases or conditions, or dates and times the library is open. Should be a very useful tool. Try it out. Strengthening Head Start: What the Evidence Shows Available in full on the Web in HTML (not PDF, thank heavens) is this important report that describes the failure of this program to prepare young children with appropriate skills and knowledge prior to entering school. I could not find anything that looked like a recommendation, but the section titled, "Research evidence shows we can do better in helping children achieve" looks like it might give us some clues as to what might be done to improve this dismal showing. July 29, 2003 10:11 AM The mission of PrepareNow.org is "to ensure that the needs and concerns of vulnerable people are addressed in emergency preparedness and response. PrepareNow.org provides the tools, expertise and access to resources to assist anyone engaged in disaster planning for individuals with special needs. Vulnerable people are those who cannot comfortably or safely access and use the standard resources offered in disaster preparedness, relief and recovery." July 21, 2003 10:11 AM California Food Policy Advocates This public policy and advocacy organization is "dedicated to improving the health and well being of low-income Californians by increasing their access to nutritious and affordable food." Look for information on hunger in California, food stamps, nutrition for children, and downloadable materials that can be used for outreach. Asian American Health (NLM) Using the standard NLM format, this page links you to sites of possible interest to this group of people. Sites are of very high quality. President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports This new Web site was built in response to President Bush and Secretary
Thompson's Individuals or groups can log on to the site and register as an individual or part of a group. From over 100 physical activities listed individuals can start tracking daily efforts in a private log. Everyone can work toward a Presidential Active Lifestyle Award by participating in regular physical activity five days a week for six weeks. Adults should be active for at least 30 minutes of daily activity, children for 60. For those without Internet access, a paper log is acceptable. So, get off your computer and start exercising. Adapted from a NIH press release. July 20, 2003 11:21 AM Rural Welfare Reform: Lessons Learned (USDA) This article, taken from Amber Waves, the USDA's journal, describes how welfare reform has helped move many poor single mothers from welfare to self-sufficiency. It goes on to say that this successful transition depends in part on where welfare recipients live. A less positive picture emerges for some rural recipients, especially those in the poorest and most remote rural areas. If you've forgotten what they are, this article lists the "Key provisions of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996". Valuable discussion of some of the lessons learned from the past few years of welfare reform. The World Bank's e-Library, an electronic portal to over 1200 of the Bank's full-text collection of books, reports, and other documents. This site is powered by Ingenta. Content is wide-ranging. Search the entire collection or by region. To get access to the actual books or to request free trial access you will need to send an e-mail to: pubrights@worldbank.org. Safety and Health Issues: Workplace Violence (OSHA) "Workplace violence has emerged as an important safety and health issue in today's workplace. Its most extreme form, homicide, is the third-leading cause of fatal occupational injury in the United States." On this site are highlighted prevention documents listed under General resources and Targeted Industries. Additionally, find facts and statistics, compliance information, training, and other information. Files in formats other than HTML contain file size and format - as well as links to the appropriate viewers. July 18, 2003 1:13 PM Diabetes Dictionary (National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse) "This dictionary defines words that are often used when people talk or write about diabetes. It is designed for people who have diabetes and for their families and friends." Look for the occasional illustration that better describe some of the terms. Online Resources for Statistics (multiple sites) It's useful to have links to statistics resources at your fingertips. The following sites might be of interest since they range from elementary to more advanced statistical concepts. Just as an observation, sites intended for K-12 often have good explanations of statistical concepts. Sometimes government entities, such as NASA, also promote the use of statistics.
July 12, 2003 3:18 AM Training Future Physicians About Weapons of Mass Destruction (AAMC Report) In a new report released today, "Training Future Physicians About Weapons of Mass Destruction," the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) provides the first guidance ever issued to medical educators about how to prepare tomorrow's doctors to care for victims of bioterrorism and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD). According to the report, the nation's medical schools should thoroughly educate students about the public health and emergency services systems to ensure coordinated responses to WMD or other public health threats, and should incorporate WMD education into all four years of medical education. The new report is an extension of the AAMC's "First Contact, First Response" initiative, which was developed in the fall of 2001 at the request of Senator Bill Frist (R-TN). Source: AAMC Press Release, July 7, 2003 July 11, 2003 9:48 AM Pilot Health Services Research (HSR) Filters Project Use the HSR Quality-Related Queries using Research Methodology filters
or HSR Cost-Related Queries using Research Methodology filters and the
search boxes to retrieve articles on a topic with either sensitivity (i.e.,
mostly relevant articles but probably some less relevant ones too) or
specificity (i.e., mostly relevant articles but probably omitting a few).
The filters are based on work done by Haynes
RB, et al. July 11, 2003 9:48 AM Research on Coronary Heart Disease Often Doesn't Report Findings on Women Two evidence reviews on topics related to coronary heart disease in women, conducted for AHRQ and the NIH Office of Research on Women's Health by researchers at AHRQ's University of California San Francisco/Stanford Evidence-based Practice Center, found that although CHD is the cause of more than 250,000 deaths in women each year, much of the research in the last 20 years has either excluded women or included only limited numbers. As a result, many of the tests and therapies that are used to treat women for CHD are based on studies conducted predominantly in men. HHS has been working to expand the involvement of women in research involving coronary heart disease. For example, the NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute supports a wide range of clinical trials on heart disease that have included women, including large studies such as the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack Trial (ALLHAT) and the Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM). In addition, the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) study is investigating issues related to the specific symptoms of chest pain in women and the diagnosis of CHD. The NIH also has been working with scientific journals to encourage the publication of more research data specific to women. Select to access the press release. Select to access details of the findings from the two evidence reports, Results of Systematic Review and Systematic Reviews of Evidence on Selected Topics. Source: AHRQ Electronic Newsletter, July 11, 2003, Issue #104 Who wouldn't love a tour through a huge colon? Find out what the collossal colon looks like and when it is coming to your city as part of a 20 city tour sponsored by the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation (formerly the Cancer Research Foundation of America) - and made possible by Roche Pharmaceuticals. The goal of the Colossal Colon Tour is "to raise awareness about the prevention, early detection and treatment of colorectal cancer, and to reduce the thousands of unnecessary deaths caused by this highly preventable disease." July 10, 2003 9:43 AM Authored by the United Nations Development Program the Human Development
Report (HDR) was first launched in 1990 "with the single goal of
putting people back at the center of the development process in terms
of economic debate, policy and advocacy". "Each Report also
focuses on a highly topical theme in the current development debate..." Another PDF written by the World Health Organization that describes the
status of health in European nations. Adult Immunization Schedules (various sites) Okay, I know immunizations are important for kids, but I always felt like adult immunization was ignored or didn't get the attention it deserved. Health Departments often had to scramble to cover childhood immunizations, and the idea that they had time, money, or staff resources for adults was impossible to consider. But in recent years, adults have gotten their share of time and attention, even if sometimes you had to remind your provider that you needed that tetanus shot. 1. CDC now publishes an adult immunization schedule. Are your immunizations up to date? How about your parents? Check the different resources available - Spanish version, list of adult vaccines, and an adult vaccine screening form. 2. If you want the "professional" version of an adult immunization record card, the Immunization Action Coalition has created that product in a number of formats (i.e. with or without smallpox!). I've got my Official Washington State Lifetime Immunization Record - up-to-date of course - with my health records. But the IAC version may be useful for you: IAC'S ADULT IMMUNIZATION RECORD CARDS MAKE YOUR PATIENTS PARTNERS IN STAYING CURRENT ON IMMUNIZATIONS. June 16, 2003 Just one look at the Adult Immunization Record Cards will convince you that they're a great tool for reminding adults that vaccines aren't just for kids. The card lists seven vaccines that all adults, adults with certain medical conditions, or adults with an unreliable vaccination history should receive. Use the card during patient visits to discuss a patient's vaccination status with them. Then give it to them and encourage them to refer to it to find out when they're due for their next Td booster, pneumococcal vaccine dose, or other immunization. Since introducing Adult Immunization Record Cards in May 2002, the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) has shipped more than a million cards to health care providers across the United States. Health professionals nationwide have found the card invaluable for educating patients that immunization is a lifelong process and for giving patients the means to keep a lifetime record of their immunization status. In addition, IAC has developed a separate adult record card with space for listing smallpox vaccine in addition to the seven vaccines mentioned above. For information, see the section below, "ADULT IMMUNIZATION RECORD CARD INCLUDING SMALLPOX VACCINE". To view a color image of IAC's Adult Immunization Record Card, go to
the IAC
site. If you have questions about IAC's Adult Immunization Record Card or Adult Immunization Record Card Including Smallpox, call IAC at (651) 647-9009, or email us at admin@immunize.org 3. Not to be left out, AARP even got into the game with a "Print-and-Save Adult Immunization Checklist that was published in the AARP Bulletin - online and offline. For the online version, check here at the AARP Website. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the printed form. Check your own immunization status. If you aren't quite "on track," get immunized to bring your shots up-do-date and start a permanent record of the immunizations you have received. Source: Margo Harris, Health Educator Extraordinaire. Post to PNWHEALTH July 9, 2003. July 9, 2003 3:37 PM 2003 Metropolitan
Areas Students are asked to design an informational brochure about suicide that will be distributed at the upcoming Health Fair sponsored by the student's high school for both the students and for the surrounding community. Ergonomics The Edible Schoolyard, in collaboration with Martin Luther King Junior
Middle School, "provides urban public school students with a one-acre
organic garden and a kitchen classroom. Using food systems as a unifying
concept, students learn how to grow, harvest, and prepare nutritious seasonal
produce." Children learn how to garden and from the cooking lessons learn about recycling (turn leftover vegetables, eggs and pre-cooked rice into fried rice - just as you would recycle paper or bottles into something new) and multiculturalism (from the creation of foods from different ethnic groups). Find recipes and lesson plans, great pictures of children relating the growing of food to the preparing and eating of that same food and revealing journals written by the children. July 4, 2003 3:37 PM Children's Dental Care Access in Medicaid CHIRITM Issue Brief 2 Dental care remains the most prevalent unmet health care need for children. This CHIRITM Issue Brief, "The Role of Medical Care Use and Dentist Participation," reports on children's dental care use in the Alabama and Georgia Medicaid programs before these States' efforts to improve dentist participation in Medicaid. The Issue Brief findings underline the importance of: * Early access to dental care and the use of preventive dental services. Source: AHRQ Electronic Newsletter, June 26, 2003, Issue #103. July 3, 2003 11:22 AM U.S. Birth Rate Reaches Record Low The U.S. birth rate fell to the lowest level since national data have been available, reports the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) birth statistics released today by HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. Secretary Thompson also noted that the rate of teen births fell to a new record low, continuing a decline that began in 1991. Birth rates among teenagers were down in 2002, continuing a decline that began in 1991. There has also been a recent downturn in the birth rate for women in the peak childbearing ages. Birth rates for women in their 20s and early 30s were generally down while births to older mothers (35-44) were still on the rise. Rates were stable for women over 45. In addition, more than one fourth of all children born in 2002 were delivered by cesarean; the total cesarean delivery rate of 26.1 percent was the highest level ever reported in the United States. The number of cesarean births to women with no previous cesarean birth jumped 7 percent and the rate of vaginal births after previous cesarean delivery dropped 23 percent. The cesarean delivery rate declined during the late 1980s through the mid-1990s but has been on the rise since 1996. The report can be obtained in PDF from NCHS. Births: Preliminary Data for 2002. NVSR Vol. 51, No. 11. 20 pp. (PHS) 2003-1120. (1.2 MB) Source: Press release, NCHS Press Office, June 25, 2003. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps On July 3, 2003, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced a new effort to expand and strengthen the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps by recruiting more health care professionals and better preparing those professionals to respond quickly and effectively to emergency health needs around the country. The transformation is intended to "help us strengthen our public health infrastructure and response system to better serve the American people." according to Thompson. As part of the transformation, the Commissioned Corps will:
Source: DHHS Press release, July 3, 2003. Emergency Responders: Drastically Underfunded, Dangerously Unprepared This report from the Council on Foreigh Relations, Independent Task Force was authored by Richard A. Clarke and Warren B. Rudman. The press release says that
Read the report to view the recommendations that address the lack of standards and good numbers discussed in the report. Also of potential interest is the table, "Emergency Responders Five-Year Unmet Needs Budget (FY04-FY08)". It gives a listing of the response area, the need and the amount that should be alloted for the next five years to fix the problem. The report is available in PDF. July 2, 2003 2:23 PM The Children and Weight On-line Community Discussion Forum We are delighted to announce that we have set up a discussion forum to provide an on-line space to facilitate networking among those of us working on the issue of childhood overweight. We're hoping this will be a place for people to post important information, raise questions and ask others for advice, and share accomplishments as we work to create community environments that promote healthy eating and physical activity patterns among children and their families. Click on the following link to get to the forum: The discussion forum will be moderated by Kirstin Siemering, MPH, RD, who is one of the authors of Children and Weight: What Communities Can Do. You can learn more about Children and Weight: What Communities Can Do (the most recent publication in UC Berkeley's series on childhood overweight) at this site. Please contact Kirstin directly at KQS@uclink.berkeley.edu with specific Source: email from Kirstin Siemering. July 1, 2003 11:25 AM
Foodborne Illness Education Information Center (FBIEIC) If you are looking for non-English food safety education materials the Foodborne Illness Education Information Center (FBIEIC) has a new page with food safety materials in 36 languages. The site pulls non-English records from three entities of the FBIEIC: the Food Safety Educational Materials Database, the HACCP Database and the Food Safety Links Database.
|
Recent Entries
Just Ask Cosmo from NLM Strengthening Head Start: What the Evidence Shows California Food Policy Advocates Asian American Health (NLM) President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Rural Welfare Reform: Lessons Learned (USDA) Safety and Health Issues: Workplace Violence (OSHA) Online Resources for Statistics (multiple sites) Training Future Physicians About Weapons of Mass Destruction (AAMC Report) Pilot Health Services Research (HSR) Filters Project Research on Coronary Heart Disease Often Doesn't Report Findings on Women Adult Immunization Schedules (various sites) Children's Dental Care Access in Medicaid CHIRITM Issue Brief 2 U.S. Birth Rate Reaches Record Low Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Emergency Responders: Drastically Underfunded, Dangerously Unprepared The Children and Weight On-line Community Discussion Forum Foodborne Illness Education Information Center (FBIEIC) Translating Research Into Practice
Conference New Evidence Report Summary on Cancer Control Interventions M.H. West: A Planning and Consulting FirmPublic Health News from Google.com What do you do with spam? Monitoring the Future Study Home Computer Security National Weight Control Registry Women's Health Matters Resource Database A Checklist for Your Next Checkup (men) SLHI: A Catalyst for Community Health Child Health USA 2002 Usefulness of Routine Screening For Dementia AHRQ WebM&M Surge Capacity and Regionalization Issues: Third Free AHRQ Web-Assisted Audio Conference on Bioterrorism Preparedness Conference on the Scientific Basis of Health Services (AHRQ and AcademyHealth) AgeSource Worldwide (AARP)Send URLs to Larsson for Inclusion in this Weblog |
|
|