Safety
Latest articles on Safety
We usually cool down by sweating, but when it's too hot or humid, or in situations that put us at risk for overheating, our internal temperature control system can become overloaded. Knowing the signs can prevent emergencies.
States that performed state-level or local-level background checks were found to have substantially lower rates of firearm suicides and homicides.
This has already been a deadly weather season - and it's just getting started. You can't stay safe from all storms, but you can stay smart about what to do if and when they strike.
"Health care surge is an important issue," says Ralph Schapira, MD. A natural disaster or a terrorism event could bring hundreds or even thousands of patients to a few hospitals, quickly overwhelming the healthcare system.
Even if you are one of the "lucky" ones who always get the perfect tan, years from now, the wrinkles, age spots or skin cancer from chronic sun exposure won't seem so glamorous.
Adolescents and teenagers ages 11-17 should get about 9 hours of sleep each night, but most are getting far less. Medical College of says Lynn A. D'Andrea, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin Associate Professor of Pediatrics.
"One of the lessons learned from those earlier flu episodes was the importance of being prepared for future public health disasters that challenge the medical system's ability to provide care," says Ralph M. Schapira, MD.
Dr. Deidre Faust notes that even within small countries, diseases such as malaria might be a risk in one city, but not in another, so it makes a difference to know exactly where you will be going and what you will be doing.
Fire-safe cigarettes are designed to self-extinguish when left unattended. At this time, 14 states have passed fire-safe cigarette laws, and 20 others have introduced such legislation.
"The accomplishments to date by our nationally recognized physicians and scientists in biomechanics, epidemiology and health services research have been a major factor in the renewal," said Stephen W. Hargarten, MD, MPH.
Although there were more than 5,700 deaths from job-related injuries last year, the positive side of that grim total is that it translates to a rate of 3.9 deaths per 100,000 workers, down from a rate of 4.0 per 100,000 in 2005.
All thunderstorms are dangerous, and every thunderstorm produces lightning. Although most lightning victims survive, people struck by lightning often report a variety of long-term, debilitating symptoms.
September 9-15 is National Suicide Prevention Week, and organizations throughout the country are working to help people understand long-term risk factors and how to deal with a suicidal crisis.
Medical College research indicates that most mild-to-moderate sports related concussions are recovered from fully, with minimal likelihood of permanent brain damage unless another concussion occurs before symptoms from the first have gone away.
"People providing outreach services are very concerned about the health and well being of those they serve, but often overlook their own health, and their own health is very important to those they serve," says Leslie F. Martin, MD, MPH.
"Traumatic Brain Injury is more common than most people think," says Dr. Mark Klingbeil. While some patients go on to make a full recovery, more than five million Americans currently live with disabilities due to TBI.
More than 5 million Americans alive today have had a TBI resulting in a permanent need for help in performing daily activities. They are often left with significant cognitive, behavioral, and communicative disabilities.
All systems have errors, but in the field of medicine, events such as miscommunication between staff members or between patients and their health care providers can have serious or even fatal consequences.
"In all populations, the biggest identified risk factor for SIDS was sleeping on the tummy," says William H. Gershan, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin Associate Professor of Pediatrics.
"We've seen a lot of eye injuries in people who do industrial work," says Dr. Judy Kim. "Workers might take their safety glasses off, just for a minute, and that's when bits of metal or other material get into the eye."
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