Take care with a big cold-weather killer, the space heater

Warm weather isn't far away, but winter remains, and precautions should be taken to steer clear of a big cold-weather killer -- the space heater -- for the season's remaining cold days.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that each year, space heaters cause more than 25,000 residential fires and more than 300 deaths, and more than 6,000 Americans get emergency-room care for burn injuries associated with room heaters.

An Eastern Kentucky fire started by a space heater claimed the lives of one adult and four children last month. This blaze destroyed a rural house and family and was considered by authorites to be the worst the region has seen in a long time.

Using a space heater makes sense, and many people, particularly those in rural areas, use them to stay warm; but they must be used with caution. The Burn Center at Loyola University Medical Center is warning the public about the dangers of space heaters because many of the injuries they cause are preventable if the appropriate measures are taken. Here are some general safety tips from Loyola:

• Keep space heaters at least three feet away from furniture or other combustible material
• Don't place heaters on carpets or rugs.
• Locate heaters on a hard, level surface where a child or family pet can't brush against them.
• Never leave a heater on when an adult is not present in the room.
• Never keep flammable liquids near a heater.
• Mobile homes should use only electric heaters or vented, fuel-fired heaters.

Loyola also advises to use combustion space heaters only outside your home because they release carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide. If the heater is not properly vented, high levels of these gases are deadly. Also, when using electric space heaters, be sure to plug the heater directly into a wall outlet and use a heavy duty cord. Click here for more tips.

Kentucky hospitals score mostly Bs and Cs on hospital safety scorecard; most in U.S. earned an A or B

In an analysis of the nation's hospitals and their safety records, many of Kentucky's health care facilities have some shortcomings. A study by the Leapfrog Group finds that the vast majority of the state's hospitals score a B or C in overall patient safety, a term defined here by analysis of data on accidents, errors and infections as kept by the Centers for Disease Control, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research. At least a dozen of the state's hospital earned an A rating. To check the grade of your own hospital, go here.

In this data analysis and grading system, 26 different points of criteria were used. Of the 2,618 hospitals reviewed, about 56 percent of the hospitals earned an A or B, and an additional 38 percent passed with a C grade. Only 6 percent of hospitals -- 146 total -- received a D or F. According to CBS News, at least 180,000 Americans die in hospitals every year from incidents that occur because of their stays there. (Read more)

Task force recommends changes to protect safety and health of middle school students who play interscholastic sports

The boys of North Marshall Middle
School of Benton, Ky., after winning
a Christmas tournament last year.

Beth Musgrave of the Lexington Herald-Leader reports that the state Task Force on Interscholastic Athletics at the Middle School Level announced its preliminary recommendations this week to address concerns about young athletes' health and safety. It seems that middle school sports in Kentucky have never had the advantage of being governed by a unified code of rules and policies like their counterpart in high school sports. This has led to a confusing mish-mash of guidelines that the legislature is setting out to get right in the coming year.

Preliminary task force recommendations include requiring all middle school teams to follow high school rules on physical exams, medical coverage, concussions and practicing during extreme heat, and requiring the tracking of injuries and incidents for all sports. The task force also suggested that the Kentucky Board of Education look to create a single governing body, like the Kentucky High School Athletics Association that governs high school sports, to oversee all middle-school sports. Wilson Sears, executive director of the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents and a task force member, told Musgrave that the recommendations represent "real progress." (Read more)

Study: Grandparent caregivers aren't up on latest safety standards for babies and children

Grandparents might be more quick to say yes to grandkids but they might also be a little behind the times on the the new safety guidelines that could better protect them. A new study finds that many grandparent caregivers don't know about those new health suggestions and, in some cases, laws for babies -- such as appropriate sleep position, crib safety and car seat use. This is particularly critical in a country where 2.8 million grandparents are primary caregivers to their grandchildren, an increase of nearly 20 percent since 2000, according to the the 2011 American Community Survey.

In this study, reporter Robert Preidt of HealthDay writes that 56 percent of grandparents asked got the question about the safest sleep position of babies wrong. (The correct answer is on their backs, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.) "Another question addressed correct car seat positioning, and 24.5 percent of the participants said that a 9-month-old, 22-pound child should be facing forward. The AAP recommends, however, that children remain in rear-facing car seats until age 2 years." It doesn't get much better. Almost half of those grandparents questioned thought it was OK to have bumpers, stuffed animals and blankets in cribs. It's not.

We know it's difficult but maybe it time to have the talk. (Read more)

Infections, other safety issues plague hospitals, maybe more so when nursing is cut; here's a good series on it

The Centers for Disease Control has reported that nearly 1 million patient-safety incidents, including infections that patients acquired in hospitals, occurred among Medicare patients over the years 2006, 2007, 2008. In all, the incidents -- which represented 2.3 percent of Medicare admissions -- were associated with $8.9 billion in costs. One of every 10 patients involved died as a result, the "HealthGrades Patient Safety in American Hospitals" study reported.

Financially squeezed hospitals should be careful about reducing nursing staff, because the fewer such staff they have, the more likely they are to have a patient-safety incident, says Kevin Kavanagh, a Somerset doctor and board chairman of Health Watch USA, in "Moving Healthcare Quality Forward with Nursing-Sensitive Value-Based Purchasing," an article in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship. Kavanagh explains that research has shown that adverse events in hospitals and any subsequent mortality "are highly dependent on nurse staffing levels and skill mix." He cites studies in which nurse staffing levels were a clear indicator of whether or not patient-safety accidents or "sentinel" events occurred. (Examples of "sentinel" events include falls, pressure ulcers, urinary tract infections, postoperative infections, pneumonia, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, shock and cardiac arrest.)

Kavanagh's article notes that nursing is at serious risk from being cut in cost-driven healthcare delivery systems. He is quick to point out the dangers and financial costs of making that cut. (To read the study, go here.)

So, how to report on this issue? In 2011, The Las Vegas Sun revealed that during the second half of 2009 area hospitals had reported 44 preventable hospital injuries or hospital-acquired infections when, in fact, those facilities had experienced 342 such events. That revelation led the paper's staff to take on the issue of hospital accountability in an award-winning five-part series, "Do No Harm: Hospital Care in Las Vegas." When all was said and done, the newspaper not only unearthed repeated incidences where the hospitals' own records did not reconcile with what they reported to the state, but showed lawmakers and health-care professionals how to properly disclose the incidence of patient infection and accidents. Their work eventually forced Nevada lawmakers to pass legislation that requires hospital records in two of the state's largest counties to be transparent, consumer-friendly and readily available on the state's Health and Human Services Department website. (To read their remarkable work, go here.)

Health Watch USA will host its annual conference in Lexington on Nov. 9 at The Four Points Sheraton, 1938 Stanton Way. Cost is $35 including lunch. Over 6 hours of continuing education credits have been approved for doctors, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and human resource managers  For more information or registration, go to www.healthconference.org.

Tips to Reduce Risk of Salmonella

In case you haven't been keeping up with the news, you might want to be wary of your eggs. There may be bacteria lurking in your eggs Benedict due to a recent suspected salmonella contamination at Hillandale Farms and Wright County Eggs in Galt, Iowa.

Food and Drug Administration alerted the company of salmonella contamination at one of its farms. The FDA encountered salmonella enteritidis during a routine inspection, at which point the company voluntarily sounded the alarms.

Salmonella bacteria can cause infections that may result in fever, nausea/vomiting, chills, muscle cramps and pain, and/or diarrhea. Symptoms usually pass within a few days, but can last much longer in children and people with weakened immune systems. Salmonella is more likely to be found in undercooked eggs or those stored above 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

As of now, there may be as many as 1,500 cases of food poisoning related to contaminated eggs. Wright County Eggs cautions consumers to be on the lookout for the following:

Eggs sold under the brands Lucerne, Mountain Dairy, Ralph's, Boomsma's, Albertson, Sunshine, Hillandale, Farm Fresh, Trafficanda, Lund, Shoreland, Kemps and Dutch Farms.

Six-, eight-, or 18-egg cartons with labels starting with the letter P; containing code numbers 1026, 1413 or 1946, and Julian dates between 136 and 225. A label would appear as "P-(Code Number)-(Julian Date)"

The recall only affects shell eggs, and Wright County Eggs assures consumers that its other egg products are safe. The company continues to work with the FDA to investigate possible sources of contamination. They have further taken steps to destroy any potentially affected eggs.

In the meantime, you can keep up with the latest egg updates from the Egg Safety Center or the Food and Drug Administration.

With more than 2,000 product recalls in 2011 alone, consumers may be suffering from 'recall fatigue'

Regulators, retailers and manufacturers are getting worried that the public is suffering from "recall fatigue."

Last year, there were 2,363 recalls, according to data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. That's a 14 percent increase over 2010 when there were 2,081 recalls. In 2007, there were 1,460.

"We have this growing concern for safety, but with there being so many recalls going on, [is the public] paying attention to them and responding to them in a manner that is necessary for the recalls to be handled effectively?" asked Mike Rozembajgier, a vice president of Stericycle ExpertRecall.

There have already been hundreds of recalls this year. Pfizer recalled birth-control pills after it was discovered they could have been packaged out of sequence, increasing chances for pregnancy. Nearly 170,000 Ikea customers were asked to return high chairs after it was found the restraint buckle opened unexpectedly. Today, Samsonite recalled suitcases because they were made with high levels of compounds linked to cancer.

Experts believe "the increase is the result of a combination of greater oversight by regulators, better testing procedures and the use of social media where consumers can quickly point out and discuss problems with other people," reports Christopher Doering of the Des Moines Register. (Read more)

Revealing patient safety issues and medical errors are goals of Facebook page set up by ProPublica

Photo by iStockphoto.com/selimaksan

Interested in creating a venue for those who have been harmed while undergoing medical treatments, ProPublica, the nonprofit, investigative news organization, has set up a Facebook page on the issue.

"Group members have already shared stories of personal disability or the death of a loved one due to surgical mistakes, becoming infected with deadly drug-resistant bacteria and dental mishaps — including cases they claim were not properly addressed by health care providers," Daniel Victor and Marshall Allen report. The page will be moderated by Victor and Olga Pierce.

The page is also open to doctors, nurses, regulators, health-care executives and others interested in discussing medical errors, their causes and solutions. Question-and-answer sessions with experts will be posted, along with links to the latest reports and policy proposals. (Read more)

100 Kentucky hospitals join network to improve patient safety, fight hospital-acquired conditions such as infections

To help hospitals reduce preventable readmissions and hospital-acquired infections, 100 of Kentucky's 131 hospitals have joined the Kentucky Hospital Association's hospital engagement network. The group's goal is to help hospitals find ways to improve patient safety, reduce readmissions and hospital-acquired conditions such as infections, and share learning among hospitals.

The network hopes to reduce the incidence of adverse drug events; catheter-associated urinary tract infections; central-line-associated bloodstream infections; injuries from falls and immobility; obstetrical adverse events; pressure ulcers; surgical site infections; venous thromboembolisms or deep vein clots; ventilator-associated pneumonia; and preventable readmissions.

The two-year project is supported by a contract with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as part of the "Partnership for Patients" campaign, launched earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The goal for the project is to reduce preventable  readmissions that occur within 30 days of discharge by 20 percent and hospital-acquired infections by 40 percent (compared to 2010) by the end of 2013.

"The commitment to patient safety and quality by hospitals across Kentucky has resulted in lives saved, fewer complications and reduced costs," said Mark J. Neff, chair of the KHA board of trustees and president and CEO of St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead. For a list of hospitals participating in the network, click here.

Nearly half of Kentuckians keep guns in their home, and 9 percent keep a gun loaded and unlocked

Forty-five percent of Kentucky adults keep a gun or other firearm in their home, and one-fifth of those (9 percent of the population) keep them loaded but unlocked, the 2011 Kentucky Health Issues Poll has found. Children are present in almost half of homes that have firearms.

"Whether or not you keep guns in your home, if you have children, this should be a reminder to talk to them about gun safety," said Susan Zepeda, CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which released the poll results. In 2008, 576 Kentuckians died from injury by firearms, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranking the state 16th in firearm deaths that year.

The poll found that men, people with higher incomes and people who live in the Appalachian part of the state are more likely to keep firearms around the home. People who live in large urban areas had fewer of the weapons — 39 percent in the Lexington area, 37 percent in Northern Kentucky and 32 in the Louisville area, compared to 57 percent in Eastern Kentucky.

The poll was funded by The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati, as well as the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. A random sample of more than 1,600 Kentuckians responded to the survey, which was conducted Sept. 27 to Oct. 27, 2011 by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. A random sample of adults across Kentucky were interviewed, including 1,313 landline interviews and 308 cell-phone interviews. (Read more)

Twice as many kids are killed on roads and streets on Halloween as on any other day, but many parents fail to discuss safety

Only one-third of parents talk to their children each year about how to stay safe on Halloween, a study released by the Safe Kids Fayette County Program has found, even though on average, twice as many child pedestrians are killed during the holiday than on any other other day of the year. (Photo by zirconicusso)

"Given children's limited attention spans, repeated and consistent messages about safe behaviors are key to preventing injuries," said Sherri Hannan, a nurse and coordinator of Safe Kids Fayette County. "By following the basic safety tips provided by Safe Kids, Halloween can be a fun and safe night for children of all ages."

Of the 935 parents surveyed, most said they had talked to their kids at some point about Halloween safety but don't make it an annual conversation. The study also showed 40 percent of parents allow their children to use one or more unsafe items on Halloween, such as a mask, loose-fitting clothing and/or a sharp object.

The study found that 12 percent of children 5 or younger are allowed to trick-or-treat without an adult. "It is alarming to hear that children ages 5 years and younger are trick-or-treating without adult supervision," Hannan said. "If they are old enough and mature enough to trick-or-treat without an adult, parents should make sure children go out in groups and stick to a predetermined route with good lighting."

To keep children safe, Safe Kids recommends:
• Children under 12 should trick-or-treat and cross streets with an adult.
• Children and parents should always walk on sidewalks or paths. In the absence of those, they should walk facing traffic as far to the left as possible.
• Parents and children should cross at corners, using traffic signals and crosswalks.
• Costumes and trick-or-treat bags should be decorated with reflective tape or stickers.
• Parents should check treats for signs of tampering before children are allowed to eat them. Candy should be thrown away if the wrapped is faded, torn or unwrapped.
• Drivers should slow down and be especially alert in neighborhoods.
• Drivers should anticipate heavy traffic and turn on their headlights early in the day.
• Drivers should reduce distractions while driving and pay attention to the road.

Tips for staying safe this Halloween include avoiding decorative contact lenses

Though ghouls and goblins willbe out in full force, there will be other, unexpected dangers lurking on Halloween, some before kids even leave the house.

Though glowing, oddly-colored eyes might seem like the ultimate spooky touch to kids' costumes, officials with the Kentucky Optometric Association, along with the Food and Drug Administration, warn against using decorative, non-corrective contact lenses that are sold without a prescription from an eye doctor. (FDA photo)

"Consumers who purchase lenses without a prescription or without consultation from an eye doctor put themselves at risk of serious bacterial infection, or even significant damage to the eye's ability to function, with the potential for irreversible sight loss," said Lisa Sanford Howard, an optometrist in Middlesboro. Risks involve conjunctivitis (pink eye), swelling, allergic reaction and corneal abrasion due to a poor lens fit.

In considering costumes, parents should make sure their children can see well through masks and walk without tripping on their costume, Kentucky State Police advise. While they're on the street, children should carry a flashlight or have reflective tape on their costumes to make them more visible.

"On Halloween evening, we're placing our children in probably some of the most dangerous traffic situations you could imagine," said KSP Lt. David Jude. "Our children are outside after dark, they walk along and cross unfamiliar streets, and they often wear dark colors, which are difficult for motorists to see."

When children get home with their haul, they should not eat treats until they have been checked by an adult. Parents should discard unwrapped or suspicious candy.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 41 million kids between ages 5 and 14 will go trick-or-treating this year.

Opinions on health and safety issues differ among regions in Ky.

New data show Kentuckians' views on several major health-related issues vary depending on where they live. Those in Eastern Kentucky, the area with the highest poverty rate, are more likely to worry about having the money to pay for nutritious meals. They also have less access to affordable fruit and vegetables, and have a harder time finding safe places to exercise.

The data were compiled through the Kentucky Health Issues Poll, which was conducted by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. It surveyed more than 1,600 Kentuckians selected at random.

Views on smoking also differ by region. People in Northern Kentucky are less likely to support a statewide smoking ban, while people in the greater Louisville area tend to be more in favor of it. The views reflect local smoking bans that are already in effect; Louisville has banned smoking in public places since 2008, but the movement has stalled in Northern Kentucky.

Northern Kentuckians are also less likely to support legislation that would ban cell phone use while driving. People living in Kentucky's two largest urban centers, Louisville and Lexington, are more likely to use their cell phones while driving. People in Lexington said they're more like to talk, text or send emails on their phones when behind the wheel, while people in Louisville are only more likely to talk. People in Eastern Kentucky are the least likely group to talk or text on a cell phone when operating a vehicle.

Almost 3 in 4 respondents said they would support a complete ban on cell phone use while driving. Nearly as many said they need more information in order to understand the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the federal health-reform law.

The poll is jointly funded by the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky and The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. (Read more)

National campaign targets distracted driving

With the aim of raising awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, national public-service campaign "Decide to Drive" kicked off this month.

With former boxer Joe Frazier as spokesman, the campaign features a website, as well as posters, postcards and displays for surgeons to use to educate their patients. "The goal is to get people to think before they do something dangerous behind the wheel, such as using a cellphone, sending a text, eating or even reaching for a child's toy," The Courier-Journal's Darla Carter reports.

The undertaking is funded by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Orthopaedic Trauma Association. Orthopedic surgeons can mend a lot, but "there are some injuries you just can't make normal," said Dr. Marc Zussman, who practices in Rockford, Ill.

In 2009, 5,474 people died nationwide and another 448,000 were hurt in accidents thought to have involved distracted driving. In 2010, more than 54,000 accidents took place in which distracted driving was believed to be a factor. In July, it became illegal to text while driving in Kentucky. Drivers under the age of 18 cannot use cell phones at all while their vehicle is moving. As of January, texting and teen drivers can be stopped and fined for the violations.

To combat the issue, "a change in the entire safety culture is needed," as occurred with seat-belt awareness, said Boyd Sigler, director of the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety. (Read more)

Most Kentuckians in favor of banning cell phone use while driving

Though three of four Kentuckians admit to talking on the phone while driving, just as many would support a law banning cell phone use while operating a vehicle, the Kentucky Health Issues Poll has found.

"Although most Kentucky adults use their cell phones while driving, interestingly, they seem to recognize that this isn't a safe behavior," said Dr. Susan Zepeda, CEO of the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which co-sponsored the poll. "Research has shown that drivers who are talking on a cell phone perform similarly to drivers who are legally drunk."

The poll found that more than 80 percent of Kentucky adults have a cell phone. Nearly 30 percent said they never use their cell phone when behind the wheel; 25 percent said they almost never do; 30 percent said they occasionally talk on the phone while driving; 10 percent said they talk on the phone almost every time they're in the car and 6 percent said they make calls every time.

While they do use their cell phones to talk, 8 out of 10 Kentucky adults do not text while driving, which is banned in Kentucky. Just 1 in 7 Kentucky adults said they occasionally or rarely use their cell phone to text or write emails when driving. Another 2 percent said they text every time they drive.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has identified texting as the most alarming road distraction and attributed 5,500 deaths on American roads to distracted driving in 2009. About 200 of those deaths happened on Kentucky roads.

The poll, conducted annually by the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati, is jointly funded by the foundation and The Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati. Its statewide sample of 1,677 results in a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points; regional samples are smaller and have higher error margins, around 5 percentage points. The foundation is the principal funder of Kentucky Health News. Other poll results can be found by clicking here.

Public Health Week tips remind us that safety is part of health

In celebration of 2011 National Public Health Week, being honored April 4-10, the Kentucky Department of Public Health offers tips on preventing injuries. Each year, injuries account for $80 billion spent on medical care and another $326 billion in lost productivity.

"Kentuckians can make a real difference in their homes and communities by committing to safe behaviors for themselves, their children and families," said Dr. William Hacker, commissioner of the department. "Implementing preventive measures into our daily routines can make a dramatic difference in both the overall health of our population and the amount of health care dollars spent on injury treatment."

To prevent injuries, the department recommends: wearing a helmet and protective gear while playing sports; wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher; having a physical before starting a new sport; warming up before playing sports; putting away items like toys and shoes lying on the floor or staircase to prevent falls; monitoring children while they play; drinking lots of water to prevent dehydration; always wearing a seatbelt; and avoiding distracted driving by not talking on the phone, texting or eating.

"We need to realize that public health requires more than the obvious examples we all know, such as eating fruits and vegetables, getting vaccinations and quitting smoking," Hacker said.