By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA
Hybrid Assistive Limb or HAL
 
“A robot suit that can help the elderly or disabled get around was given its global safety certificate in Japan on Wednesday, paving the way for its worldwide roll-out,” according to Discovery News.
The Hybrid Assistive Limb®, or HAL, is a power-assisted pair of legs developed by [...]

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA
The post is dedicated to all the remarkable nurses, doctors and other members of the health care team.  Your strength and dedication is extraordinary, and not only in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, but every day.

The original post, “Hurricane Sandy: No Match for Nurses’ Resolve,” is published on The Huffington [...]

Guest Post by Sheri Fink, ProPublica
At 9:30 p.m. Monday, Eugene Tangney burst into a meeting of doctors at the command center for Long Island’s North Shore-LIJ hospital system. Ceiling tiles creaked in the wind and television screens showed images of Hurricane Sandy slamming into New York City.
“NYU called,” Tangney said. “They want to evacuate. I [...]

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA

[Original post, “Too Much Hype in the Mobile Health App World?” published on The Huffington Post on 7/23/12 in the Healthy Living/Health News Section.]

The Wild West of mobile health (mHealth) is taking the health care industry by storm, but “there are no rules to the game,” said Joseph C. Kvedar, [...]

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA

Original post, “Engage with Empathy” published on The Huffington Post on 6/27/12 in the Healthy Living/Health News Section.
Do you feel connected with your doctor or other health care providers? Do you partner with your providers? How important is patient engagement to you? What words do you use to define patient [...]