Technology: Robot Power Suit – Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) to Help Nurses and Patients

By Barbara Ficarra, RN, BSN, MPA   “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 Japanese robot maker, Yoshiyuki Sankai, CEO Cyberdyne Inc. The following text is an excerpt from the YouTube video below.    …

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Social Media Health: 3 Key Elements to Use When Engaging in Social Media

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 clinician at an academic medical center with a Facebook account which reveals place of employment, that changes…

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Speaking Event: Ivey Global Health Care Conference – Measuring What Matters: Cost vs. Value

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 Canada.  I will join an exciting panel to discuss “Needs, Wants and Values in Health Care:  The Public…

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In Hurricane’s Wake, Decisions Not to Evacuate Hospitals Raise Questions

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 don’t know how to help them right now. They’re in a panic mode.” Tangney, a senior vice president,…

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TEDMED Challenge of Health and Medicine – Improving Medical Communications

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 critical first step is to gather knowledge and ideas from all of us with a passion for improving our…

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