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
There are some health care professionals who refuse to engage in social media and there are others who have mastered it.  And yet there are some who just don’t understand it.

There’s a photo of a clinician on Facebook holding a cigarette.
It may not seem like much, but when it’s a [...]

Upcoming speaking event for Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA
Barbara would love to hear from you.  Please see “Your Turn” at the end of this post.  As always, thank you for your valuable time.

I’m thrilled to be invited to participate at the Ivey Global Health Care Conference Measuring What Matters: Cost vs. Value in Toronto, ON [...]

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

Health care is about you being in charge of your health. It’s about you partnering and communicating with your doctor and other health care providers. Patient engagement is essential and it begins with you being an empowered and proactive patient.
How can we improve communication between doctor and patient?
A [...]