On deadline? Unfamiliar topic? These web guides, developed by veteran health journalists, can quickly guide you to the right sources and data.
In 1999, the Institute of Medicine published a seminal report, "To Err is Human," sparking a movement to improve the quality of health care in the United States. The report concluded that at least 44,000 people — and possibly as many as 98,000 — die in hospitals annually from preventable medical... more »
Thanks to a broad, aggressive eradication campaign, tuberculosis (TB) is a relatively minor issue in the United States; but it is a growing problem among the nation's immigrants, who come from countries where the respiratory disease is endemic. In 2008, nearly 12,900 tuberculosis cases were... more »
Few families in the United States are untouched by mental illness. Estimates are that about one in four American adults suffers from some type of mental illness, and about 1 in 17 suffers from a serious mental illness. In a 1999 report, the U.S. Surgeon General emphasized the relationship between... more »
The field of environmental health examines how aspects of our natural and built environments affect our health. Environmental health scientists spend their time assessing risks in the environment, such as air pollution, toxic chemicals, hazardous waste and polluted water, and mitigating them.... more »
Each year, about 60,000 Americans receive a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, a devastating neurological condition that can destroy motor skills and the ability to speak. Patients with the disease, also called Parkinson disease or PD, may display tremors, difficulty walking, dementia,... more »
Stroke is a medical emergency needing immediate attention. It occurs when blood flow is interrupted to an area of the brain because a blood clot blocks an artery or a blood vessel breaks. Underscoring the need to call 911 is the fact that one key medical intervention - a drug called Tissue... more »
Although many Americans may fear cancer more, heart disease is actually the leading cause of death in the United States. In an era of pacemakers and artificial hearts, cardiovascular ailments remain a leading cause of disability, with more than 81 million Americans living with some form of the... more »
Between 2001 and 2006, the number of visits paid to emergency rooms in the United States increased annually by nearly 12 million, according to a U.S. Government Accountability Office report released in April 2009. In addition, the average time ER patients waited before being seen by a physician... more »
The deliberate release of viruses, bacteria or other germs to cause illness or death in people, animals or plants is considered bioterrorism. Experts fear that agents like anthrax, smallpox or the plague could potentially be manipulated to make them even more deadly, more resistant to current... more »
Proper prenatal care contributes to healthier babies and mothers. Though access has been improving, minority women were twice as likely as white women to get prenatal care only in the third trimester, or not at all. Mothers who delay or forgo prenatal care are three times more likely to give birth... more »
