• Home
• About PAMED
• FAQs
• Site Map
• Contact Us

• CME
  • CME Activities
  • CME Tracker: The CME Organizer
  • Meetings and Seminars
  • Requirements and Accreditation
• Government
  • State of Medicine 2007
  • Capitol Insight
  • Contact Legislators
  • Laws Affecting Physicians
  • News from Harrisburg
  • PAMPAC and Political Support
• Newsletters
  • Capitol Insight
  • Consult
  • Converge
  • intouch
  • Patient Connection
  • Studies in Patient Safety
  • Vital Lines
• Patient Care
  • Disease Management
  • Family Health and Wellness
  • Find-A-Physician
  • Patient Safety
  • Public Health
  • Patient Connection
• Practice Management
  • eHealth Technology
  • Health Insurers
  • HIPAA
  • Medicare/Medicaid
  • Meetings and Seminars
  • Running a Practice
  • Vital Lines
• Resources
  • Affiliates & Sections
  • Board of Trustees
  • County Medical Societies
  • Endorsed Vendors
  • House of Delegates
  • JobBank
  • Media
  • Member Directory
  • Membership
  • Specialty Societies
  • Staff Directory
• Multimedia
  • Podcasts
  • RSS
  • Video & Webinars

Good Medicine for Pennsylvania

Date: December 3, 2007	Media Contact:	Chuck Moran
		Pennsylvania Medical Society
For Immediate Release		(717) 558-7820

Dear Readers: Welcome to “Good Medicine for Pennsylvania” featuring Peter Lund, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society, and his member colleagues sharing general medical information to help you live healthier. This column is brought to you as a public service of the Society’s Institute for Good Medicine.

Combating MRSA

If you’re concerned about recent news regarding the spread of “super bugs,” in particular MRSA, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, you are not alone. The members of the Pennsylvania Medical Society share your concern, and want you to know that you can do something to reduce the spread of this super bug.

It’s important to understand that MRSA is not new –we’ve been treating it for years. It is a particular strain of staph infection that has become resistant to treatment by certain antibiotics, and it is both preventable and treatable. Staph is a very common bacteria that lives on the skin or in the nose of healthy people. MRSA is spread by skin-to-skin contact through breaks in the skin or, less commonly, by touching surfaces where MRSA germs are present. When acquired in the community, MRSA only rarely causes serious illness. MRSA acquired in the hospital or health care setting is a different, more serious strain.

So what can you do to help prevent the spread of community-acquired MRSA?

• Allow your physician to determine whether or not an antibiotic is necessary for an infection.
• Always finish the complete course of antibiotics prescribed and don’t skip any doses.
• Practice good hygiene -- wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.
• Tell your children to report any open sores or wounds immediately, especially if they play contact sports. Also tell them not to share towels, razors or gym clothing.
• Use separate washcloths, sponges and towels for each family member.
• Wash gym/athletic clothing frequently.
• Wears sandals/flip flops in any public shower (school, gym, etc.).

Take a Shot for Others

Flu season is upon us and the Medical Society has kicked off a campaign entitled “Take a Shot”, encouraging Pennsylvanians to get a flu shot – for themselves and for others. The flu is not a bad cold; it is a deadly, highly contagious virus. Last year, approximately 2 million Pennsylvanians contracted the flu and 1400 died from the virus and its complications.

We know from the Institute for Good Medicine’s recent statewide Patient Poll that half the Pennsylvanians surveyed indicated they don’t plan to get a flu shot. I’ve found that many patients don’t realize that by getting a shot, they help minimize the spread of infection to those around them. The influenza virus can be life threatening, especially to the elderly, including residents of long-term care facilities and nursing homes; the very young; adults or children with chronic medical conditions; women who will be pregnant during the flu season; and health-care workers.

“Almost as many people in the US die each year from influenza as from motor vehicle accidents,” cites Medical Society member Jennifer Goldstein, MD, an internist from Hershey, Pa. “Many patients think of the flu as a bad cold, which it’s not. It’s much more severe. Influenza can last 2-3 weeks and can cause extremely serious complications including pneumonia and organ failure.”

My colleagues and I urge you to Take a Shot to protect yourself and the people around you – at work, at home, in public places, in hospitals or nursing homes. Consider it an act of kindness and a matter of public health.

Let’s Clear the Air

Though legislators are still debating the need for a statewide smoking ban, yet another reason is emerging to clear the air. According to fellow Medical Society member Witold Rybka, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Society of Oncology & Hematology, smoke-free environments may help smokers quit the habit. The absence of secondhand smoke is a good thing for all Pennsylvanians, but it also means less temptation for those trying to quit or who have recently quit.

As physicians, we see the devastating impact that smoking and second-hand smoke has on our patients and their families. As a medical society, we have long advocated collectively for smoke-free environments and policies that help people to quit smoking and avoid second-hand smoke. We have an obligation to help all Pennsylvanians live healthier lives.

While the smoking ban debate continues, smokers should talk with their family doctor about quitting. Several new prescription medications are available to address nicotine addiction, as are multiple nicotine replacement therapy products – gums, patches, nasal sprays and inhalers. Ask your doctor about local support groups and check out Pennsylvania’s Free Quitline, 1 (800) QUIT NOW to talk with a clinically trained counselor. Check with your employer as well to see if they sponsor cessation programs /prescriptions through your insurance provider.

# # #

The patient-doctor relationship has been the priority of the Pennsylvania Medical Society since its founding in 1848. The Medical Society listens to concerns of both patients and doctors to improve the delivery of health care services. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Medical Society, visit its website at www.pamedsoc.org or its consumer website at www.myfamilywellness.org.