As 2018 comes to a close, we wanted to round up some of the most interesting articles in healthcare we’d come across this year.
Maybe you have a long flight home for the holidays, or maybe you just want to cozy up with a warm drink and ignore the holiday rush. Whatever your December looks like, this list will keep your brain warm as you catch up on some of the most interesting reads from this past year.
How AI and computer vision are reinventing wound care
“AI” is really just another name for big data - computer systems that can process huge amounts of information really, really quickly. (We’re not yet to a point where the robots are taking over.) One promising area in which artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing is computer vision, algorithms which process images. Healthcare entrepreneurs are in the midst of turning this technology toward healthcare, where algorithms can identify rashes and lesions, measure and analyze wounds, and bring colorimetric testing into the home — all using photos or short videos snapped by our smartphones.
5 ways healthcare teams can improve how they care for skin injuries
As far as Medicare is concerned, pressure injuries are preventable. (Whether or not that’s a valid viewpoint is neither here nor there.) “Skin injuries are extremely prevalent,” says Pamela Damron, MSN, RN, CWON, who has been a certified wound and ostomy nurse for 20+ years. “The cost is very hard on a healthcare system. Patients are coming into the hospital much sicker than they were years ago.” But there are ways that healthcare teams can care for pressure injuries more effectively.
Physician burnout: it’s not a thing
According to a lot of media and academic literature, there’s an epidemic of physician burnout. But Douglas A. Mata, MD, MPh, of Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Boston says, no way. Find out why he says that he strongly disagrees, claiming, “there is no burnout epidemic.”
The Top 10 Mental Health Apps
Whether it’s self care or patient care, mental health is critical to good overall health. Those who live with severe mental illness are more likely to face chronic medical conditions, and have a life expectancy shortened by about 25 years. But almost all people can benefit from improved mental health...and yes, there’s an app for that.
Wishing you a happy and health holiday season, a wonderful end to your 2018, and a great start to your new year! We’ll see you in January.
Skilled Wound Care is a mobile surgical practice committed to transforming the chronic wound care model in nursing facilities. Wound care experts make weekly bedside visits to patients in long-term care facilities, avoiding transfers to hospitals or clinics. Our expert physicians give patients the most up-to-date and effective wound treatments, and educate facility staff on how to help patients continue to heal quickly and effectively between visits. This model of collaborative care allows SWC’s physicians to improve patients’ lives and health outcomes, to empower nursing staff, and to raise public awareness. Skilled Wound Care, along with its nurse and nursing home partners, is working every day to positively transform traditional nursing home wound care.