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HIV Testing Kits To Be Distributed To Residents In Washington, D.C., This Week
On Wednesday, a national HIV testing campaign called "Don"t?Guess?Test!" is making a "controversial move" by distributing free HIV testing kits that have not been approved by FDA in the lead up to National HIV Testing Day on June 27, the Washington Business Journal reports. The kits have been clinically tested and are available in Africa, Asia and Europe, according to the Business Journal. Due to the sensitive nature of the non-FDA-approved kits, campaign officials are not disclosing how many tests will be distributed or the location of distribution at this time (Plumb, Washington Business Journal, 6/22).
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During Pregnancy, Women With Endometriosis Need Special Care To Avoid Risk Of Premature Birth
The largest study to date of endometriosis in pregnant women has found that the condition is a major risk factor for premature birth, the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology heard. Dr. Henrik Falconer, of the Department of Woman and Child Health, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden, said that his team had found that women with endometriosis also had a higher risk of other pregnancy complications, as well as being more likely to give birth through Caesarean section. The research is published on-line in the journal Human Reproduction*.
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Stop Seeing Red By Looking Through Blue-Tinted Lenses, UK
As the UK enters a summer of discontent, one company has a vision to make the outlook decidedly brighter - by looking at life through blue-tinted spectacles.
Public Health

Filling The Gap Between The ER And The Family Doctor: Urgent Care Centers

Urgent care centers (UCCs) are providing an alternative to emergency room treatment. A study published in the open access journal BMC Health Services Research has shown that UCCs tend to be open well outside of office hours and offer a wider range of services than primary care offices. Robin Weinick, from the RAND Corporation, worked with Steffanie Bristol and Catherine DesRoches from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School to investigate the organization and function of UCCs. Weinick said, "This is the first piece of research that"s taken a nationally representative sample to look at urgent care centers. Given their extended hours, availability of unscheduled appointments, and the range of services they provide, urgent care centers are uniquely positioned within the health care system to address the overflow of acute care patients from primary care as well as low- to mid-acuity emergency department patients". The researchers found that the centers employ significant numbers of family physicians, and are slightly larger on average than office-based practices nationally. They have hours of operation expanded significantly beyond typical office hours, while also providing services such as fracture care, suturing lacerations and x-rays, which are more commonly associated with the emergency department. The study was funded by the Urgent Care Association of America. Weinick said, "A significant shortage of primary care physicians is predicted over the next two decades, and more than one quarter of family physicians are not currently accepting new Medicare fee-for-service patients. At the same time, despite having fewer emergency departments nationally, demand for their services continues to grow. Given this combination, demand for urgent care center services may increase as well". Urgent care centers in the U.S.: Findings from a national survey Robin M. Weinick, Steffanie J. Bristol and Catherine M. DesRoches BMC Health Services Research (in press) http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/ Graeme Baldwin BioMed Central


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