Clinics | Health and Hospital Resource

3 Tips to Find Trusted Hospitals

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When it comes to your health or that of your loved ones, you can never be too careful. You should never simply accept the first name in the phone book or go to an establishment simply because it is located close to you. If you want to ensure that your medical care is handled by professionals with the highest standards and the finest facilities, you need to make sure you find the most trustworthy hospital.

1. Talk to Those You Know

The first thing you should consider when attempting to narrow down your search for superior care is that you already know many people who have probably required the services of a hospital. Your own experiences may have already turned you off of a particular medical facility. Chances are you have friends and family you can ask about their experiences with healthcare institutions.

2. Search The Internet

Another research tool that you should make good use of is the Internet. Visiting an establishment’s website may be a good place to find out which medical professionals have long-standing careers in medicine. Other internet sites provide you with unbiased opinions and reviews from past patients. Of course, you will have to be careful to not fall prey to those who have an axe to grind. Look for trends in reviews to find a balanced picture of a facility’s care.

3. Try a Dry Run

Visit the hospital and have a look around. Ask some of the professionals questions. Observe how busy they are and the level of care they seem to be able to afford their patients. If you see that they treat their patients with care and respect, you will likely have a good experience when you need to call on their services yourself.

Filed Under: Clinics Tagged With: Facilities, Health, Health care, Health care provider, Hospital, Medical facility

Hospital Staff Procedures to Prevent MRSA Outbreaks

MRSA or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus is a highly contagious infection that affects those that stay in hospitals and long term care facilities. These infections can spread through bodily fluids and skin to skin contact. This means that all hospital staff needs to take proper precautions to make sure that they do not contract MRSA. Here is a look at the equipment and procedures that hospital staff uses to prevent the spread of MRSA.

The hospital staff will use a wide range of personal care medical equipment to prevent themselves from touching any bodily fluids and possibly catching MRSA. These pieces of equipment include disposable gloves, masks, goggles, gown and shoe covers. It is not uncommon to see hospital staff covered head to toe to prevent the spread of MRSA.

Hospital staff will place their personal care medical equipment on before entering the MRSA isolated room. They will usually wash their hands before and entering the room to make sure that the virus is not present on their skin. The hospital staff will also promptly remove their safety equipment and toss it out as it could contain the MRSA virus and cause infection.

Hospital staff will also dispose of any items the patient received while they were in the hospital and had the infection. They will dispose of the sheets, bedding, pillows and gowns. If disposal of these items cannot happen right away they are kept in a container that is labeled and then properly disposed of. Anything the patient with MRSA came into contact with is promptly disposed of to prevent the spread of MRSA.

Filed Under: Clinics, Health Care Tagged With: Hospital, Infection, Medical equipment

Choose an Emergency Care Center or Clinic for Your Next Emergency

Your son has just fallen from a tree—you think he’s broken his leg. The doctor’s office is closed. Your daughter gets burnt; you cut your hand and need stitches. Should you go to the hospital?

Fortunately, in many cases, a clinic or urgent care center will not only save you time but money. Instead of jumping through the paperwork hoops of a hospital, you may want to consider traveling to your local clinic or emergency care center to get the help you need.

Here’s why:

Save more out of pocket money. Clinics and urgent care centers are substantially cheaper than an ER visit.
Get in to see the doctor quicker. Avoid overcrowding in the ER facility. If your local clinic is closed, visit an urgent care center; they are usually open 24 hours.
Decrease your stress. Know that many injuries can be handled within a clinic or urgent care center with the same accuracy and in room speed. According to consumeraffairs.com “about 17 percent of all visits to hospital emergency departments across the United States could be treated at retail medical clinics or urgent care centers…”
Keep your children busy. Many centers/clinics have a book area, a toy area, even a movie area for children. ERs typically have magazines, newspapers and a fish tank to stare at, with a movie that you cannot hear attached to the far wall.

Remember that the ER takes on greater medical conditions than your local clinic or emergency care center. If the problem involves suspected heart attack, stroke, severe bleeding, major burns, seizures, severe headaches that come on suddenly, abdominal pain, or poisoning, check with your local ER for help.

Getting the help you need from proficient personnel without spending a bundle should be at the top of everyone’s list. And if you can get the help you need with less stress added to the injury, why not?

Filed Under: Clinics, Health, Remedies Tagged With: United States, Urgent care

Understanding an Addict

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Finding out that one of your friends or family members may be a drug or alcohol addict can be tough on you. It puts you in an awkward position, because you know you have to confront them about the behavior they’ve been exhibiting.

Abuse can quickly turn into addiction, and it’s important for you to make sure it doesn’t get worse. Getting help and information is simple; you can go to Rehab-International.org for resources on how to handle this type of situation. The key is actually doing something about it.

When a person has fallen into an addiction, that means they have no control over when or where they will use drugs or alcohol. People can become physically addicted to a drug or alcohol and that usually means that they exhibit symptoms that force them to take their drugs in order to make their bodies feel better. This also means that they end up building a tolerance to the particular drug or alcohol they are using, so they end up needing more and more over time to satisfying their needs or cravings.

People can also become psychologically addicted to the drug. If they run out of the money that supports they habit, they may lie, cheat or steal in order to get more of their fix. These people have become addicts when they are no longer doing drugs or alcohol socially and are instead becoming dependent on it.

In understanding addicts, you have to realize that they need more of their substance or else they feel that they can’t survive. You have to be ready to take on the responsibility of helping them if you feel you are ready for that task. You need to be there for them and keep up the support system, which is the most important thing.

Filed Under: Clinics, Health, Health Care Tagged With: Addiction, Drug, Substance abuse, Substance dependence

MichaelsHouse.com and Eating Disorder Treatment

MichaelsHouse.com is a site dedicated to two residential rehab centers located in Palm Springs, Calif. The facilities can help those who have addictions as well as eating disorders. With a quiet, peaceful setting and an experienced, dedicated professionals, the Michael’s House staff can help those with disorders learn to eat normally again. Treatment for an eating disorder is often a lengthy process, and the rehab centers found on MichaelsHouse.com have long-term residential programs in place for patients who need them.

Treating a Dual Diagnosis

Many times, an eating disorder is accompanied by an addiction that can make it more difficult to overcome the illness. When there is a dual diagnosis of an eating disorder and a chemical addiction, Michael’s House can help. Whether it’s an addiction to prescription drugs, illegal drugs or alcohol, Michael’s House staff are trained and ready to help patients to overcome the problem. The centers are well equipped to deal with many types of dual diagnosis, including depression and other mental health issues as well as addiction problems.

Specializing in Mental Health and Addiction

When there are two problems present, treating just one of them may only lead to a relapse later. It takes a complete and holistic approach to treatment in order to take care of the underlying problems. According to MichaelsHouse.com, a mental disorder such as an eating disorder is extremely prevalent alongside addiction. More than 60 percent of people who have addiction issues have an accompanying mental disorder. This high rate of dual diagnosis is just what Michael’s House staff members look for and are trained to treat. They use a holistic method of treating patients so that an eating disorder can be treated alongside any of the accompanying addiction or mental health problems that are contributing to the more apparent problem in the patient.

Filed Under: Clinics, General Tagged With: Disorders, Eating, Eating disorder, Health, Mental disorder, Mental health, National Eating Disorders Association, Patient

Is It the Celebrities or the Drug Treatment Centers?

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A friend and I were talking recently about drugs. There has been so much media hype about drug additions lately — especially when talking about celebrities. In fact, it seems like every celebrity has been in half the drug treatment centers in the world. It makes me wonder if they actually work. I mean, if these people go into one, then two days after being released are back in the habit, you really have to wonder.

As I got thinking about it further, though, I realized that realistically, they probably do work. These celebrities have to be the exception to the rule. Maybe they don’t actually want help. Or, it could be that the reason they keep going back to the behavior is simply because they want the publicity. Either way, drug treatment centers would not be gaining popularity and getting the types of reviews that they do, if they were simply a waste of time and money.

Of course, like everything out there, there are probably some that aren’t worth the ground they were built on. But, on the other hand, there have to be some of these treatment facilities that go above and beyond. If they were all horrible, then there would be no reason for them to continue. We would eventually figure it out and put a stop to it.

My conclusion is that it’s not the treatment centers that are a problem. It’s the celebrities that go to them. If you aren’t willing to quit the thing that put you there in the first place, you’re not going to. No one, not even a rehab center, can make you quit if you truly don’t want to. I think that we need to hold the celebrities responsible, not the treatment centers that they frequent.

Filed Under: Clinics, General, Health Tagged With: Addictions, California, Celebrity, Celebrity Justice, Centers and Counseling Services, Health, Substance abuse, United States

Why is hospital food so bad?

Everyone knows the classic Jerry Seinfeld bit: “What’s the deal with airline food, anyway?” Of course, airlines are hardly the only institutional culinary offenders. As anyone who has stayed in a hospital knows, the food can be just as bad – even worse in some cases. And shouldn’t a hospital, of all places, serve food that is at least halfway healthy? Are they just trying to drum up future business?

As it turns out, the answer involves staffing, money and a captive audience. Few hospitals actually prepare the food served in their own cafeterias. Instead, they farm out their lucrative catering contracts to industrial kitchens that also handle bulk contracts for places like prisons and military bases. Of course, contracts go to the lowest bidder, who typically passes along their low costs with bulk-purchased, low-quality grains and cuts of meat. This is especially the case with large hospitals.

Additionally, hospitals tend to avoid ethnic foods that may not meet the tastes of all patients. They deliberately serve foods as bland and generic as possible. Why would hospital patients put up with all of this? Of course, they have no choice. Patients don’t get the opportunity to bring in their own food, or order take-out. Very few guests or visitors to the hospital want to go through the hassle of leaving in search of decent grub in an unfamiliar neighborhood, either. So, hospitals have a captive audience and are free to serve whatever dreg they wish.

It’s possible that there will be a shift toward higher-quality hospital food in the future. Chefs, nutritionists, and even doctors have suggested that serving healthier, tastier food could aid in recovery times and encourage patients with poor appetites to clean their plates. In the meantime, patients can either choose small, private hospitals less likely to utilize industrial kitchens, or rely on family and friends to smuggle in high-grade grub. Perhaps we need a Seinfeld stand-up routine: “What’s the deal with hospital food, anyway?”

Filed Under: Clinics, Health Care, Health Insurance Tagged With: Business, Hospital, Medicine

Hospital Phobias

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Hospital phobia or anxiety refers to intense fear or anxiety associated with a hospital or clinic. The causes of such fear can vary on a individual level. Treating hospital phobia can be accomplished with the use of individual or combined therapies.

Causes of Hospital Phobia

It is understandable for an individual to have some apprehension with a visit to a hospital or clinic. This apprehension may be related to a hospital visit that involves surgery or an invasive procedure. It may also be related to personal embarrassment such as treatment for sexually-transmitted disease or exposing naked areas of the body, as with pregnancies or colonoscopies. Hospitals are also a common place for disease and death. This can make some visitors uneasy. Persons with severe hospital phobia, however, avoid hospitals to their own detriment. A person with severe hospital phobia may be in need of a doctor’s care, but he avoids seeking such because of his fear and his inability to overcome it. He may see a hospital as a place of terror and even avoid visiting relatives there.

Hospital Phobia Therapies

There are several therapies used to treat hospital phobia or anxiety. They can be used alone or in combination with other treatments. Hypnotherapy is a method by which a person undergoes hypnosis to overcome his fear. While in a state of deep relaxation, a person is responsive to suggestion. A hypnotherapist is then able to assist a patient in facing his fear or replacing negative reactions with positive ones. Counseling is another treatment for hospital phobia. It involves a patient talking to a licensed psychiatrist about his fear. The psychiatrist’s objective is also to try and get the patient to confront his fear and find ways to overcome it. Self-treatment allows a person affected by hospital phobia to perform his own method of therapy. This usually involves exposing himself to situations such as hospitals or clinics that incite apprehension or cause a fear response. With enough exposure, the concept is the individual will become more acclimated and unafraid of that which causes his fear.

Filed Under: Clinics, Health Care, Medicines Tagged With: Anxiety, Health, Phobia

Recovery Clinic Care

Recovery clinics provide assistance with the treatment of injuries, surgeries, addictions and mental illness. Treatment options are available for inpatient or outpatient care. The type of care chosen can depend of several factors.

Inpatient Care

Inpatient care refers to treatment that is provided on an around-the-clock basis. Patients are housed at a live-facility. Meals are provided as well as counseling and activities. Inpatient care removes an individual from outside influences that may affect her recovery or well being and allows for more treatment time and options. This is useful in instances of detoxification for drug-recovery patients or when a person has become injurious to herself. For individuals who have seriously injured themselves or who have had surgery, inpatient care sees to their basic needs and the healing process. Some inpatient facilities provide individual housing with amenities such as a pool, spa and tennis courts.

Outpatient Care

Outpatient care occurs when patients do not live at a treatment facility but go to it on a scheduled basis. Outpatient care is useful for individuals who work, attend school or have other outside obligations they must be physically present for. Patients of outpatient care may attend a facility daily or a couple of times a week for a few hours each time.

Deciding Factors

The decision to choose inpatient or outpatient care can be based on a few factors. The most determining factor is which type of care is best for the patient’s recovery. In cases of individuals affected by injury or surgery, inpatient care may be necessary to assist them with simple activities such as meals and using the bathroom. For individuals suffering from drug or alcohol addictions, detoxification in an inpatient environment may be best. This can prevent them from temptations at home that may cause a relapse. Since inpatient treatment provides full-time care for patients, the cost is usually much higher. This is often a deciding factor in what type of care is chosen. Insurance coverage will also affect this, as some policies may only cover a portion or limited amount of care.

Filed Under: Clinics, Health Care, Medication Tagged With: Centers and Counseling Services, Health, Patient, Surgery

Preventing Hospital Related Infections

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Modern hospitals provide advanced treatments that improve quality of life and promote healing. Most people enter the hospital, receive the necessary therapy, and return home with no additional issues. In recent years, however, the overgrowth of super bugs has created areas for concern.

Caused by organisms that often occur naturally in our environment, super bugs include infections like methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Clostridium difficile (C.Diff), and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Super bugs develop when mutations in normal bacteria occur and the mutant strains are strong enough to survive the normal course of treatment. These infections pose more serious risks because they are resistant to antibiotics and spread quickly. Since many people in hospitals already have compromised immune systems, they have a lessened ability to fight the super bugs, which can lead to an extended hospital stay and other complications.

Hygiene and sanitation play a big role in preventing the spread of super bugs. Patients and their loved ones need to diligently make sure that anyone who comes into the room has washed and sanitized their hands, including family members, doctors, food servers, and janitorial staff. As well, anything that the patient will touch or that can touch the patient must also be cleaned and disinfected. Items like telephones, remotes, stethoscopes, and water pitchers should be wiped down and sanitized.

Anyone who may have a communicable illness, even a cold, should not visit a hospital patient to avoid making that person or someone else sick. During a hospital stay, if you or someone you love develops unusual symptoms or begins to feel worse, notify your physician right away. Isolating any patients who contract a super bug and taking extra precautions with the physicians and staff treating those individuals can help reduce the risk of infection for other patients.

Filed Under: Clinics Tagged With: Conditions and Diseases, Infection, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus