The Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) iPad Project started in May 2012 as a very small idea that grew exponentially into a massive one for a group of recovery room nurses. Their primary goal has always focused on providing safe and efficient care to their patients recovering from anesthesia, especially those patients who have undergone head and neck surgery, unable to effectively communicate their needs post-surgery. They had an idea on how they could enhance the experience of these patients. The solution came with the support of MSK Librarians, Antonio DeRosa, Sarah Jewell, and Donna Gibson.
From left to right: Michael LeTang, Antonio DeRosa, Bonnie Monson, Jane Murphy, Kristyn DiFortuna, Sarah Jewell, Stephanie Nolan, Pam Ginex, Theresa Brunner.
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Monthly Archives: February 2014
CVS and Tobacco, NIH and Reproducibility, and more…
The past few weeks in blog land…
CVS has announced plans to end tobacco sales by October 1 of this year. This item from NPR’s The Takeaway discusses the news, the company’s move toward being a health provider, and includes comments from the CEO about some of the foods CVS sells (which have been mentioned in criticisms of the move). For an example of criticism on this widely applauded announcement has drawn consider 33 Charts’ blog. On Respectful Insolence a reminder to focus on the big picture that positive move this is from CVS.
Gene by Gene has settled it’s patent infringement case with Myriad and will not sell BRCA tests in North America. No doubt, bloggers are writing about this and related cases now.
Last week a comment in Nature, Policy:NIH plans to enhance reproducibility (by Francis Collins and Lawrence Tabak) addressed the problem reproducibility in science and policies the NIH hopes can combine with the efforts of other interested parties to help “reset the self-corrective process of scientific inquiry”.
5 Key Things to Know of Meta-analysis is a great explanation of important factors to keep in mind when looking at meta-analytical studies. Hilda Bastian has included examples of studies using the different methods discussed, links to further explanations of the statisical methods involved, and charming cartoons to explain the concepts involved. (via @bonnieswoger)
On Cancer.net, MSK’s Dr. Anas Younes wrote about Cancer in the Age of Social Media, asking other oncologists about the recent pieces about blogger Lisa Adams prior to giving his own (admittedly biased) opinion.
MSK Among New York Recipients of Donations for Cancer Research and more…
Here are some MSK news items from the last couple of weeks…
- New York institutions have recently been the recipients of generous donations for cancer research. MSK received a gift of $90 million in January from the Ludwig Cancer Research organization to fund immuno-oncology research. Other New York institutions which have received large donations are the NYU Langone Medical Center which was gifted with a $50 million dollar donation and the Weill Cornell Medical College which recently received a $75 million gift.
- A new journal, Hepatobiliary Cancer, has been announced by the publisher, PMPH-USA. Dr. Yuman Fong of MSK, a world recognized researcher in liver and biliary surgery, will be co-editor of the new publication along with section editors, Dr. Ghassan K. Abou-Alfa and Dr. Gary E. Deng, also of MSK. The journal will focus on new technology for the management of liver and biliary cancers from worldwide major cancer centers.
- The cell-surface glycoprotein, Mesothelin, can predict tumor aggression in lung adenocarcinoma patients according to studies carried out at MSK by Dr. Prasad Adusumilli and his colleagues. Patients with high Mesothelin expression had lower 5-year survival rates than those with low Mesothelin expression.
- Cycle for Survival, is an event in which cancer survivors, patients and their families participate in a team cycling effort to raise money for rare cancer research. The event took place on February 1st in 13 cities in the U.S. The money raised will be donated to Memorial Sloan Kettering to support rare cancer trials and research studies.
- Obesity has been found to be a factor in poorer survival in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue. The study, carried out by researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering and Weill Cornell Medical College, found a five-fold increase in risk of death in patients who were obese immediately prior to diagnosis of the tongue cancer. According to Dr. Neil Iyengar, the lead author of the study and an MSK fellow, this discovery may lead to new, more effective treatments.