Influenza viruses circulate heavily in the Unites States each year from October to May. The virus can spread up to 6 feet from an infected individual. Although the flu is often treatable with rest, influenza can cause serious illness or even death in at risk individuals such as...
Read more »How Hospital Noise Levels are Affecting Patient Healing and Satisfaction
The World Health Organization recommends that average patient room noise levels remain only slightly louder than a whisper. However, the average noise level in an American hospital often exceeds 50 decibels and peaks around 90 decibels, which is harmful to patient recovery and...
Read more »The Vaccines for Children Program: Benefiting Providers and Patients Alike
In 1989 - 1991, a measles epidemic in the United States resulted in thousands of cases of measles leading to hundreds of deaths. Upon investigation, CDC found that more than half of the children who had measles had not been immunized, even though many of them had seen a health...
Read more »Not all Compact Medical-grade Refrigerators are Created Equal
New regulations and guidelines are making it increasingly difficult to choose the right refrigerator for specific clinical applications. As providers move away from small, dorm-style refrigerators to medical-grade refrigerators, there is likely confusion when it comes to a...
Read more »To Vaccinate or Not to Vaccinate: What clinicians can do to overcome the anti-vaccination challenge
The decision whether to vaccinate or not poses serious personal and public health considerations and should not be made out of fear, capitulation or with the urge to follow a crowd. So, why is the vaccination debate leaving parents with more questions than answers? What can...
Read more »Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center Pharmacy Completes Project to Increase Efficiency and Meet USP 797
Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center, a 222 bed non-profit hospital located in Danville, Kentucky, recently completed a major central pharmacy improvement project. This project was designed to increase pharmacy efficiency and enhance workflows related to moving products...
Read more »CDC Claims Needle-free FluMist Influenza Vaccine is Ineffective
Experts are claiming that the popular, needle-free FluMist vaccine was ineffective last year and should not be administered this coming flu season. The nasal spray flu vaccine accounts for approximately one-third of all flu vaccines given to children, according to the CDC (1).
Read more »Adjustment to CDC's Recommended Fahrenheit Temperature Range for Refrigerated Vaccine Storage
The 2016 Vaccine Storage and Handling Toolkit, released last month, reflects an adjustment in CDC’s guidance on the Fahrenheit temperature range for storing refrigerated vaccines. The new recommended Fahrenheit temperature range is 36° F - 46° F (previously 35° F - 46° F). The...
Read more »Applying AdvanceCore™ Thermoelectric Cooling Technology to Medical-Grade Refrigeration
In 1834 Jean Peltier performed experiments passing an electric current through a closed circuit of 2 dissimilar metals. This work demonstrated that heat energy could be absorbed by one dissimilar metal to create a cooling effect, and discharged by the other dissimilar metal to...
Read more »New RFID Enabled Freezer Improves Inventory Management for Life Sciences and Healthcare Applications
Helmer Scientific and Terso Solutions, Inc. have partnered to develop a new -30 degree freezer with integrated RFID technology to improve inventory management in healthcare and life sciences facilities. The new RFID freezer provides fully automated tracking of high value...
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