My Virtual Reading Room

U.S. sees a decline in the prevalence of heavy smoking
A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association found 2.6% of Californians and 7.2% of people from other states smoked at least one pack of cigarettes per day in 2007 -- a big drop from 23.2% of smokers from California and 22.9% from the rest of U.S. in 1965. The researchers also found a decline in the prevalence of moderate-intensity smoking of 10 or more cigarettes per day. WebMD (3/15)
Study examines how nurse staffing affects patient mortality
Data from about 200,000 admissions and 177,000 nursing shifts found that patient mortality risks climbed 2% in units with inadequate nursing staff and 4% when high patient turnovers increased nurses' workloads. "Hospitals need to know what their nursing needs are for their patients, and they need to bring staffing into line," said Jack Needleman, senior author of the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. HealthDay News (3/16)