DiaMedical Journal

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.

Pride Month is a time to celebrate diversity, promote dignity and equal rights, and increase visibility for the LGBTQ community. That being said, it's important to openly discuss that people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning (LGBTQ) have importantly unique health needs that must be recognized and addressed by their healthcare providers. Culturally competent care is the key to overcoming LGBTQ health disparities and improving health outcomes for this population. Continue reading to learn more about health risks that are common to the LGBTQ community and how training programs are increasing awareness for providers.

Food allergies have increased steadily over recent years, currently approximately 7% of children in the U.S. Approximately 40% of these children have multiple allergies, and they are at higher risk for allergic reactions and anaphylaxis when they are at camp (1,2,3). This is because they have more opportunities to try different foods than at home or school, and the risk of cross-contamination is higher. In addition, campers may experience bug bites, pet dander, insect stings, snake bites, and other allergens. This blog will describe how camps must prepare to deal with anaphylactic reactions that can arise from food and environmental allergies.

Healthcare training programs expect manufacturer warranties to be included when they purchase medical equipment, even though extended warranties and preventative maintenance plans are not. These two options are often confused and many people wonder if they are worth the money. In this blog, we will explore what separates warranties from maintenance and how to keep important medical equipment in good working order.

Even though pressure injuries are most common in adult care units, there is an emerging awareness that acutely ill and immobilized children are also at risk. With relevant knowledge, however, clinicians can help prevent skin breakdown in pediatric settings. This article will describe risk factors for pediatric pressure ulcers and how therapeutic support surfaces can help prevent the development of decubitus ulcers in children.

Even though pressure sores are less common in maternity units than in other hospital areas, they can develop quickly in women during labor. For new mothers, this skin breakdown is a distressing complication. With relevant knowledge, however, clinicians can help prevent the development of pressure sores in the maternity setting. This article will describe risk factors for maternal pressure ulcers and how therapeutic support surfaces can help prevent the development of decubitus ulcers in obstetrical patients.

The days of plain gauze are long gone in favor of advanced materials that can absorb large amounts of drainage without the need for frequent dressing changes. Decubitus ulcer dressings provide optimal and advanced care for healing and protecting the wounds from worse conditions and infection. Some dressings can even provide thermal insulation, optimize the pH of the wound bed, and remove proteases from wound fluid. This article will provide a brief overview of the main types and their indications for use.

It is a common misconception among beginning nursing students that every medication listed for patient’s is safe to administer. What they don’t realize is that patient condition’s can change or mistakes can happen during order entry. Nurses must use their critical thinking skills during each step of medication administration to protect patients from dangerous side effects, drug interactions and contraindications. In this article, we will look at how instructors can add embedded errors into simulations to help prevent students from making medication errors in clinical practice.

At-home COVID tests are a useful tool as the world braces for the latest surge in cases. They sacrifice some accuracy for speedy results, but they can help people make decisions about when to isolate themselves. At-home testing is used with social distancing, masks and hand-washing to control the spread of COVID infection. In this blog, we will look at when at-home COVID tests should be performed, how they differ from PCR tests, and what the results mean.

There’s nothing worse than having students ready to learn about IV therapy and the infusion pump doesn’t work. Malfunctioning equipment is costly in terms of both money and time. Thankfully, regular cleaning and maintenance can help keep this from happening to you! In this blog, we will look at common infusion pump problems and how to create a maintenance plan to keep them from occurring.

Without a doubt, hands-on training is the best way for students to learn how to manage IV therapy. Students need to practice programming infusion rates and dosages into the same pumps that they will be using in clinical settings. This is especially important for modern infusion pumps that have advanced software and integrated drug libraries. In this blog post, we will look at several types of infusion pumps that can help students learn how to safely administer IV fluids and medications.

Approximately 25 million Americans have asthma. This is a condition that causes periods of wheezing and shortness of breath and life-threatening exacerbations. Nursing and respiratory therapy students need to learn how to assess patients with asthma and administer appropriate bronchodilator therapy. In this blog, we will look at how instructors can use the SimLabSolutions Asthma Management Training Bundle student asthma training.

Acutely ill patients receiving breathing support and mechanical ventilation require a trained medical team of respiratory therapists, nurses and emergency medical professionals to care for them. The COVID-19 crisis has created a huge need for ventilators and healthcare professionals who can manage them in acute care settings as well as long term care facilities and medical transport. Instructors can use simulation to help students quickly gain the skills needed to safely care for patients receiving assisted ventilation. Ventilators and simulators enable students to practice hands-on techniques and improve their performance without putting real patients at risk. As the students gain experience with the ventilators during their training programs, they hone the skills that are needed to ensure better outcomes for their patients. In this blog post, we will describe various types of ventilators and simulators that instructors can use to help their students learn how to safely manage patients who require mechanical ventilation.

Allergic reactions can happen anywhere, at any time, to anybody. While some allergic reactions cause mild symptoms like an itchy rash, others may require immediate medical treatment. Knowing what to do for an allergic emergency can help save someone’s life. In this blog, we’ll look at how to recognize anaphylaxis and help someone who is having an anaphylactic reaction.

The COVID-19 virus is leaving many patients with difficulty breathing, maintaining adequate oxygen levels and lung damage. When lung damage occurs, oftentimes the lungs are left filling with liquid, the throat swells or bleeding happens. When obstructions like this begin, it’s very difficult for the lungs to successfully deliver oxygen to the blood and remove carbon dioxide. The fastest process used to save patients in these emergency scenarios is the Rapid Sequence Intubation (RSI) procedure.

AED features can be compared to purchasing a new car. When acquiring a new car, most individuals carefully analyze the various choices and amenities. They choose which characteristics are necessary and which are not, such as comfort, quality, convenience, safety, appearance, and fuel efficiency. People who live in hot areas frequently avoid heated steering wheels in favor of air conditioning. Some consumers are concerned with safety features such as automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control, while others are interested in wireless phone connections and high-quality sound systems.

Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) can be great cost-savings tools. FSA and HSA accounts are funded by individuals while employers fund HRA accounts. These accounts allow money to be set aside on a pre-tax basis to pay for qualified medical expenses such as deductibles, prescriptions, and equipment/supplies. People do not have to pay taxes on the money that they put into their FSA and HSA accounts. They can also choose from a wider range of options when selecting personal medical equipment.

AED stands for Automated External Defibrillator. An AED is a small medical device that is used to restore a regular heart rhythm for people who are having a sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) which is often confused for a heart attack. Most cases of SCA occur when the person’s heart starts beating in a rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (V-fib). The heart quivers very fast instead of contracting and relaxing to pump blood through the body. The person will not have a pulse and blood will stop flowing to vital organs, including the brain. Death will occur within a few minutes if the heart does not resume a normal rhythm. An AED can make the difference between life and death for people who have a Sudden Cardiac Arrest. Chest compressions can help circulate blood through the body but immediate defibrillation with an AED is needed to prevent Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD).