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Articles written by DiaMedical
Articles written by
DiaMedical

Cervical Cancer Awareness Month: Training Practitioners for Prevention & Early Detection

With January being Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, it’s the perfect time to shed light on the significance of early detection, prevention and treatment options for the disease. It’s especially important to train practitioners considering early detection is oftentimes a critical factor in the ability to treat. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide, with an estimated 604,000 new cases in 2020 alone. It is also important to note the link between human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer, as nearly all cases of cervical cancer can be attributed to HPV infection (1-3). Research shows that vaccination and screening for HPV can decrease cervical cancer incidence and mortality by at least 80%, but more providers who can perform these procedures are needed (4-5). This blog will describe how students can gain the skills and training needed to protect their patients from the threat of cervical cancer.

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SimBodies EMS-MAN Trauma Patient and Paramedic Scenario: Tuesday Teachings - Simulation Innovation

In this episode, we explore a trauma patient and paramedic simulation featuring our SimBodies Trauma Care / EMS-MAN Manikin. The Full Body SimBodies EMS-MAN is the world’s most realistic adult medical manikin. EMS-MAN has a life-like look and feel with flexible limbs and splash proof, washable skin. The partially open eyes have eyelids that can be moved manually and the wig is made from real human hair. EMS-MAN is designed for ACLS training with an accurate human casted airway for intubation and supraglottic airway device insertion. The lungs inflate when assisted ventilation is administered correctly, and airway sounds are provided by a Bluetooth speaker. Watch our full video below to see an interactive scenario involving an EMS team responding to a trauma victim.

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Introducing The Lynacare™ HC107 Hi-Low Hospital Bed: Tuesday Teachings - Product Knowledge

The new Lynacare™ HC107 Hi-Low Hospital Bed was designed for all types of home and long-term care settings. The HC107 helps prepare students with practice outside of acute care facilities, making it an ideal option for CNA, LPN and RN programs. Follow along with our latest video to see why the Lynacare™ HC107 is a great choice for skills demonstrations and to learn how educators are incorporating homecare simulations into their curricula.

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HIV/AIDS Awareness Month: The Implementation of Universal Precautions to Reduce Risk

Many healthcare practices have changed and advanced throughout the years, but few are as evident as the implementation of universal precautions. For instance, gloves are worn for nearly all care and treatment rather than just during surgical procedures as they were in the past. Clinicians now also engage the safety mechanisms on needles immediately after injections before placing them in red sharps containers. These precautions have been extremely effective through the years at mitigating risk, as only 58 cases of confirmed occupational HIV transmission to healthcare providers have been reported in the United States (1). In honor of December being HIV/AIDS Awareness Month, our blog below discusses the common misconceptions surrounding the topic, as well as the various methods to reduce risk of exposure and transmission to healthcare workers.

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Using Simulation to Teach Best Practices for Long-Term Care

Though simulation training is most commonly associated with acute care emergency scenarios, it is also ideally suited for many long-term care programs. In fact, simulation is becoming increasingly important as patient acuity in assisted living and skilled nursing facilities has surged over the past few years (1,2). Long-term care simulation labs are now essential components of RN, LPN and nursing assistant programs, as they enable students to safely practice skills in a controlled environment under the close supervision of instructors. There is no risk to patients and students have opportunities for clinical decision-making that are not possible in clinical settings. Continue reading below to learn more about how educators can use simulation to better prepare students to provide safe patient care in every type of extended care setting.

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Simulated Patient Positioning & Body Mechanics: Tuesday Teachings

In this Tuesday Teaching’s episode, students demonstrate proper patient positioning and body mechanics, featuring our Lynacare HC107 Hi-Low Hospital bed. Led by our nurse educator, Sally O’Meara, this skills validation explores the dos and don'ts of patient positioning while also showing how to prevent caregiver injury. Click the link below to watch the positioning simulation!

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Men’s Health & Cancer Awareness Month: Improving Patient Outcomes through Healthcare Education

While pink ribbons increase internet searches about breast cancer by 180% each October, awareness campaigns for testicular and prostate cancer have been far less successful. There is a stigma surrounding men’s cancer prevention in the media and in society that brings less awareness than predominantly female cancers. Now is the perfect time to start changing this narrative as November is National Men’s Health Awareness Month. Educators can do their part by training the next generation of healthcare professionals how to perform testicular and prostate cancer exams with cost-effective skills trainers.

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How to Demonstrate Best Clinical Practice for Long-Term Care Using the Lynacare™ HC107 Hospital Bed

Hospital beds for long-term care have undergone a total transformation in the past 30 years. For instance, manual hand cranks at the foot of the bed have been replaced with convenient hand pendants and footboard-mounted master control panels and full-length side rails have been discontinued in favor of quarter-length. The new Lynacare™ HC107 Hi-Low Hospital Bed was designed with these best clinical practices in mind and many others as well. Continue reading to catch up on the latest research findings and how the HC107 promotes evidence-based best practice in long term care.

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Importance of Realistic Blood For Healthcare Simulation

Every day, life-saving blood transfusions are needed in healthcare facilities across the world. Annually in the United States, more than 14 million units of blood are transfused from nearly 11 million blood donors. Most patients do not experience any side effects from their transfusions, and this is due to the knowledge and skills of the clinicians caring for them. One of the best ways to teach aspiring doctors, nurses and lab technicians how to perform these procedures is simulation training. Participating in structured simulation scenarios not only improves clinical skill performance but enhances confidence in performing critical interventions. SimRx Signature Simulated Blood Bags are an essential component of this training because they look and feel just like real blood products.

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Simulated Emergency Code Response: Tuesday Teachings

In this Tuesday Teaching’s episode, nursing students demonstrate an emergency code blue response with our nurse educator, Sally O'Meara. Click the link below to watch a high intensity, educational mock code simulation! At DiaMedical USA our mission is simple: improve the quality of healthcare by providing innovative tools like our Tuesday Teachings series to help educate the next generation of medical professionals.

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Creating a Newborn Resuscitation Simulation

Neonatal resuscitation is a high risk, low frequency emergency situation that occurs in approximately 10% of births (1). Preparation and training are essential because the need for advanced resuscitation is often unanticipated prior to delivery. For this reason, simulation training has become a central component of NRP certification and continuing education. The TABCS (temperature, airway, breathing and circulation and supplies) are essential components of all neonatal resuscitations. Continue reading to learn more about how to incorporate these into your neonatal resuscitation training program.

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Improving Postpartum Hemorrhage Care

Postpartum Hemorrhage (PPH) is the leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide, and cases are currently on the rise across the globe. However, up to 70% of hemorrhage-related obstetric deaths may be prevented with prompt recognition of excessive blood loss and standardized emergency plans (1,2,3). This blog will explore how OB educators and clinicians can help improve care for mothers who develop postpartum hemorrhage.

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Developing Interdepartmental Communication Skills Using ER Simulation

When it comes to an emergency at a hospital each type of clinician needs to understand their role. Doctors, nurses, and specialists are flooding patients rooms ensuring they receive the proper care. This is an extremely stressful situation and, unfortunately, even the most veteran hospital employees can get overwhelmed and start making mistakes. Hospitals encourage departments to constantly work to improve their skills through simulation. However, as explained by Michelle Stearns from Vermont Technical College “training happens within specific departments ‘silos’ and prevents collaboration between different departments”. Encouraging this level of collaboration early on in the healthcare education process sets a realistic foundation for our future healthcare professionals.

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Physical Therapy the #1 Weapon in the Fight Against Opioids

Nearly three weeks ago, President Trump announced his intention to declare the national opioid crisis a “national emergency.” And for good reason; as we discussed in our previous blog post, opioid overdose deaths continue to skyrocket across the country. Claiming more lives than guns and car accidents, drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans under 50. Alarmingly, in 2015, nearly 1 in 50 deaths were drug-related—and primarily due to opioids.

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The Increasing Demand For Paramedics

An increasing demand for Paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians has left the nation in a major employment shortage. This increasing demand has led to thousands of job openings and a limited number of recently graduated students to fill them. An astonishing 15% increase in jobs is expected over the next 7 years, according to the Bureau Of Labor & Statistics, and by 2026 there will be an estimated 37,000 more jobs for EMTs and Paramedics than there were in 2016.

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Life-Like to Synthetic Model Simulation

Healthcare education initially started with life-like simulation and transformed in the late 1960’s to synthetic model simulation. Though patient simulations were very realistic, they were not the most efficient and effective ways to test students. Life-like simulation was a risk, more expensive, less flexible, and not worthwhile for teaching institutions. Once manikins and models were introduced to the world of simulation, students were able to practice certain skills and techniques as frequently as they needed in order to correct mistakes and did not run the risk of putting their simulated patients in danger.

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New MIND Diet May Lower Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

The new MIND Diet developed by Rush University Medical Center researchers appears to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's Disease by 53 percent in those that followed the diet rigorously, and by 35 percent in those who followed it moderately.

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Simulation Labs Should Have Home Care Rooms - Here's 5 Reasons Why

Years ago, patients who required advanced medical therapies like feeding tubes, IV infusions, and mechanical ventilation were cared for in the hospital or a long term care facility. Today, these patients can stay at home with the support of an interdisciplinary home care team. Not only is their care cost effective, but they enjoy a higher quality of life than their hospitalized peers. The demand for home health care services has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic as inpatient hospital beds have become scarce. Of course, there is a corresponding need for home care clinicians who can provide the advanced care that these patients require. As a result, training programs are adding home care rooms to their sim labs to help students practice outside acute care settings. Continue reading to learn more about why this is important and how to create a home care sim lab of your own.

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Protecting Healthcare Workers from Needle Stick Injuries and Hepatitis

World Hepatitis Day is recognized every July 28th to remember Dr. Baruch Blumberg (1925–2011), who discovered the hepatitis B virus and developed the first hepatitis B vaccine. This is the perfect time to raise awareness about viral hepatitis, which impacts more than 354 million people worldwide. It is also an opportunity to examine how healthcare providers are at risk of developing hepatitis after a needlestick injury. Continue reading to learn more about hepatitis infection and how safer needle devices can help prevent spread of the disease.

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8 Preventative Maintenance Measures that your Simulation Lab Equipment Needs – SimLabSolutions

Summertime is here and students are enjoying a break from their studies. Summer is also the ideal time for sim lab coordinators to get their medical equipment ready for the next school year. The common misconception is that maintenance is only required when the issue strikes, but this run-to-fail strategy can present safety risks and increase long-term costs. Preventative maintenance is one of the most important tasks that facilitators should consider, as it keeps equipment safe and ready to use for students and instructors throughout the upcoming school year. There are eight examples of medical equipment that require professional preventative maintenance measures before a years long worth of use, most of which are already in simulation labs.

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