Health Info

University of Birmingham’s Global Health Research Showcase

Researchers, policy makers and stakeholders came together last week to celebrate significant strides in global health research at the University of Birmingham.

Published March 19, 20244 minutes

The 2024 Global Health Research Showcase brought together (in person and online) celebrated academics in the Global Health field discussing their areas of work and the links between evidence to policy and change. There were speakers not only from the University of Birmingham, but also institutions such as the World Health Organization, The British Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research and the

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Interior Health spending on agency nurses up 2,476% in two years | iNFOnews


FILE PHOTO

Image Credit: PEXELS


March 22, 2024 – 7:30 AM






Interior Health is contracting out an increasing number of nursing jobs as its spending climbed to more than $30 million last year.

From 2017 to 2021, the health authority spent up to around $2 million per year on agency nurses. That jumped to nearly $8 million in 2022, according to figures obtained through a freedom of information request.

Interior Health then spent $33.5 million for agency nurses across the region in 2023.

BC Nurses’ Union president Adriane Gear

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Health Info

Idaho State University Health Fair Returns for 2024

The 2024 Idaho State University Health Fair will once again offer numerous free and reduced-cost health care services, health information booths and family-friendly activities for the entire community.

The event will take place on March 28th from 7 am to 6 pm at the ISU Pond Student Union Building Ballroom in Pocatello. The event showcases ISU’s Kasiska Division of Health Sciences (KDHS) clinics, health degree programs, and community health partners such as Portneuf Medical Center, Health West, and more.

New this year, a children and infant focus with interactive activities and food demonstrations throughout the day relating to healthy habits

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COVID-19 had greater impact on life expectancy than previously known, but child mortality rates continued to decline during the pandemic

A new study published in The Lancet reveals never-before-seen details about staggeringly high mortality from the COVID-19 pandemic within and across countries. Places such as Mexico City, Peru, and Bolivia had some of the largest drops in life expectancy from 2019 to 2021. The research, which presents updated estimates from the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2021, provides the most comprehensive look at the pandemic’s toll on human health to date, indicating that global life expectancy dropped by 1.6 years from 2019 to 2021, a sharp reversal from past increases. Among GBD’s other key findings, child mortality continued to

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HHS Finalizes Rule to Advance Health IT Interoperability and Algorithm Transparency

The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) today finalized its Health Data, Technology, and Interoperability: Certification Program Updates, Algorithm Transparency, and Information Sharing (HTI-1) rule. This follows the release of the HTI-1 proposed rule in April 2023. The HTI-1 final rule advances patient access, interoperability, and standards, including the following:

  • Transparency Algorithm: Establishes first of its kind transparency requirements for the artificial intelligence (AI) and other predictive algorithms that are part of certified health IT. ONC-certified health IT supports the care delivered by more than
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Biomarkers at midlife may predict cognitive decline

Two older men play a game of cardsShare on Pinterest
Experts say cognitive abilities in older age may be influenced by brain health in midlife. Nata Segueza/Stocksy
  • Researchers report that cognitive functioning in midlife might provide insights to brain health later in life.
  • They say that staying physically healthy by adopting lifestyle habits such as not smoking, exercising regularly, eating properly, and participating in social activities can improve brain health.
  • They note that keeping the cardiorespiratory system healthy is essential to brain health.

Cognitive function and health in midlife – ages 40 to 65 – might provide clues to brain health later in life, according to a

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The mental health app data privacy problem is getting worse

Mental health apps have become increasingly common over the past few years, particularly due to the rise in telehealth during the coronavirus pandemic.

However, there’s a problem: Data privacy is being compromised in the process.

“Data is incredibly profitable in the digital space,” Darrell West, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told Yahoo Finance. “That’s how companies are making their money. Many large companies derive a substantial part of their revenue from advertising. People want to target their ads on particular people and particular problems. So there’s the risk that if you have a mental health condition linked to depression,

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Microsoft adds Cloud for Healthcare data and AI enhancements

New tools announced this week enable Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare users to access, analyze and visualize data-driven insights across their organization through Fabric architecture, find multilingual support for text analytics, and leverage three new artificial intelligence models in Azure.

The cloud provider also said more users will have the chance to try Azure AI Health Bot, a generative artificial intelligence assistant that can glean information from unstructured text, while select partners using Fabric will have a chance to preview de-identification services.

WHY IT MATTERS

Microsoft announced Tuesday that new data and AI capabilities will help healthcare organizations improve patient experiences,

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