Modern medicine has the ability to perform some truly remarkable feats. Many of the dangers that kill individuals every year, however, do not necessitate the use of science fiction technology to solve the problem. Humans are frequently thoughtless, indolent, or nearsighted. Millions of deaths can be avoided by changing our habits, and the remedies are often astonishingly easy.
1. Finland’s infant mortality rate was dramatically reduced thanks to a box of clothes:
Finland had a serious problem with newborn mortality in the early 1940s. At one point, 9% of all babies perished before their first birthday. The government began providing all expecting moms with a box containing a variety of beneficial supplies to address the issue. Clothes, blankets, grooming items, and other infant necessities were among them. Condoms are now available to parents. Bottles and disposable diapers were allowed for a short time before being phased out in 2006 to promote ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ and protect the environment. Instead, reusable cloth diapers are included.
One of the most interesting aspects of the box is that it includes a mattress. For many Finnish babies, their first bed is a cardboard box. This has stopped babies from sleeping in their parents’ beds, which is a known cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. As a result of the box, Finland’s newborn mortality rate has decreased dramatically since its implementation.
In Finland, the box has become a staple of parenthood, and it is popular among individuals of all socioeconomic levels. People can choose to pay €140 instead, although just 5% of parents do so. Many of them who do so are expecting their second child and are just reusing the box they received for their first. It’s so significant to Finns that some foreigners who aren’t qualified for it pay for one and have family give it to them via mail.
2. Overdoses are less likely with smaller packets:
Purchasing headache medicines in the UK differs significantly from doing so in the United States. A 500-pill bottle of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is readily available in the United States. It’s known as paracetamol in the United Kingdom, and the largest packet you’ll find at a supermarket holds 16 pills. Furthermore, it is always packaged in blister packs, with each pill kept separately.
The distinction is due to a statute enacted in the United Kingdom in September 1998. Overdosing is avoided by restricting pill intake. Getting 500 tablets is still a possibility. Many stores have them on hand at a low price, and you can buy more than 100 without a prescription. It’s only inconvenient, but that’s enough to discourage them from abusing them for many people.
Overdose referrals dropped from 2.5 per month to one per month in the first year after the law went into force at one hospital in Newcastle. Overdoses of paracetamol fell by 21% at London’s Royal Free Hospital during the same time period. According to a more recent study, 765 lives were saved in the first 11 years after the alteration. Furthermore, the number of registrations for liver transplants for persons who have been impacted by paracetamol toxicity has decreased by 61%.
3. Colonoscopies that are longer encourage repeat visits:
The improved colorectal screening was responsible for 65 percent of the lives saved across all malignancies in the United States between 2006 and 2007. However, only half of the eligible adults received the regular operation, which may be better. Many customers received their first one but did not return for a second since they were unsatisfied.
Researchers hypothesized that by changing how people recall the procedure, they could enhance repeat screening rates. The way they devised appears absurd: they left the camera in place for a few minutes longer towards the conclusion. When the screening is through, the camera rests in the intestine, which is a far less unpleasant experience than when it travels around within.
With the camera in place for longer, patients indicated that the screening was less painful overall. As a result, more people are returning for a follow-up colonoscopy, increasing the likelihood of identifying cancer while it is still treatable.
- Seat Belt:
One of the most well-known life-saving devices in the world is the seat belt. A belt, on the other hand, is only useful if people wear it. Every year, around 5,000 persons in the United States die in accidents that may have been avoided if they had worn their seatbelts.
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If it weren’t for Nils Bohlin, that figure would be far greater. In the 1950s, an aircraft designer for Volvo discovered that the problem was human nature. He told “the pilots I worked with want to practically wear something that will protect them during a disaster but people in automobiles don’t want to be uncomfortable even for a second
People avoided belting up because it was too time-consuming. His solution was the well-known three-point belt with a simple clip, which can be fastened with just one hand in seconds.
5. Diabetics can be saved from text messages:
The human memory is notoriously bad. We’re prone to becoming quickly distracted. This is bad news for diabetics who must monitor their blood glucose levels and take medication daily. A fascinating solution is available thanks to modern technology: Text reminders to people regularly.
Teenagers are easily distracted and frequently check their texts. Text reminders boosted treatment adherence among adolescents, according to a pilot trial conducted in Ohio. Patients who got frequent SMS were three times less likely to forget to take their prescription after three months.
Similar findings were discovered in 74-person research conducted by the University of Chicago. Those who had the lowest blood sugar levels before the study improved the most overall. The total cost of care fell by 8.8%, including complications.
Texts provide medical benefits to people who aren’t diabetics as well. In the United States, improper contraception use leads to one million unplanned pregnancies each year. When women were provided SMS reminders, their use of ■■■■ contraceptives increased from 54 to 64 percent. Half of the participants even expressed an interest in receiving the messages after the trial was completed.
- Reduce errors of typed prescriptions:
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Handwriting isn’t one of the many wonderful characteristics that doctors possess. That’s a huge concern since, in the United States, handwritten prescriptions are the norm, and according to one research, 37% of these handwritten prescriptions are incorrect. That doesn’t include prescriptions that are completely unintelligible, requiring pharmacists to contact the prescriber.
Every year, 7,000 people die as a result of pharmaceutical errors in hospitals. According to one study, bad handwriting is responsible for 61% of drug errors.
The answer is straightforward: Prescriptions are typed on a computer. With a computerized approach, the 37 percent error rate for handwritten prescriptions lowers to 7%. However, there are two impediments to transformation. To begin with, physicians tend to be fixed in their ways. Second, an appropriate system is costly. Even though reducing errors could save money in the long run, hospitals are hesitant to invest in the upfront costs.
Incentives were used to remedy the problem in the 1990s, and currently, 90 percent of prescriptions are issued electronically.
- Syringe K1:
Every year, 1.3 million people are killed by dirty syringes. While some of the victims take illegal substances, the majority of them just receive injections from low-cost clinics. Using each syringe twice reduces the number of syringes a facility needs to purchase, resulting in significant cost savings. However, given the $100 billion costs of diseases caused by reused syringes, it would be much better for everyone if reuse just ended.
The K1 Auto Disable Syringe, invented by Mark Koska, provided the solution. It can only be used once; once the plunger is pushed down, it locks and cannot be retracted. It’s also the same price to make as a normal syringe.
An anonymous video of a needle being used on a four-year-old, an adult ■■■ patient, and then a one-year-old baby was sent to Koska from Tanzania. When he showed a Tanzanian minister the film, the government agreed to utilize only his syringes. The initiative will cost an additional $7 million but save $70 million annually.
8. Tetris Reduces Trauma:
After a long period of time spent playing Tetris, you begin to see blocks everywhere. When you dream, there are blocks; when you close your eyes, there are blocks; everything in your world becomes blocks. The same thing can happen in any repetitive pattern game — possible it’s that people are more familiar with it now because of apps like Candy Crush.
The well-known phenomena reflect the peculiar way that games like Tetris interact with human brains. This prompted researchers to investigate how it impacts people with mental illnesses, and they discovered something intriguing. Tetris appears to protect against flashbacks and PTSD.
The participants in the trial were shown a distressing film by the researchers. Some people answered trivia questions during the next six hours, some played Tetris, while yet others did nothing. People who had listened to the 1980s hit experienced considerably fewer flashbacks the following week.
The study’s psychologist argues that the spatial attention necessary to play interferes with the brain’s ability to consolidate traumatic memories.
- The lucky Iron Fish:
Iron deficiency is the most common health condition on the planet. It affects half of all pregnant women and 40% of young children in underdeveloped nations. Anemia is responsible for 20% of maternal mortality. It hurts physical and cognitive development, as well as adult productivity. It’s the only nutrient deficiency that has a substantial impact on developed countries. It affects around two billion people worldwide.
Cambodia is one of the worst-affected countries. Many people live on less than a dollar a day and cannot afford red meat or other iron-rich foods. Cooking food in an iron pot can safely leach iron into a meal, however, iron pots are expensive, therefore the majority of Cambodians cook with aluminum.
Christopher Charles, a Canadian epidemiologist, came up with the concept of giving villagers a chunk of iron to put in their cooking pots in 2008. Local women objected to the proposal and instead utilized the lumps as doorstops. He tried an iron piece shaped like a lotus leaf, but it was as unpopular. After that, he made a breakthrough.
The kantrop, a common fish said to bring good luck, was taught to Charles by local elders. Every home in a remote village received an iron fish charm from Charles. The local ladies delighted in putting the lucky symbol into their cooking pots, and practically all cases of anemia in the area had vanished within a year.
The fish has 75% of the daily iron needs and can live for up to five years. The distribution of the fish is still happening, and individuals can donate to the cause via the internet.
- A sign that stops suicides:
Aokigahara, a forest on the northern base of Mount Fuji, is Japan’s most famous suicide location. Every year, hundreds of people attempt suicide there. Many people are in debt. For example, after two weeks in the woods, authorities discovered a 44-year-old guy who was frail but alive. He owes a consumer credit business 1.5 million yen ($15,000).
As a result, in 2007, a loan shark victims’ organization erected a sign in the woods. The sign features a phone number for a hotline where people can chat about their financial problems, as well as the straightforward phrase, “Your loan problem can be surely solved.”
Within a year, 29 persons from the forest itself had called the helpline. All of them had intended to commit suicide but had changed their minds.