Medgadget

The Sad State of Hand Washing at Your Local Hospital

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:01:15 -0800

Freakonomists Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner recently gave a talk at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. One of the topics was doctors' compliance with hand washing procedures and how to sway them into following the protocol. Here's a few minutes from the event:

Link to the complete talk...

"Oh Shnocks! The state of healthcare technology in '09"

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:44:51 -0800

The Healthcare Human Factors Group from Canada's University Health Network produced a short comic video that gives a sense of what it's like to deal with all the gadgetry in a modern hospital. The clips come from the group's own in-lab usability tests where doctors and nurses are closely observed to see how technology could be improved to increase safety, ease of use, and efficiency.

Link: Healthcare Human Factors...

Take Along Bidet for Sanitary Travels

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:05:02 -0800

Beware: a person next to you in the airport restroom stall might not be doing what you think he is doing. The SkyMall now offers a portable battery powered bidet, designed to satisfy the urges of all types of maniacs.

From the product page:

This little wonder, which comes with its own handy travel pouch, provides a refreshing, pulsating spray of water just where and when you need it.

Your Travel Bidet is ready to go, just open the box and install the included AA battery, then when you are ready to use it... "just add water". When folded the Sanicare Pocket-Sized Travel Bidet is small enough to easily fit into your pocketbook or briefcase. When extended it provides an ergonomic shape that gives you the reach required for a thorough and comfortable cleansing.

Being able to restore your personal hygiene and comfort after travelling has not always been possible until now; with your personal Sanicare Travel Bidet relief is at hand. Rinsing with water prevents irritation from toilet paper abrasion, incomplete cleansing, perspiration and bacteria, which can cause unpleasant odors. Whether you travel by plane, car, cruise ship or train, you can now feel shower fresh every time after using the restroom.

Product page: Sanicare Travel Bidet

(hat tip: RGS)

Seen on Wisconsin's Scenic Byways

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:00:15 -0800

CNN video explains:

Coital Model Takes a Pounding For Science

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:00:02 -0800

Somehow we missed an article in last year's Contraception, a magazine we read over morning coffee and brioche, that presented findings of a study that tried to identify why condoms break. Beside analyzing broken samples and questionnaires asking those with first hand experience, the researchers from SSL International, manufacturers of Durex brand condoms, used a painful looking "coital model" to identify "blunt puncture" as the cause of breakage. The blunt puncture action turns out to be when "the tip of the thrusting male penis progressively stretches one part of the intact condom wall until it ultimately breaks."

Picture of the Coital Model is hidden under the drape below.

Abstract: Male condoms that break in use do so mostly by a "blunt puncture" mechanism.

(hat tip: NCBI ROFL via Gizmodo)

Where The Sun Never Shines: Under a Pannus

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:02 -0800

George Vera, 25, was arrested last week for selling bootleg recordings on a street corner in Houston. Following at least four body searches of the suspect, authorities later booked Mr. Vera into the Harris County Jail. Turns out he managed to hide an unloaded 9mm pistol under a pannus in his massive body. Considering that a handgun recently appeared momentarily on the FDA rule books, we'll consider this incident as an example of an implanted device.

The Houston Chronicle reports:

Police arrested Vera on Sunday after he was spotted selling apparently bootlegged compact discs out of the back of a sport utility vehicle parked at Hollister and Pitner, Hawkins said.
Police spokesman Victor Senties said Vera was searched three times by police personnel: once at the scene, again, more thoroughly, when he arrived at the city jail, and a final time before he was transferred to the Harris County Jail.

Vera was subjected to an additional search at the county lockup.

City and county law enforcement spokespeople said inmates at both the city and county jails are not required to pass through a metal detector or undergo wand searches.

Vera's possession of the firearm came to light Monday when he approached a county guard during a shower break and admitted having smuggled the weapon, authorities said.

Perhaps he forgot about the gun and discovered it only when washing up all the nooks and crannies in the shower.

More at the Houston Chronicle: Gun found on obese inmate after 5 searches...

Keep In Mind Those Safety Protocols!

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 00:00:07 -0800

Here we have a hospital bed making love to an MRI machine because someone didn't take proper precautions.

Source: FAIL Blog

Japanese Gizmo Wants to Keep You Mildly Awake

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 00:00:04 -0800

Now here's an odd item stereotypically coming out of Japan that might be of circumstantial interest to those in medical schools. The Wink Glasses are clip-ons that can detect one's blinking, and when the blinking slows, as when you're dozing off, the glasses turn opaque. This supposedly should wake you up and get back to highlighting the tome.

Google translation of the product page...

(hat tip: Engadget)

iPhone App Helps Find Medicinal Marijuana Dispensaries

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:09:35 -0800

Imagine yourself a Californian and a proud owner of a medical marijuana license. You are tired of sitting at home on a workers comp, so you go on a weekend camping getaway, a trip that you rightfully deserve. Having run out of provisions, perhaps because of greedy friends, you find yourself in need of a refill, but your local dispensary is too far away. You can either curse the Governator for the deplorable state of the Californian dispensaries, or you can empower yourself! To help locate the nearest facility that will sell you a few buds, a new $3 iPhone application has been created featuring a database from two sources overlaying all the known legal spots on the map.

Here's a quick video demo:

Product page: iPhone Cannabis Locator Application

iTunes link...

(hat tip: Gizmodo)

DIY Circumcision Makes Writing This Post Difficult

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:16:36 -0800

An English gentleman, possibly skeptical of the offerings provided by the National Health Service (NHS), decided to perform his own circumcision at home. Apparently not aided by anything other than some ethanol, the patient/physician brought a pair of nail clippers to the surgical theatre/kitchen sink. Inevitably something went terribly wrong and medics had to be brought out.

The Telegraph quotes one from the rescue team:

"This is something we would advise men never to attempt," a medic said, "The results can be quite horrific and long-lasting and have quite an affect on a man's sexual performance.
"Using a pair of nail clippers must have caused excruciating pain, even if he had had a few drinks beforehand."