MEDICAL-RELATED LINKS

For updated information on recalls and safety hazards of medical devices, click this link to ECRI (formerly the Emergency Care Research Institute) - www.ecri.org

Interested in learning about complementary medicine and alternative therapies? Visit www.naturalstandard.com

For the latest evidence-based medical research, see www.biomedcentral.com 

Need information on drug side effects, regulatory guidance, clinical trials? Contact the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research www.fda.gov/cder/site/sitemap.htm

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS :

Ohio’s Medication Technician Pilot Program

In true “lame duck” fashion, this much-debated proposal made its way through the 125th General Assembly in December 2005. Recommended in 2004 by the Nursing Facility Reimbursement Study Council, this is an issue with far-reaching consequences.  

The establishment of such a program would allow trained and certified medication technicians to administer “routine medications” in long-term care facilities.

The pilot program will begin in May 2006 and conclude June 2007. Eighty nursing homes and forty residential care facilities will be initially involved. Issues of safety, cost-effectiveness and impact on patient care will also be examined. For more information, contact www.nursing.ohio.gov.

New Frontiers in Pharmacology

Drug therapy is an integral part of treatment for disease. It’s also a rapidly-evolving field, as researchers introduce new medications and modalities almost daily.

What was once the basis of science fiction is now becoming a reality. Such innovations as immunopharmacology, pharmacogenetics and nanotechnology are reshaping healthcare.

Scientists are developing drugs that selectively target parts of the immune system, tailoring meds and dosages to a person’s genetic makeup, and discovering ways to use extremely small materials, devices and substances to fight disease.

To get a closer look at the latest advances in these exciting areas, access the eight-part Drug Watch 2006 series at www.rnweb.com.