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  • Top Reasons Why Athletes Should See a Sports Medicine Doctor

    Top Reasons Why Athletes Should See a Sports Medicine Doctor

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    The life of professional athletes isn’t easy. They have to participate in intensive exercises and training activities constantly to deliver maximum performance in front of an audience.

    While these activities are crucial for athletes to stay in shape, they can also damage their body.

    Sports medicine is a growing healthcare field dedicated for treatment of injuries related to sports and exercise like fractures, dislocations, sprains and strains, tendonitis, overtraining syndrome and degenerative diseases.

    Besides injury treatment, it also focuses on helping the athletes improve their performance prevent future injuries.

    Despite being a relatively new medical specialty, it has become essential for athletes thanks to its ability to address their specific needs and concerns.

    Who is a Sports Medicine Doctor?

    A sports medicine doctor is a licensed and trained individual who focuses on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of injuries related to athletic activities.

    These specialists treat their patients using physical therapy, orthopedic surgery, massage therapy, exercises, and other techniques so that they can return to their desired activity level quickly, safely and successfully.

    They also teach the athletes on nutrition to help them maintain an optimal level of health and fitness and achieve their sports performance goals.

    The sports medicine team includes sports physiotherapists, sports massage therapists, sports orthopaedic surgeons, sports podiatrists, athletic trainers, sports dieticians, exercise physiologists and sports biomechanists.

    Common Sports Injuries:

    Some common sports injuries athletes suffer on the filed include ankle sprain, groin pull, hamstring strain, knee injury, tennis elbow, Achilles tendinitis, concussion, shoulder injury, hip bursitis, quadriceps strain and shin splints.

    They can also experience the exacerbation of pre-existing health problems like diabetes, asthma, allergies and arthritis.

    Reasons to Visit a Sports Medicine Doctor:

    There are many reasons for an athlete to see a sports physician.

    Let’s take a look at some of them.

    (1) Customized Care:

    Sports medicine doctors are specially trained healthcare professionals who have an in-depth understanding of what could be the impacts of an exercise on their patient’s body. They collaborate with physical therapists and orthopedic surgeons to develop a customized treatment for their patient.

    (2) Injury Prevention:

    Sports physicians can provide the athletes with expert advice on the how to prevent injuries during the practice or play and how to reduce the likelihood of resurfacing a previous injury. They also conduct pre-participation physical exams of their patients to determine whether they are fit enough to resume sports activities.

    (3) Pain Management:

    Sports injuries may lead to several orthopedic issues that often cause chronic pain, making it difficult for the athletes to return to the game and carry out their activities.

    While the primary aim of sports physicians is always to diagnose, treat and resolve the injury, they also use pain management therapies like electrical stimulation, spinal decompression, prescription medications and injected medications, to help their patients prevent or defer the need for surgery and continue their daily activities without any hindrance.

    (4) Rehabilitation:

    For an athlete, a return from an injury can be a complicated and lengthy process. If you find yourself sidelined by an injury, a sports physician can help you restore your movement and function and return to same or higher level of fitness quickly.

    (5) Improving Athletic Performance:

    Sports physicians diagnose and treat uncomfortable conditions to help you deliver your maximum performance, both on and off the field.

    They also suggest you exercises and techniques to improve your strength and balance that contribute to your success as an athlete.

    (6) Improving overall Fitness:

    Sports physicians help athletes prevent muscle sprains, strains and tears to keep their bodies in shape.

    They also conduct full body and musculoskeletal examinations to help them maintain their overall fitness.

    (7) Non-Surgical Treatment:

    Sports physicians try to avoid surgery in less severe cases and instead focus on treating injuries with non-surgical methods like physical therapy and acupuncture.

    These treatments are often non-invasive and require shorter recovery time.

    (8) State-of-the-Art Surgical Treatment:

    In the cases where surgery is indispensable, sports physicians use advanced surgical procedures, like arthroscopic ACL repair, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy, hip arthroscopy, stem cell therapy and rotator cuff repair to restore the function of injured areas.

    (9) Education & Nutrition:

    Sports medicine doctors teach you how to fuel your body properly to deliver greater performance consistency.They also focus on each athlete’s dietary needs depending on his/her general health and athletic goals.

    (10) Rehabilitated Mobility:

    Sports injuries can impair your mobility and flexibility, thus preventing you from conducting your athletic activities. Sports physicians help you restore function, increase strength and flexibility, improve range of motion, and prevent injuries from occurring.

    (11) Improving Confidence:

    An athlete fights with different type of injuries on the field that could make him/her self-conscious. Sports physicians address their specific needs, thus helping them regain their confidence and enjoy their game.

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    Source by Jexy Rodriguez

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  • Get Fast and Effective Results With Ayurvedic Medicine For Nerves Strength

    Get Fast and Effective Results With Ayurvedic Medicine For Nerves Strength

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    Nervous illness is a result of a lot of mental and physical ailments like anxiety, depression and panic attacks. It can further cause heart palpitations, headache, backache, nausea, excessive urination, and diarrhoea.

    Anxiety originates from a lot of medical, environmental and cumulative stress factors.

    Phobias and causes like the sudden death of a loved one or abrupt life changes can trigger emotional stress resulting in panic attacks.

    Drugs are never an option. For permanent effect, it must be cured naturally by the help of Ayurvedic medicine.

    Why Opt For Ayurveda?

    Ayurveda, the age-old remedy of ailments, treats simply through the help of natural herbs and home remedies. Based on the simple analogy of a balanced diet, healthy lifestyle and proper exercise, it provides permanent relief with no side effects.

    Home Remedies to Cure Nervous Weakness:

    Ayurvedic medicines for nervous weakness are not only effective but also affordable.

    1. Suitable Diet: Mylein, a layer of fat, coats the spinal cord and nerves. A proper intake of Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D helps stop its erosion which thereby results in nervous weakness. Add dry fruits, green vegetables, milk, fish and meat in your diet. Berries are rich in sodium and iron and help strengthen nerves.
    2. Oil Massage: A proper massage of warm almond oil over your body can help cure muscular tension and stiffness. By improving blood circulation, it relaxes strained muscles.
    3. Ayurvedic Concoction: An herbal concoction or ‘churana’ is the best Ayurvedic medicine for nerves strength. Add some lukewarm water to a mixture of kapikachu, black gram, ashwagandha and bala root powder (one teaspoon each). Drink it twice every day for maximum effect.

    Natural Herbs And Remedies For Curing Anxiety And Panic Attacks:

    Ayurvedic medicine for anxiety and panic attacks includes:

    1. Chamomile: A cup of chamomile tea can help you calm down during or before a possible panic attack. It produces a relaxing effect and soothes the mind. However, pregnant women must not consume it.
    2. Valerian Root: Being a natural sedative, it is the best cure to deal with insomnia. Drinking a simple mixture of crushed valerian root with some warm water before bed can help sort anxiety and produce a lasting effect.
    3. Arctic Root: Being a natural adaptogen, it acts as a barrier to combat with body fatigue, stress, and nervous tension. It also produces a drowsy effect to cure sleeplessness. It is known by various names like Golden Root, King’s Crown and Orpin Rose.
    4. Proper Exercise: Breathing or walking in the fresh clean air some times a week can ease your mind by releasing feel-good hormones called endorphins. Pranayam, Kundalini yoga, and Dhanurasana yoga keeps the nervous system healthy and cures anxiety and depression by providing long-term benefits.
    5. Proper Diet: Add tuna, avocado, spinach, and salmon to your diet for proper intake of omega-3 fatty acids and folic acid. This help to ease depression and combat panic attacks. Choose warm, cooked food over stale junk food and drink vegetable juice regularly. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.
    6. Proper Lifestyle: Make sure you follow a proper routine and get enough sleep to avoid irritation and fatigue throughout the day.

    With a fit body and mind, internal healing is faster and more effective as compared to allopathic treatment. With proper Ayurvedic treatment for depression, your very soul will feel calm and composed.

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    Source by Ajit Kumar

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  • Affirmations to Help You Break a Bad Habit

    Affirmations to Help You Break a Bad Habit

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    Have you tried and tried to break a bad habit, and just failed time and time again? Have you tried using Affirmations to help break a habit? Positive statements have been proved to work!

    What Defines A bad Habit?

    If we were to send out a survey now to ask people what they thought the words bad habit means, the majority will say that a bad habit is a negative action that people do over and over again, like smoking, drinking, or eating too much.

    Did you know that habits are incredibly powerful tools for personal growth and success? Good habits that is!

    What habits do you have now and how do they affect your life? Your weight and health are determined by your eating habits. Your relationships are determined by your social habits. Your success at work is determined by your work habits and so on!

    So How Do We Change Them?

    When it comes to breaking yourself free from bad habits, many self-help books and coaches will tell you to become consciously aware the moment you begin to think about or crave the habit, and to make conscious decisions to just not do it! This may work for some people, but for most of us this is way to hard and doomed to fail. Why? Because it is human nature to want to do something that we are not supposed to do!

    Psychology!

    First we have to get the psychology right in our head! We must want to change this habit and we need to address why we want to free ourselves from it, that may sound stupid and obvious, but it is true, we must understand and do some self talk.

    Write down all the benefits that you are going to get by getting rid of this habit, we need to tell our self that we are not depriving ourselves but improving.

    Affirmations.

    When I talk to people about affirmations, they often ask “what if I don’t believe the words to be true”? Good question, the subconscious mind does not know what is true or not true, it hears words and accepts them to be! So the more we say the words, the more the subconscious takes them on board, we “affirm” them as our truth!

    Choose your words carefully, if you struggle to say them you need to change them, try to keep them short! Here are some ideas to help you create effective and life changing affirmations:

    1. Make the statements short but strong, “I am now free from this habit of…”

    2. Always make your affirmation in the present time ( I am now, Not I am going to)

    3. Always state them in the positive ” I am Happy that I no longer…..”

    4. Write them down and read them often, read out loud.

    5. Do them every day, no matter how you feel, stick with it!

    6. “I am so grateful that I am now free of this habit“

    Affirmations need to be practised daily for at least thirty days to embed them in your mind, do them morning and night, stick with it, it works! Learn how to boost your affirmations, and be free in record time!

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    Source by Cheryl Fauvel

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  • What’s Your Personal Plan, For Healthy Living?

    What’s Your Personal Plan, For Healthy Living?

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    There is no such thing, as a magic formula, or a, one – step/ size – fits – all, approach, to healthy living. Some focus primarily on exercise, others on improving their diet, and, many discover, the best combination, or plan, for them. Are you, in a weight – range, where you are not, considered, obese, or extremely, underweight? Do you experience, any warning signs, or symptoms, which need to be addressed, before they become more serious, etc? With that in mind, this article will briefly, consider, examine, review, and discuss, a few things, to consider, in order to evaluate your personal needs, and proceed, towards healthier living.

    1. Consider your weight and BMI, or Body Mass Index: Are your weight, and BMI, or Body Mass Index, where they need to be? Are they within, normal limits, and, if not, why do you believe that’s so, and how might you best address this? Be careful, to avoid over – reacting, and resorting to some crash, or fad – diet, but, rather, consider, one of the variety of conventional diets, and choose one, which you believe, you will stick – to! For some, certain diets, which are well – known, are effective, but, only, if you, will stick to them, consistently. These often include a prepared meal plan, but, before opting for these, be certain, you will be willing, and able, to use them. If you don’t eat, or have an allergy, to certain foods, of food groups, choose wisely. Many have found success with low carbohydrate diets, because they focus on changing your eating habits, and focus, on maintaining these habits, for life.

    2. Exercise: Before embarking on any diet, or exercise program, discuss these plans, with your trusted, health professional, to be certain, you avoid any restrictions, or over – doing, and doing more harm! The key to this, is, whichever approach, you opt for, you are ready, willing, and able, to persist, and consistently follow your program, on a regular, planned basis.

    3. Water: Most of us, do not consume, enough water, for optimum health. Besides necessary, hydration, many studies have indicated, when we consume more water, we are often, less hungry, and, thus, eat less. However, this water consumption, will probably mean, more trips, to the rest room, so be prepared, and willing!

    4. A combination: Perhaps, you will be happier, and more successful, using some combination, of the available processes. Choose wisely, understand your needs, goals, and personal attitude, and avoid procrastination.

    These ideas are, a few of the possible approaches. Whether you choose, these, or others, determine, what you need, and are willing to do, and proceed, with true commitment!

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    Source by Richard Brody

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  • My Wife Thinks I’m Immature! What Steps Can Help Change This

    My Wife Thinks I’m Immature! What Steps Can Help Change This

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    Your wife tells you that you’re immature. Perhaps you agree with her, or maybe you think she’s way off base. Regardless of your stance on the issue, she’s clear on hers. It’s hurtful knowing that the woman you’ve chosen to spend your life with sees you as nothing more than a child in a man’s clothing. Her comments sting, her attitude overshadows all the great things you do and you’re getting tired of trying to please her when you truly believe you’re fine exactly as you are, right?

    There’s a very specific dynamic that dominates a marriage when the wife views her husband as immature. She’ll tend to take the reins on everything from major decision making to raising the children. Over time, a man in a relationship like this will start to feel as though his opinion and contributions aren’t welcomed or embraced. Once a marriage hits this bump in the road, it can be difficult to get it back on a loving and mutually respectful path.

    Talk to Your Wife About Your Concerns

    Before you can work on changing how your wife views you, you must get to the root of why she holds the opinion of you that she does. In some marriages, it’s obvious in that the husband refuses to take on the necessary responsibility that a married partner must carry. This may manifest itself in a man who hasn’t chosen a career path yet even though he’s been out of college for a decade, or it can be a man who insists on splurging on things that the couple can’t afford.

    If you’re unsure why your wife continually views you as immature, ask her. You must be prepared to hear some difficult things about yourself. In fact, when you ask your wife about how she sees your behavior, this may actually open the floodgates and she’ll pour out every criticism she has of you.

    View this as a step in a positive direction. Try not to become defensive. Instead, absorb it as a tool for change and a means towards a closer, more enriching marriage.

    Do Things Within Your Marriage That Command Respect

    If someone views you as immature it may be a sign that they simply have little or no respect for you. In the case of a married couple, this can stem from any number of circumstances but it’s generally something that can be rectified.

    Commanding respect may feel like an ominous task, particularly in the case of a man who wants his wife to show him more respect. But it’s often your own view of yourself that others will follow. For instance, if you don’t take care of yourself physically or emotionally, your wife may start to believe that you don’t value yourself. In turn, she’ll begin to devalue you as well which can result in her seeing you as someone who isn’t on the same level as she is.

    Working on improving yourself is a simple way to garner more respect from your wife. Take stock of where your life is compared to where you want it to be at this point. Perhaps you believed that you’d be running your own company by the age of thirty, or maybe you envisioned yourself a successful investor by the time you entered your forties. Whatever your life goals have been now is the time to redefine them and start making them a reality.

    When a person invests more energy, care and time in themselves, others follow that lead. That’s why you must start putting more effort into becoming the man you know you’re capable of. You can show your wife, through dedicated actions, that you aren’t the immature boy that she believes she marries. Instead, begin showing her that you are indeed a focused and mature man who now sees the potential within himself.

    Don’t Try and Hurt Your Wife in Retaliation for Her Criticism

    When a person we love hurts us verbally there’s a very strong temptation to throw something just as hurtful back in their direction. You may have already done this with your wife when she referred to you as immature. If you have, ensure that it’s the last time it happens.

    If you fall to the same level of your wife and throw hurtful words in her direction, you are showing her that you are the definition of immature. You are, in fact, proving her own point for her. Children like to engage in hurtful banter that often results in one person being so stung that the relationship will never be the same. It’s much worse when it’s married adults who are engaging in this type of destruction behavior.

    The next time your wife tells you that she thinks you are immature, you need to respond in a very specific way. Look her straight in the eye and calmly say, “you are entitled to your opinion, but I disagree.” Then end the conversation by leaving the room or saying goodbye if it’s via telephone. Don’t engage her a moment longer because if you do you will be tempted to say things that will escalate the situation until you both are hurt.

    If you repeatedly handle the situation with this type of dignity and grace your wife will soon realize that her words are hollow. You’ll be showing her that you are indeed mature, calm and reasonable.

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    Source by Gillian Reynolds

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  • 5 Tips for Improving Performance in Small Sales Teams

    5 Tips for Improving Performance in Small Sales Teams

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    In my years of experience in sales and sales management, I have observed many small and medium sized sales teams. Often, they struggle to perform at capacity and hit their goals and it's frequently a sales management issue. Sometimes it's because the CEO or business owner is the de facto sales manager and is wearing many hats. They are often just too busy running their business or spread too thin. Sometimes they're the technical experts in their field and their expertise and time is being used to improve products, systems or services. It's sometimes because a top performing sales person was promoted into a sales management role and their strength lies in salesmanship and delivering revenue to the business personally rather than in a broad sense. Below are five things you can do to improve sales management in your company now.

    1. Planning
    Many business owners have at best a rudimentary sales plan. If they do have one, often times it consists of higher and higher sales goals, without accounting for what will drive that new business. Will a new product line be added, a new market be opened or new additions made to the sales team? Will the company be able to support the added expense while markets are opened and new sales people trained? How much risk will the company bear? A good but simple sales plan takes this into consideration. Takeaway: Make a better sales plan with concrete steps to get to the desired goal.

    2. Modernize
    There are many new technologies that make it easier to interact with prospects. Among them are CRM systems, collaboration tools, the cloud, dialers, email tracking, prospect and customer information systems. Existing systems are being upgraded all the time with the newest capabilities. All are designed to more efficiently and effectively reach more buyers, disseminate information, warm them up and help make sales. Social media platforms allow a business to extend its reach inexpensively and makes your business more visible to search engines such as Google.com. Takeaway: Evaluate new technologies on a regular basis to make sure you are keeping up and modernize as needed.

    3. Training
    Training sales people serves three purposes. The first is that it provides them an opportunity to hone and refresh their skills. The second is that it reminds them that performance is important and that expectations for them performing well are high. The third is that it shows a willingness to invest in them and that they are part of the long term plan for the organization. Takeaway: Make sure you offer training to your sales people every year (a sharp ax cuts better than a dull one).

    4. Lead Generation
    All businesses need sales and most small and medium sized businesses are subject to the feast / famine paradigm. When they're busy, the first thing that gets pushed aside is prospecting for new business. Until business slows down. Then there's a flurry of sales activity and soon business is back where it should be. For a while. Most small businesses don't have bandwidth to prospect effectively in a consistent way.

    Lists should be highly targeted and refreshed regularly. Technology should be used and a proven process followed. The technology should reinforce the process rather than detract from it. Top management should enforce the use of the technology and following of the process. Utilize social media and blogging to widen your reach inexpensively. Finally, no one can be an expert on everything so get help from the professionals when needed. Takeaway: Make prospecting part of the company routine and culture and call in the experts when needed!

    5. Measurement
    You get what you measure is the old adage and it's mostly true. The challenge is top management often has a hard time pinning down the exact actions, activities and behaviors they are trying to encourage and measure. Here's a practical example. Maybe top management believes that offering free webinars will increase sales since it worked well in the past. So the goal is to run well attended webinars.

    How will these webinars be promoted to prospects and clients? Will a set of emails be sent, starting a few weeks before the first webinar? Then a prospect list with email addresses will need to be purchased and loaded and a compelling email invitation created.

    Will prospects be called and told about the webinars? Then phone numbers will be necessary, a script will need to be created and a person designated to make the calls. To track call results, an activity report should be created and run on a regular basis to test the messaging, to make sure the calls are being made and to analyze the prospect responses. Will the report be grouped by prospect type (or industry or state or city or source)? Then that data will need to be captured or imported for each prospect.

    Finally, reports should measure the success of each webinar, so that results can be tabulated. How many people registered and attended are important to measure, as well as what happened to the prospect once the webinar was complete to determine the ROI. Takeaway: Create reports that measure actions, activities and behaviors that drive sales success, run them regularly and share the results.

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    Source by Jerry Crowley

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  • WHO and European Investment Bank strengthen efforts to combat COVID-19 and build resilient health systems to face future pandemics

    • WHO and the European Investment Bank enhance cooperation to support countries in addressing the health impact of COVID-19
    • The first phase will address urgent needs and strengthen primary health care in ten African countries
    • Enhanced WHO-EIB partnership will scale up financing to assure the chain of essential supplies, including personal protective equipment, diagnostics and clinical management
    • New initiative will accelerate investment in health preparedness and primary health care with a focus on health work force, infrastructure, and water, sanitation and hygiene
    • The initiative involves measures to address the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance

    The World Health Organization and the European Investment Bank will boost cooperation to strengthen public health, supply of essential equipment, training and hygiene investment in countries most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The new partnership between the United Nations health agency and the world’s largest international public bank, announced at WHO headquarters in Geneva earlier today, will help increase resilience to reduce the health and social impact of future health emergencies. 

    “Combining the public health experience of the World Health Organization and the financial expertise of the European Investment Bank will contribute to a more effective response to COVID-19 and other pressing health challenges,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. 

    “WHO looks forward to strengthening cooperation with the EIB to improve access to essential supplies including medical equipment and training, and deliver better water, sanitation and hygiene where most needed. New initiatives to improve primary health care in Africa and support the EU Malaria Fund hint at the potential impact of our new partnership,” Dr Tedros concluded.

    “The world is facing unprecedented health, social and economic shocks from COVID-19. The European Investment Bank is pleased to join forces with the World Health Organization as a key part of Team Europe’s efforts to address the global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The EU Bank’s new partnership with the WHO will help communities most at risk by scaling up local medical and public health efforts and better protect people around the world from future pandemics. This new cooperation will enable us to combat malaria, address anti-microbial resistance and enhance public health in Africa more effectively,” said Werner Hoyer, President of the European Investment Bank.

    Improving local public health efforts to tackle coronavirus

    The WHO and the EIB will increase cooperation to help governments in low- and middle-income countries to finance and secure access to essential medical supplies and protective equipment through central procurement.

    Building resilient health systems in vulnerable countries across Africa

    The WHO and the EIB will reinforce cooperation to support immediate COVID-19 needs and jointly develop targeted financing to enhance health investment and build resilient health systems and primary health care to address public health emergencies as well as accelerate progress towards Universal Health Coverage.

    The partnership will benefit from the EIB’s planned 1.4 billion EUR response to address the health, social and economic impact of COVID-19 in Africa.

    This will address immediate needs in the health sector and provide both technical assistance and support for medium-term investment in specialist health infrastructure.

    The collaboration envisages rapid identification and fast-track approval of financing for health care, medical equipment and supplies. 

    The first phase of the collaboration will see public health investment in ten African countries. 

    Long-term collaboration to overcome market failures in global health

    The agreement signed today establishes a close collaboration to overcome market failure and stimulate investments in global health, accelerating progress towards Universal Health Coverage. Increased cooperation between the WHO and the EIB will strengthen the resilience of national public health systems and enhance preparedness of vulnerable countries against future pandemics, thanks to investments in primary care infrastructure, health workers and improved water, sanitation and hygiene. 

    Future cooperation will strengthen the EIB’s 5.2 billion EUR global response to COVID-19 outside the European Union.

    Scaling up investment to tackle antimicrobial resistance

    The two organisations will also cooperate in an initiative to address investment barriers hindering development of new antimicrobial treatment and related diagnostics. Antimicrobial resistance is amongst the most significant global health threats.

    The WHO and the EIB are working on a new financing initiative to support development of novel antimicrobials and address the estimated 1 billion EUR needed to provide medium-term solutions to antimicrobial resistance. Other crucial partners have been invited to join this discussion. 

    Improving the effectiveness of malaria treatment

    Under the new agreement the EIB and WHO will support development of the EU Malaria Fund, a new 250 million EUR public-private initiative intended to address market failures holding back more effective malaria treatment. 

    Strengthening EIB support for healthcare, life science and COVID-19 investment

    In recent years the European Investment Bank has provided more than 2 billion EUR annually for health care and life science investment.

    In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the EIB is currently assessing over 20 projects in the field of vaccine development, diagnostic and treatment, leading to potential investments in the 700 million EUR range. The EIB will also take part in the EU’s rolling pledging effort for the coronavirus global response that is taking place on May 4th.

    Background information

    The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.

    The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing. For updates on COVID-19 and public health advice to protect yourself from coronavirus, visit www.who.int and follow WHO on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube

    WHO’s information site on the COVID-19 pandemic

    Read More
    https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/01-05-2020-who-and-european-investment-bank-strengthen-efforts-to-combat-covid-19-and-build-resilient-health-systems-to-face-future-pandemics

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  • Maternal infections in health facilities

    Maternal infections in health facilities

    A clearer picture of the global impact 

    New research from the Global Maternal Sepsis Study (GLOSS), a major WHO/HRP initiative, shows that infection has a much larger impact on global maternal mortality and morbidity than previously thought.

    Logo of the Lancet Global HealthThe
    results from GLOSS, published in The Lancet Global Health, are the first to provide data on frequency of maternal infections and
    sepsis across the pregnancy and post-pregnancy period, in a large number of health facilities around the world. 

    Around 11 women per 1000 live births had an infection which resulted in or contributed to what is known as a severe maternal outcome – either they died or nearly died – during their hospitalization. 

    Urgent improvement is needed to manage this life-threatening risk faced by all pregnant and recently pregnant women, wherever they are in the world. 

    What is maternal sepsis and how does it lead to maternal death?

    Maternal sepsis is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs during pregnancy, child-birth, post-abortion or the postpartum period.

    The latest global estimates place sepsis due to obstetric infections as the third most common cause of maternal mortality. However, this only includes infections as a direct result of pregnancy, such as endometritis or post-caesarean wound infections.

    Few
    previous studies include post-abortion infections. Neither do they address indirect infections such as respiratory and meningitis, which are aggravated by pregnancy but not directly caused by it.

    A better understanding of maternal infection

    GLOSS was a massive facility-based data collection effort led by WHO, accompanied by a ‘STOP SEPSIS!’ campaign to increase awareness among healthcare providers.

    The study gathered data on women who were admitted with suspected or confirmed infection during pregnancy or post-pregnancy over a one-week period in 2017. More than 2800 women participated in the study in 52 countries.

    GLOSS included healthcare facilities that care for women during pregnancy, childbirth or at the end of pregnancy, as well as facilities without maternity service but where women could be hospitalized during or after pregnancy, and data on infections
    which are not usually recorded as maternal sepsis, including post-abortion and indirect infections. 

    The result is a more complete understanding of the frequency and impact of maternal infections in health facilities. 

    GLOSS calls attention not only to the wider range of risks faced by pregnant women but also to the long period of time during which they are at risk. 

    Putting global numbers on maternal infection and sepsis

    Overall, around 70 pregnant or recently-pregnant women per 1000 live births were found to have a maternal infection needing hospital management. 

    Across the study, 11 women with either direct or indirect infection per 1000 live births developed a severe maternal outcome, but in low- and middle-income countries up to 15 women per 1000 births were affected.

    Infections were the underlying cause of most of the deaths recorded during the study, primarily post-abortion infection and indirect infections. Infections were also present in about a third of deaths attributed to other causes, such as postpartum
    haemorrhage.

    This suggests that the contribution of infection to global maternal mortality and morbidity may be larger than current reports of maternal sepsis mortality suggest.

    Preventing, identifying and treating maternal infection and sepsis

    Some of the most common maternal infections found in the study, such as urinary tract infections, post-caesarean and post-abortion infections, are largely preventable and treatable.

    GLOSS results suggest that current levels of monitoring and clinical care across health facilities are not enough to prevent, identify and treat levels of maternal infection effectively. 

    For instance, a complete set of vital signs was not reported for a third of the women in the study, on the day their infection was suspected or diagnosed. Delays in antimicrobial therapy were frequent.

    GLOSS also shows marked differences across countries, with the highest burden in low- and middle-income countries, compared with high-income countries.

    This may reflect the impact of broader health determinants in different country contexts. Challenges of overcrowding, limited access to water and sanitation and constraints to safe births by skilled birth attendants can reduce the ability of healthcare
    providers to manage the frequency and outcome of maternal infections.

    An opportunity to implement evidence-based practice

    GLOSS gives healthcare providers, policy-makers, and the public at large an opportunity: to mobilise around these data improve evidence-based practice, and save lives. 

    WHO has produced a number of resources which can support timely action to prevent, diagnose and treat maternal infection, as well as activities such as the upcoming SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign
    on 5 May which celebrates the central role played by nurses and midwives in clean health care. 

    In addition, WHO will publish a global sepsis epidemiology report around the 73rd World Health Assembly (WHA) in May, as requested in the
    2017
    WHA Resolution on Improving the prevention, diagnosis and clinical managementof sepsis.

    Understanding why and how infection affects women is essential for equipping healthcare providers with life-saving knowledge and enabling health care systems to bring down global maternal mortality and morbidity.

    Related publications

    WHO recommendations for prevention and treatment of maternal peripartum infections

    WHO Clinical practice handbook for safe abortion

    Global guidelines on the prevention of surgical site infection

    WHO statement on maternal sepsis

    World Health Assembly resolution on Improving the prevention, diagnosis and clinical management of sepsis

    Health Topics

    Antimicrobial resistance

    Infection Prevention and Control

    Water Sanitation Hygiene

    Other links

    Global Maternal Sepsis Study

    SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands 5 May 2020

     

     

    Maternal infections in health facilities
    Read More
    https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/27-04-2020-maternal-infections-in-health-facilities

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  • What matters to women in the postnatal period?

    What matters to women in the postnatal period?

    The right to a positive maternity healthcare experience at every stage 

    Each pregnancy is unique and clinical needs can change across the pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal periods. One thing that never changes is the right to a positive experience at every stage. 

    Achieving the best possible physical, emotional, and psychological outcomes for every individual and newborn requires health systems to take a human rights-based approach: not only preventing maternal death and morbidity, but prioritising person-centred
    care and well-being.

    WHO is developing new guidelines for a positive experience of postnatal care, due to be published next year. To inform these guidelines and ensure that postnatal services can better meet the needs of women and their babies, WHO undertook a qualitative
    systematic review on what matters to women in the postnatal period.

    Joys and challenges in the postnatal period

    There is limited research about values and preferences in the postnatal period, defined by WHO as the first six weeks after childbirth. Studies have often focused on the results of specific postnatal interventions, rather than on the individuals who use
    them. 

    ‘What matters to women in the postnatal period: A meta-synthesis of qualitative studies,’ published in PLOS ONE, gives long-overdue respect to the authority of women’s own experiences. The authors review first-hand data from 15 countries
    and 36 studies published after the year 2000 relating to women’s beliefs, expectations and values at this significant time of life.  

    These studies affirm that a positive postnatal experience can result in joy, self-confidence and enhanced capacity to thrive as both a person and a parent.

    They are also vocal about the potential challenges of adjusting to a ‘new normal’ following childbirth, including changes in self-identity, relationships, and sexual behaviour.

    What is a positive postnatal experience? 

    A positive postnatal experience for a woman will be one that responds to her specific context and preferences. 

    It will provide the confidence, knowledge and skills women need in the weeks following childbirth, supporting them to adjust to any changes in their intimate relationships and build new family ones. Women will be better equipped to navigate physical and
    emotional challenges and to experience the dynamic achievement of personal growth. 

    This should be a shared responsibility, not a solitary one. Community has a critical role in enabling a positive postnatal experience, including partners, family and elders.

    It is crucial that healthcare providers meet each woman’s needs, as well as those of their babies. 

    Supporting choices and rights to improve postnatal health outcomes

    There are an estimated 303 000 maternal deaths annually, according to recent WHO figures. Most of these deaths occur postnatally. 

    The postnatal period is therefore a vital opportunity to improve both maternal and neonatal health and wellbeing: supporting healthy behaviors, providing life-skills education, facilitating breastfeeding, counselling women about family planning options,
    supporting good mental health, preventing and treating childbirth-related complications. 

    Health care systems that empower individuals by supporting their values, preferences and rights are fundamental to improving maternal and newborn health outcomes. 

    WHO’s guidance for positive maternity care

    WHO has recently released recommendations on antenatal care for a positive pregnancy experience, and on intrapartum care for a positive childbirth experience.

    These publications made important clinical updates, including an increase from four to eight recommended antenatal contacts, and a revision to the decision-making process for interventions to accelerate labour. 

    They also uphold every woman’s right to a positive maternity care experience: one where her pregnancy does not erase her competency, autonomy and right to participate in decision-making for her own care and the care of her newborn. 

    Women’s choices and rights to sexual and reproductive health care, including maternity care, should be respected at every stage of the continuum of maternal and newborn care. This is true across all income settings, as well as in humanitarian settings
    and during public health emergencies.

    When WHO’s postnatal guidelines are released next year, they will complete the maternity care series built around what matters to women.

    Rather than dividing care into three periods of antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal, these publications can be used to establish a model in which health systems support women, their baby and wider network physically, psychologically, socially and emotionally
    through this significant life event. 

    Other resources

     

    What matters to women in the postnatal period?
    Read More
    https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/22-04-2020-what-matters-to-women-in-the-postnatal-period

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  • Accelerating Sales & Marketing with Web Collaboration

    Thanks to the expanding global workforce, heightened competition and the continued need to cut costs and drive productivity, companies today are facing myriad new challenges. Because sales and marketing are key to maximizing growth, productivity and profits, those organizations are facing mounting pressure to create efficient, customercentric processes that provide increased reach and revenue while keeping costs under
    control ? all as markets become more competitive and brands less distinguishable. To compete, companies must equip their sales and marketing teams with technology that can dramatically enhance productivity and drive innovation by improving the way they interact with customers, partners, suppliers and other employees. Web collaboration is increasingly becoming an indispensable tool in accelerating sales and marketing processes while simultaneously reducing costs.

    Read More
    http://www.associationofmarketing.org/whitepapers/view.php?whitepaper_id=67

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