Latest news with #prevention
The Independent
18 hours ago
- Health
- The Independent
How heart attack deaths dropped 90 per cent in 50 years
A Stanford University study found that overall heart disease deaths in the US dropped 66 per cent over 50 years, largely due to an 89 per cent decline in heart attack fatalities. This success is attributed to significant advancements in managing acute cardiac events, including improved treatments, increased bystander CPR, and public health initiatives like no-smoking laws. Despite the reduction in heart attack deaths, the study revealed a concerning rise in other heart conditions, with arrhythmia deaths increasing 450 per cent, heart failure deaths rising 146 per cent, and hypertensive heart disease deaths up 106 per cent. Researchers link the increase in these other heart-related deaths to the growing prevalence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure among the US adult population. Experts stress the importance of shifting focus to prevention, starting from childhood, and recommend following guidelines such as the American Heart Association's 'Life's Essential 8' to maintain heart health.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Maryland launches effort to reduce gun violence, track firearm data
The Maryland Department of Health shared a detailed plan Thursday to reduce gun violence in the state and track firearm data. The effort comes as Maryland ranked 17th lowest among U.S. states for a five-year firearm fatality rate between 2019 and 2023, according to data from the department. Maryland's gun violence prevention plan The state is taking a public health approach to preventing gun violence, with a three-part plan that involves assessing crime prevention strategies, responding to and preventing acts of violence and supporting survivors and perpetrators in their mental and physical healing. The goal of the plan is to improve coordination and trust between the state and local agencies and strengthen investments in gun violence prevention. The first pillar of the plan, Prevention and Assessment, will create violence reduction councils that will include local leaders, researchers and criminal justice officials. The teams will review firearm data and homicide cases to develop prevention strategies. The councils will also support the implementation of Extreme Risk Protective Orders (ERPOs) and Domestic Violence Protective Orders (DVPOs), which are court orders that temporarily require a person to turn over their firearms. The second pillar, Intervention and Response, aims to interrupt the cycle of violence in communities. Under this part of the plan, community leaders will be trained to engage with at-risk individuals to prevent violence with the help of law enforcement. The pillar focuses on providing resources to communities with high rates of violence, including job training or other programs that promote growth and development. The second pillar also focuses on providing techniques to hospital and trauma center staff on how to care for gunshot patients and therapy to prevent retaliatory violence. The final pillar, Community Resiliance and Healing, aims to invest in communities that are most impacted by gun violence. Along with financial and emotional support for victims, this pillar would also guide investments into neighborhood revitalization programs, as environmental factors can also impact the likelihood of gun violence. Along with the detailed plan, the State Department of Health also created a firearm dashboard to track data on individuals who are injured or killed by gun violence. The data will help teams generate improvements to gun laws. "Every day, we see how gun violence tragically impacts every community across the State of Maryland," said Maryland Health Secretary Dr. Meena Seshamani. "The data dashboard and preliminary state plan are much-needed, critical tools that will inform our public health and prevention efforts to reduce firearm violence across the state." Gun Violence in Maryland Maryland recorded a total of 734 firearm deaths in 2023, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of those cases, 63% were homicides and 36% were suicides. Maryland recorded a total of 734 firearm deaths in 2023, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of those cases, 63% were homicides and 36% were suicides. Maryland Department of Health The state's five-year firearm fatality rate of 3.4 per 100,000 people was just below the national average of 13.7 per 100,000 people, data shows. However, the five-year homicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people left Maryland with the 10th highest rate between 2019 and 2023. According to the health department's report, Baltimore City and Dorchester County had the highest gun violence rates, while Howard County had one of the lowest rates. According to the state health department's report, Baltimore City and Dorchester County had the highest gun violence rates, while Howard County had one of the lowest rates. Maryland Department of Health "While Baltimore City's high rate of gun violence is striking, it is important to note that the city has seen a 24% reduction in its rate of firearm fatalities from 2021-2023," the report said. Data shows that Cecil, Washington and Worcester counties had the highest five-year rates of firearm suicides. Montgomery, Prince George's and Howard counties had the lowest rates. Overall, gun violence rates spiked in 2021 and declined slightly by 2023.
Times of Oman
3 days ago
- Health
- Times of Oman
'A Nation Free from Drugs" awareness campaign held in Salalah
Salalah: The Ministry of Social Development, in Dhofar Governorate, organised on Wednesday a community event titled 'A Nation Free from Drugs" to raise awareness about the dangers of narcotics and psychotropic substances. The initiative aimed to educate the public on the threat of drug abuse, its societal risks, and the importance of collective prevention while fostering health, social and cultural awareness. The event featured a panel discussion titled 'A Nation Free from Drugs," where experts addressed the societal impacts of addiction and strategies for prevention and treatment.
Medscape
3 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Can the NHS Point the Way to Better Diabetes Care in Canada?
Canada can build successful diabetes prevention and remission programs across the country by learning from England, a Quebec-based team of clinician-scientists and other experts suggested. England's National Health Service (NHS) created publicly funded prevention and remission programs that have reduced diabetes incidence rates from 64.3 to 53.4 per 1000 person-years in patients with prediabetes. These programs are projected to save $121 million over 35 years, according to the team. In an article published online on June 16 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal ( CMAJ ), they described how Quebec could follow England's lead and 'catalyze' similar initiatives throughout Canada. Kaberi Dasgupta, MD 'We have to move from conversations to action,' principal author Kaberi Dasgupta, MD, professor of medicine and director of the Division of General Internal Medicine at McGill University in Montreal, told Medscape Medical News . 'Canada does not have any large-scale prevention programs. Those that exist are research initiatives,' she said. 'In contrast, England has a countrywide program with demonstrated impact at a national level.' Of note, she said, the NHS England programs offer universal access for those at risk for diabetes. They have shown evidence of impact by reducing diabetes rates and are demonstrating cost-effectiveness. Although some adaptations will be necessary, she acknowledged, 'Canadian provinces have an opportunity to emulate this, rather than reinventing the wheel.' England's Template Countries such as Finland and the US also have funded national diabetes prevention programs, but NHS England's program is the only initiative with countrywide coverage. Simply put, the NHS program, which started in 2009, is managed by local health councils that oversee health districts, which are like regional health authorities in Canada. Adults aged 40-74 years present for weight, height, blood pressure, and lipid measurement at primary care practices, pharmacies, or other designated sites. They also complete a diabetes risk-assessment questionnaire and undergo a hemoglobin A1C or fasting glucose test if the questionnaire suggests that they are at elevated risk for diabetes. Diagnoses are recorded in the electronic health record. General practitioners can refer patients with prediabetes to the NHS prevention program, and those who meet certain criteria may be referred to the remission program. Patients younger than 40 years can also be referred to these programs if their physicians diagnose prediabetes or early type 2 diabetes (T2D). The authors explained how Canada could use England's template to accelerate equitable diabetes prevention and remission programs throughout the country. With that in mind, and with funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), a Quebec-based team of clinician-scientists, legal experts, and health economist researchers, several of whom are Diabetes Quebec professional council members, partnered with leaders from the NHS to investigate how a similar program could be introduced in Quebec. 'If one province successfully builds a program, it will catalyze others and attract federal funding,' the authors wrote. Since healthcare and public health program delivery fall under provincial and territorial governments, 'all these governments need to be engaged,' Dasgupta added. 'When one province leads the way and demonstrates impact, others become more enthusiastic, and the federal government then has the opportunity to allocate funding and build agreements with each.' 'Real Potential' Commenting on the article, Rachel Reeve, PhD, executive director of research and science at Diabetes Canada in Toronto, told Medscape Medical News, 'This model is an excellent example of learning from our international colleagues in the diabetes community. Adapting and implementing successful and proven programs like these has real potential to help people in Canada living with, or at risk for developing, T2D. Testing a diabetes prevention program in one province to evaluate its success and economic feasibility is a strong approach to garner support for nationwide implementation. Rachel Reeve, PhD 'There is some concern that, too often, Canada embarks upon pilot projects and research that demonstrate success, yet when it comes to scaling up and sustaining these programs, we don't have the right mechanisms in place,' said Reeve, who was not involved in the initiative. 'We urge leaders to support and implement successful prevention programs that reduce costs to the healthcare system and improve the quality of life for people living with diabetes.' However, she added, 'It's also important to note that Canada's history of colonization has disproportionally increased risk in Indigenous communities for developing T2D. Population-level interventions developed outside Canada need to be adapted for our healthcare system and our diverse and unique population — and critically, in consultation and collaboration with these communities.' Benefiting Indigenous Peoples Céleste Thériault, executive director of the National Indigenous Diabetes Association in Winnipeg, also noted that prevention models developed outside Canada are unlikely to be appropriate for Canada's Indigenous peoples. Céleste Thériault 'While England's NHS diabetes programs may have shown clinical success, their approach reflects a prescribed, Eurocentric model,' she told Medscape Medical News . 'It does not reflect the lived realities, inherent rights, or deep strengths of Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island, now called Canada.' Through colonization, Europeans imposed their law and culture on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities with little to no regard for their rights. 'That history has led to disconnection and fragmentation within our communities as colonial systems continue to be pushed down upon us,' said Thériault. England's NHS model may work for some Indigenous patients, particularly those who have consistent access to care, stable housing, nutritious food, transportation, and a strong support system, she acknowledged. 'But that level of access is not the reality for all, and we cannot afford to adopt strategies that assume the playing field is even across Canada because it never has been.' Furthermore, she said, 'Any national strategy must align with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action 18 through 21, which call for the full recognition and support of Indigenous-led health systems, traditional healing, and the ability to design our own programs and ultimately our own futures.' For many Indigenous people, diabetes prevention extends beyond clinical questions to questions of wellness, land, food systems, languages, and relationships that were disrupted through colonization, said Thériault. 'The approach must be one of self-determination, food sovereignty, cultural strength, and strengths-based, community-rooted wellness,' she added. 'We are far past the point of pilot projects or patchwork solutions. Indigenous peoples deserve consistent, long-term, and culturally safe investments to support their own pathways to wellness with diabetes. Communities know what they need… Canada should start by investing, meaningfully, respectfully, and with accountability, in Indigenous-led diabetes prevention.' The development of a diabetes prevention and remission program in Quebec is supported by an operating grant from the CIHR to Dasgupta, who is the principal investigator of the grant on knowledge mobilization in diabetes prevention and treatment. The analysis published in CMAJ is part of the research funded by this grant. Dasgupta also declared leading a clinical trial evaluating a diabetes remission intervention funded by the CIHR and UK Medical Research Council, a Lawson Foundation grant addressing diabetes prevention in Cree communities, a Diabetes Canada grant evaluating a couple-based step-count intervention in T2D, and a retrospective cohort study funded by the CIHR examining inequities in diabetes-related hospitalizations during the pandemic. Reeve and Thériault declared having no relevant financial relationships.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Health
- Forbes
Is AI About To Solve A $55 Billion Healthcare Problem?
Mika Newton is CEO of xCures, using state-of-the-art AI to process all types of medical records, turning data chaos into clinical clarity. Each year, the U.S. loses more than $55 billion due to missed prevention. This includes colonoscopies that were never scheduled, A1c tests that were forgotten and statins that stayed on the pharmacy shelf. In a value-based care environment, these oversights cause avoidable crises, drain shared-savings pools and inflate emergency care costs. Yet today, most health systems still rely on spreadsheets, printed lab reports and manual chart reviews to identify and address lapses. The result is unfortunate and predictable: Care slips through the cracks, and no one notices until it's too late. This so-called 'gap' in care consists of evidence-based actions that haven't occurred. Guideline-setting organizations such as USPSTF, ADA, NCCN and CMS outline thousands of these actions, ranging from mammogram scheduling to the follow-up times after a heart failure discharge. Electronic health records can (and do) help catch some of these lapses before they cause significant damage or affect patients. Still, many are buried in unstructured notes, siloed imaging systems or social risk factors that traditional rules engines can't easily parse. We need fast, precise and proactive tools to improve health outcomes and reduce costs. This is where artificial intelligence is on the cusp of addressing missed prevention. AI systems can read millions of clinical notes. This is a feat unthinkable just a few years ago. In fact, one health AI company, Astrata, reported that its NLP platform accelerated gap-closure efficiency by six to 38 times, depending on the measure. This is a topic I've been passionate about for years. I've worked on applying simulation models of human physiology and health systems to predict clinical outcomes and optimize care delivery. I've helped build AI tools that automate literature review and evidence synthesis, which has taught me valuable knowledge buried in unstructured data. Furthermore, I've observed how often essential details get missed, not because people don't care, but because the systems weren't built to help them catch everything. Because these models continuously learn and evolve, they integrate new guideline releases within days, rather than waiting for the next annual update. Most importantly, AI makes these insights actionable by assigning risk scores to patients, which helps care teams prioritize outreach based on potential benefit. That means resources go where they matter most. We're already seeing this shift take place in the real world. In 2024, AmeriHealth Caritas and Prospect Medical won a KLAS Points of Light award for demonstrating that AI could close HEDIS care gaps more efficiently than manual review. In March 2025, Navina, a company developing an AI copilot for physicians, raised $55 million to scale its work, which is strong evidence that the return on investment for AI in care coordination is already apparent to the market. Meanwhile, the cost of doing nothing continues to climb. Preventable care gaps are estimated to account for 30 cents of every healthcare dollar in the United States. The financial upside of closing these gaps is significant. Fewer unmanaged diabetics means fewer ER visits, which improves shared savings and capitation margins. In Medicare Advantage, every half-star jump in plan ratings can increase revenue by more than 2%. When AI tools help document chronic conditions previously hidden in free-text notes, the accuracy of risk adjustment scores improves, along with the per-member payments tied to them. Across multiple payer case studies, AI gap-closure programs deliver first-year returns of three to one, even before factoring in long-term clinical gains. These systems typically work by ingesting a wide variety of data, including electronic health record (EHR) and claims feeds, pharmacy records, lab results, device data and social-risk indices. AI models then map each patient's status against current guidelines using codified rules or clinical knowledge graphs. Predictive risk models help prioritize which patients should be contacted first, and those alerts are integrated directly into clinicians' existing workflows, avoiding the friction of switching systems or portals. In parallel, real-time dashboards link each closed gap to downstream outcomes, providing visibility into the impact of each intervention. With the ONC's HTI-1 Final Rule expected to take effect this year, AI vendors must disclose the training data attributes and bias mitigation techniques used in their models. This regulatory change adds a layer of transparency that will likely empower buyers to make more informed choices. To see how this all works, consider Maria, a 58-year-old hypothetical diabetic patient who hasn't filled her statin prescription. The AI platform notices her unfilled script, her most recent LDL results and two missed primary care appointments. It recognizes that she lives in a transportation desert. Within seconds, the system sends her a message offering a lower-cost statin alternative and a ride-share voucher. When the pharmacy claim posts, the care gap closes automatically. Multiply that moment across thousands of patients, and it becomes clear how AI can save money while improving population health. To do this right, we need to be clear about the problem. Changing a process is hard, so the best tools earn trust because they help immediately. That's what makes the difference. In healthcare, patient outcomes are paramount. However, tools must also show return on investment (ROI) through increased revenue and ensure user adoption through better workflow. Any tool you vet or develop should make these capabilities immediately apparent. Additionally, make sure you understand bias. It is always there. This phenomenon is natural, but you must understand and quantify the bias. For example, most Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) models for breast cancer, which are used to predict genetic susceptibility, were initially developed using data from individuals of European descent. As a result, these models underperformed in Black, Hispanic and Asian populations. Researchers created ancestry-specific PRS models by training on genomic data from non-European cohorts. This kind of proactive work to address bias is essential in any AI solution you build or buy. The truth is that bending the cost curve isn't possible unless you know where it's broken. Artificial intelligence now allows us to see those cracks as they form and points to who can fix them. The incentives are aligned. The technology is mature. The upside is enormous. The next move is yours. Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
