August 7th, 2010 by GruntDoc in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Quackery Exposed
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From the article “Millions spent on doctor ‘gagging orders’ by NHS, investigation finds” in the “Health & Families” section of The Independent in London:
Hospital doctors who quit their jobs are being routinely forced to sign “gagging orders” despite legislation designed to protect NHS whistleblowers, it is revealed today.
Millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money are being spent on contracts that deter doctors from speaking out about incompetence and mistakes in patient care.
Wow. I’m not being snarky here — I really have no idea: Does this happen in the U.S?
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
July 26th, 2010 by GruntDoc in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion
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From Campus Safety Magazine:
DANBURY, Conn. — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited Danbury Hospital for failing to provide its employees with sufficient protection against workplace violence. The hospital has been fined $6,300.
The announcement comes on the heels of the March 2010 attack, when nurse Andy Hull was shot three times by 86-year-old Stanley Lupienski, a patient at the hospital.
Yes, $6,300 isn’t much money, I agree. But I’d imagine it’s not good for admin careers…
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
June 12th, 2010 by GruntDoc in Better Health Network, True Stories
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Recently I was seeing a patient who was left with somewhat of a stutter after a prior stroke. It was a long history and probably longer for the patient, who had to work very hard to be understood through an unwanted speech impediment.
Inexplicably, when I walked out of the room I started to stutter, too — I wasn’t trying to make light of the patient’s problem, and I had to stop talking for a few moments before I could speak in my normal cadence. It was super-strange, like my brain heard the new cadence and said “Oh, that’s how you do it.” Awful.
It was embarrassing and weird. Fortunately the patient didn’t hear it, and I apologized to the staff who did. I have no idea why my mouth-brain connection picked that anomaly to repeat. Strange.
Anyone else have this?
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
May 31st, 2010 by GruntDoc in Better Health Network, Book Reviews, True Stories
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When Americans think about wartime medicine, “MASH” reruns and the comic antics of Hot Lips Houlihan and Hawkeye Pierce are likely to come to mind. A decidedly more authentic view can be found in “Paradise General” and “The Nightingale of Mosul,” books by a real-life Army surgeon, Dr. Dave Hnida, and an Army nurse, Col. Susan Luz. Both authors served in Iraq during some of the bloodiest days of the war in 2006 and 2007.
At an age when people often retire from the military, 48-year-old Dr. Hnida, a family physician in Littleton, Colo., volunteered for service, answering the Army’s call for doctors. Col. Luz was a 56-year-old Army reservist—her previous tours had included delivering babies for military families stationed in Germany and bringing humanitarian aid to South America—when she was deployed to active duty in the bloody urban 
battleground of Mosul.
— via Book Review: Paradise General; The Nightingale of Mosul – WSJ.com.
So, my summer book list is set.
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
April 18th, 2010 by GruntDoc in Better Health Network, News, Opinion, True Stories
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![[img20.jpg]](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_HaRb8uwch8o/S5AtG1G6-rI/AAAAAAAADFQ/RLtPhozn6nw/s1600/img20.jpg)
Recently SSG Matthew Kinney was named Flight Medic of the Year at the DUSTOFF Association and AMEC Conference for his actions on Oct. 16, 2008, for which he was also awarded the Silver Star.
Wow. Just reading the citation impressed me. There are heroes in this world.
Via Mudville Gazette
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
