Healthcare: challenges

Obesity is a complex chronic condition with genetic, environmental, metabolic and psychological aspects. It has biochemical, biomechanical and sociological effects that lead to increased ill-health and early death and represents one of the biggest healthcare challenges of the 21st century. 

First DataBank is not only meeting healthcare challenges but is also leading the industry into an era of greater patient safety and knowledge. 

Daughton, C. G. 2009a. Chemicals from the practice of healthcare Challenges and unknowns posed by residues in the environment. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 28(12) 2490-2494. 

But although pervasive healthcare, as it is sometimes called, promises to deliver huge benehts, there are still numerous challenges to be resolved. For a start, information about the health of patients is very sensitive, so any system that handles such data must be completely secure. It must also be unobtrusive and easy to use, because the vast majority of patients will not be technophiles eager to adopt the latest technology. 

Koopmans, M. (2009). Noroviruses in healthcare settings A challenging problem. J. FIosp. Infect. 73, 331-337. 

The existential state of being a patient is perhaps an even more immediate domain of the moral. The loss of autonomy, the fear of the unknown, the dissolution of identity accompanying pain in its multifarious forms, the dehumanization of being subjected to the administrative processes of healthcare, and the psychological dependence each of these challenges fosters combine to make the physician the patient s advocate in a different way to the social one described above. Here, individual concerns are paramount, and the most immediate response must be a humane one. 

The results of genetic tests are not always straightforward, which often makes them challenging to interpret and explain. Therefore, it is important for patients and their families to ask questions about the potential meaning of genetic test results both before and after the test is performed. When interpreting test results, healthcare professionals consider a person s medical history, family history, and the type of genetic test that was done. 

Leape LL, Kabcenell A, Berwick DM, et al. 1998b. The challenge. In Reducing Adverse Drug Events Breakthrough Series Guide, p. xiv. Boston Institute for Healthcare Improvement. 

The FDA excuses electronic records from 21 CFR Part 11 where they are printed and it is the printed copy that is used rather than the electronic version. The electronic record in these circumstances is considered incidental. The FDA will, however, challenge how such printed copies are used to determine whether in practice there is still a dependency on the electronic version. It is recommended that pharmaceutical and healthcare companies document their use of electronic and printed copies within SOPs. Printed copies must not be taken in an effort to side-step regulatory requirements. 

Detecting a healthcare professional who is a substance abuser is challenging because of a number of inherit conditions. These are ... 

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