Page 4 - Healthbeat March 2016

health bits
Baptist electronic health database to
expand to affiliated clinics
Baptist Health is making a big investment to improve its patient care in the state by expanding the health system’s successful Epic clinical infor- mation system which launched in Baptist Health’s
hospital four years ago, into all of its affiliated physician clinics, specialty clinics and rural
health clinics.
This system will allow the entire Baptist Health system to have a single platform for electronic health records across points of care and pro- vide a seamless transition of patient information from one area of health care to the next.
“Baptist Health caregivers are going to have access to all this information about the patient in one place, and that’s going to make a huge difference,” said David House, vice president of information systems. “For example, if a pa- tient comes into the emergency room and was previously at a clinic [that was] running Epic, the ER personnel will be able to see that in- formation and possibly know exactly what is going on with that patient in a life-threatening situation.”
[ THE LATEST ]
[ TERMS ]
Russell-Silver syndrome: This disorder, which begins before birth, is characterized by poor growth. One side of the body will be larger than the other. Generally, the disorder occurs in people with no family history of the disease. The estimated number of people who develop this condition varies greatly. Some reports estimate that it affects about 1 in 3,000 people, while other reports claim it affects 1 in 100,000 people.
SOURCE: THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE
22,648
THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN 18 AND YOUNGER WHO HAVE ASTHMA
SOURCE: THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
Arkansas researcher advances to clinical trial testing for new HPV vaccine
[ DID YOU KNOW?]
According to the American Lung Association, pet dander is composed of tiny flecks of skin shed by cats, dogs, rodents, birds and other animals with fur or feathers. While pet dander is so small it’s sometimes microscopic, it can still cause reactions in people who are allergic to pet dander. Pets may also cause allergic reactions in some people, thanks to various proteins found in the saliva, urine and feces from cats, dogs and other pets. Dried saliva containing allergens may flake off from animal fur and enter the air, where it can be inhaled by people and trigger an allergic reaction. That might be one reason, according to the ALA, why nearly twice as many people report allergies to cats compared to dogs. Cats fre- quently clean themselves by licking their own fur. Any dried saliva left on cats after these cleaning sessions may contain allergens that eventually flake off of that fur before entering the air and being inhaled by people who are allergic.
— Courtesy of Metro Creative
A University of Arkansas for Med- ical Sciences researcher who dis- covered a human-papillomavirus vaccine is proceeding with testing of the vaccine. The vaccine, discovered by Mayumi Nakagawa, M.D., Ph.D., has been shown to be safe and is being made available to a larger group of Arkansas women for fur- ther testing. In a recently completed study of 34 women, Nakaga-
Health, her research will receive an additional $3.5 million over the next five years. If proven effective, the vaccine could significantly reduce the incidence of preterm births. It would do so by giving women an alternative to surgical treatment for HPV-related precancerous le- sions called HSIL. Surgery increas-
es the incidence of preterm deliv- ery from 4.4 to 8.9 percent. In the Phase II clin- ical trial, Nak- agawa’s vac- cine will be tested in 80 patients with precancer- ous cervical
lesions.
wa demonstrated drug’s safety and got a glimpse
of its prom-
ise for curing HPV patients. Supported by the National Institutes of
the
4
SUNDAY, MARCH 27, 2016 // HEALTHBEAT // ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE