Articles

Study Correlates Workplace BPA Exposure to Male Sexual Dysfunction (November 2009)

According to a NIOSH-funded study by Kaiser Permanente, high levels of workplace exposure to Bisphenol-A (BPA) may increase the risk of reduced sexual function in men. The five-year study examined 634 workers in factories in China, comparing workers in BPA manufacturing facilities with a control group of workers in factories where no BPA was present. The study found that the workers in the BPA facilities had quadruple the risk of erectile dysfuntion and seven times more risk of ejaculation difficulty. The study is the first to look at the effect of BPA on the male reproductive system in humans and adds to the body of evidence questioning the safety of BPA, a chemical made in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins found in baby bottles, plastic containers, the lining of food and beverage cans, and in dental sealants. Read the Kaiser Permanente press release and download the study.

Prescription for success: Don't bother nurses (October 2009)

For nurses, constant interruptions while tending to a patient are part of the job; but a distraction that happens while administering medication can have deadly results. According to the Institute of Medicine, errors in administering medication cause about 400,000 preventable injuries in hospitals and about $3.5 billion in extra medical costs a year. This San Francisco Chronicle article examines a University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) program to improve accuracy in administering drugs — with an emphasis on reducing interruptions that often lead to mistakes. "Medication errors make up the largest slide of the medical error pie," said Julie Kliger, director of UCSF's Integrated Nurse Leadership Program. "Improving these numbers is a huge benefit to patient safety and, secondarily, it reduces costs." Results from the program indicated a nearly 88 percent drop in errors over 36 months. Read the San Francisco Chronicle article.

Healthcare Reform Needs Better Choices: Report (July 2009)

According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute report, telemedicine, workplace clinics and finding ways to help people stay healthier may have a greater impact than insuring everyone. "Cranking up supply to increase access is likely not the answer. The United States now spends more than any nation on healthcare and has a record number of clinicians in the workforce," the company said in a statement. Read the Reuters article.

Unsung Heroes Work Hard to Cut Hospital-acquired Infections (July 2009)

This CNN article examines the changing cultural shift in American medicine that no longer accepts hospital-acquired infections as inevitable complications. Every year, such infections sicken 1.7 million and kill 99,000 people in the United States. According to a 2009 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately one out of every 22 patients who checks into a US hospital acquires a bacterial infection, adding more than $28 billion to health care costs. Read the CNN article.

Prevention a Top Health Reform Priority for Americans (May 2009)

Three quarters of Americans believe U.S. funding for prevention should be increased, according to a poll released by Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Respondents rated investing in prevention a higher priority than several other health care reform proposals, including providing tax credits to help small business provide health insurance to employees and prohibiting health insurance denials based on age or pre-existing conditions. "This report shows that the American people believe prevention and wellness are the cornerstones of a higher performing health care system. And they're right," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT). Read the poll results.

Using Evidence-Based Environmental Design to Enhance Safety and Quality (2009)

A new white paper available on the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's website shows health care leaders how, as part of an integrated improvement strategy, evidence-based environmental design interventions can measurably enhance the care they provide, improve the perceptions of the experience of that care by patients, families, and staff, and actually have positive economic impact on their organizations. The white paper includes:

• A series of relatively low-cost recommendations that virtually any health care organization should consider implementing
• Recommendations that are best addressed as part of new facility construction or major renovation
• Examples of interventions for unit-specific microsystems
• A facility checklist that any organization can use as a guide to determine whether its environment is actually helping or hindering care and the care experience
• A suggested framework for calculating the economic return on investment of an intervention or group of interventions
• A discussion of how to balance initial, one-time capital expenditures with ongoing operating cost savings and revenue enhancement through market differentiation

Download the paper from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's website.

Scientists Find Link Between Autism and Vinyl Flooring (March 2009)

A recently released study indicates that children who live in homes with vinyl floors, which can emit phthalates, are more likely to have autism; the study of Swedish children is among the first to find an apparent connection between the disease and an environmental chemical. In the study, Swedish families were asked questions about flooring as part of research investigating allergies and indoor air pollutants. Four environmental factors associated with autism were identified: vinyl flooring, the mother's smoking, family economic problems and condensation on windows, which indicates poor ventilation. Since the research was not designed to focus on autism, the researchers recommend further study of larger numbers of children to see whether the link can be confirmed.

Read Scientific American's article regarding the study.

New Study Links Hospital Cleaning Fluids to Increased Health Risks (March 2009)

A pilot study carried out at six separate facilities in eastern Massachusetts indicated that hospital cleaning fluids may pose a health risk both to staff and patients. The researchers evaluated cleaning fluids used and found that many included some potentially hazardous chemicals such as ammonium chlorides, glycol ethers and ethanolamine, all of which irritate either the skin or lungs. The researchers also found that exposure levels were affected by the way the agents were used. Study leader Anila Bello, from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, said: "Because the severity of cleaning exposures is affected by both product formulation and cleaning technique, a combination of product evaluation and workplace exposure data is needed to develop strategies that protect people from cleaning hazards." The authors concluded that "hazardous exposures related to cleaning products are an important public health concern because these exposures may impact not only cleaning workers, but also other occupants in the building."

The abstract and article are available on the Environmental Health website; a press release also is available.

Heathcare Construction: Breaking Green Ground (February 2009)

This article from Maintenance Solutions Magazine explores some of Kaiser Permanente's experiences and lessons learned from the construction of its most environmentally responsible facility to date, the Modesto Medical Center. A 670,000-square-foot complex comprised of medical offices and a full-service hospital, the facility opened in October 2008 and has served as a green laboratory for Kaiser Permanente's future green building project. The center showcases a range of energy- and water-saving materials, low-emitting interior products, and design elements aimed at improving the health and well-being of patients and staff. Read the article online.

A Review of the Research Literature on Evidence-Based Healthcare Design (2008)

This report surveys and evaluates the scientific research on evidence-based healthcare design and extracts its implications for designing better and safer hospitals. The review found a growing body of rigorous studies to guide healthcare design, especially with respect to reducing the frequency of hospital-acquired infections. The findings further support the importance of improving outcomes for a range of design characteristics or interventions, including single-bed rooms rather than multibed rooms, effective ventilation systems, a good acoustic environment, nature distractions and daylight, appropriate lighting, better ergonomic design, acuity-adaptable rooms, and improved floor layouts and work settings.

Read the abstract or download the report.

New and Alarming Report About Global Resource Demands (October 2008)

According to newly released figures from the Global Footprint Network, humanity will require two planets to meet our demands by the mid-2030s. From the Global Footprint Network: "Our demand on nature, just as the economy, is reaching a critical tipping point. Two years ago, Global Footprint Network data showed humanity on track to reach the two-planet mark by 2050. Now it appears we are set to this critical threshold much earlier, at around the time children born today are entering the workforce. Meeting this level of demand is likely to be physically impossible, and would likely cause ecosystem failures that would threaten the economic underpinnings of our society." The information is part of comprehensive new data from Global Footprint Network exploring the changing state of human pressure on the planet and how it compares across 200 nations.

A summary of the findings are presented in the Living Planet Report 2008, produced with WWF and the Zoological Society of London. Complete country-by-country graphs, data tables, sources and methodology are available in The Ecological Footprint Atlas 2008.