In today’s talking points: China’s public health will be heavily impacted by its battle with air pollution, study says; Researchers cut arthritis consultation costs with mobile app; Doses of baby vaccines are recalled; Cosmetic industry may face restrictions in order to tighten up “unregulated” industry
China’s public health will be heavily impacted by its battle with air pollution, study says
China’s measures to improve air quality are functioning well, but tougher policies should be put in place to protect public health, a new study has shown. The Tsinghua University study used satellite-derived aerosol optical depth measurements, ground based observations, and air quality simulations to examine the levels of fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and its adverse health impacts across China. This study estimated that the premature mortality related to PM2.5 pollution was reduced by nine per cent as the consequence of air quality improvement, demonstrating the effectiveness of China’s air pollution policies.
Read more at: Phys Org
Researchers cut arthritis consultation costs with mobile app
Researchers at multiple institutions in China cooperated to develop the Smart System of Disease Management, a series of applications based on clinical data working in conjunction with a system that includes online consultation through a mobile app to improve care management among rheumatic disease patients. 100 million people in China suffer from the rheumatic disease, yet the country boasts only 5,000 rheumatologists, most of whom are concentrated in larger cities. The findings, presented this week at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting in San Diego, highlight opportunities for both reducing expenses and opening new revenue opportunities for doctors and hospitals.
Read more at: Healthcare IT News
Doses of baby vaccines are recalled
Thousands of ineffective inoculations for new-borns were released by two companies in China. The companies: Changsheng Biotechnology in Jilin province and the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products in Hubei province released over 650,000 doses of ineffective vaccinations for new-borns. The vaccinations were designed to immunize new-borns against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus, however were ineffective. Consequently, Investigative teams have been directed to spend six to eight weeks to check compliance at the companies’ production bases and test the quality of the vaccines.
Read more at: China Daily
Cosmetic surgery industry may face restrictions in order to tighten up “unregulated” industry
Doctors in Australia who have no surgical experience may be banned from claiming they are “cosmetic surgeons”. Currently in Australia, any doctor with a medical degree can claim the title of cosmetic surgeon even if they have no prior surgical training or experience. The change was triggered by several recent cases of serious, potentially life-threatening medical mishaps from cosmetic surgeons, including a patient suffering a suspected heart attack during a breast implant procedure. Under this new proposal, only doctors who have had prior plastic surgery training would be able to refer themselves as a “cosmetic surgeon”.
Read more at: ABC