Corinthian Health Services Blog

Blog for Corinthian Health Services

World MS Day – Why Research is Critical to Bringing Us Closer to a Cure

World MS Day is coming. First instituted on May 30, 2009, by the MS International Federation (MSIF), World MS Day touches hundreds of thousands of people all around the world with awareness campaigns focused on a different theme each year. This year the campaign will focus on MS research and will be called #bringinguscloser. World MS Day Social Graphic (1)

Even though World MS Day is on May 30, events and campaigns are held all over the world throughout the entire month of May. It’s a time when the entire MS community comes together to raise awareness, tell their stories, and campaign for everyone directly or indirectly affected by multiple sclerosis. Every little bit helps the more than two million people around the globe living with MS.

Be Defined by YOUR Possibility, Not by a Diagnosis

If you’d like to show your support for World MS Day, there are plenty of things you can do, big and small. You can even get free tools like logos, posters, guides, and more to help you bring it all together from WorldMSDay.org.

  1. Take it to the streets: Setting up a stall where people can pick up flyers and information is a great way to get the word out. You can also walk around your neighborhood and hand out information packets with a smile.
  2. Organize a seminar: Medical professionals like neurologists, physiotherapists and MS nurses can offer lots of insights into how patients, caregivers, and family members can deal with MS. It shouldn’t be too hard to find someone who’d give up an hour or two of their time to speak and answer questions to help mark World MS Day.
  3. Get together online: It’s easy to get people connected through social media, chat, or a webinar service. You can set up a Twitter chat, a live stream on Facebook, or host a webinar to help get people involved and raise awareness. There are even social media assets available.
  4. Ask local businesses for support: Local businesses that deal with the public often don’t mind putting a sign in the window or up in front of the check-out. Printing some of the flyers from WorldMSDay.org and putting them on display around town can draw a lot of attention.
  5. Put your event on the map: The World MS Day site hosts a global event map. If you’re going to organize an event in your area, add it to the map for some extra exposure.

Getting involved in World MS Day is important. More support and research is needed to finally bring the world a cure for MS. Each person who participates in the events and campaigns that go on around World MS Day helps us reach that goal.

CHS is committed to giving the best care possible

CHS Patient Quotes

While researchers continue to learn about what causes MS and its’ possible cures, Corinthian Health Services is committed to giving the best possible care right NOW.

In fact, a recent survey was given to all Corinthian patients across the country.  These are the results;

  1. Patients believed that every professional on their specific care team, from the Care Managers who assist with all insurance matters; the schedulers who work to get the best possible appointment times and the amazing IgNS certified infusion nurses are extremely knowledgeable, caring and concerned.
  2. In fact, our patients are passionate that they are receiving the best care available anywhere.
  3. Now, that’s peace of mind
  4. When confidence is present, stress is reduced and patients thrive.  Good care BRINGS US CLOSER!

Nurses Week: 7 Ways to Give Thanks to the Nurses Who Save Lives

National Nurses Week is from May 6 to May 12, 2018.


Nurses Week

It’s a perfect opportunity to say thank you to the nurses who have made a difference in your life or the life of a loved one. Nurses are an essential part of the healthcare system. Without their endless compassion, tireless work and friendly companionship, the timewe all spend with doctors and hospitals for both regular care and critical emergencies would be infinitely more difficult, for doctors and patients alike.

Nurses turn mere treatment into real care. They let us know that we’re not alone when we’re feeling isolated. They encourage us when we feel like we can’t go any farther. They calm us when fear gets the better of us. They make bad situations better for us, often sacrificing more than they should.

Consider celebrating National Nurses Week. You’d be surprised how much it can mean to a nurse to receive something that confirms they’ve made a difference. You don’t have to have a large budget to participate. In fact, there are many things you can do that won’t break the bank. Here are a few to consider.

Buy Breakfast, Lunch, or Dinner for Nurses Week

Saying thanks could be as simple as stopping at a local bakery and buying fresh donuts for the members of the nursing staff or department where you received your care. No time for breakfast?

Try dropping off a meal for lunch or dinner.

Coffee for the Staff

Nurses often work long hours, and as anyone who works a job that requires shifts upwards of 12 hours will tell you, coffee is often a big part of working life. There are several ways you can use coffee to say thanks to the nursing staff.

Taking the time to go to a specialty coffee shop and select something unique for your favorite nurses can be a great way to show your appreciation. The fresh ground thank you cup can be brewed at home or work for everyone to enjoy.

It might be a bit more expensive than just buying coffee, but if you’d like to say thank you in a big way, giving a good coffee machine to the staff where you received your care will very likely be  appreciated. It’s something that will keep on giving for a long time to come.

Moisturizing Hand Lotions

Many nurses will tell you that they’re constantly fighting a losing battle with dry skin on their hands. Their job requires constant sterilizationand hand washing, which takes its toll on the skin. A great way to say thanks with a not-so-common gift is to give your favorite nurse a few bottles of quality moisturizing lotion or perhaps a home hand-care kit.

Nurses Week

Food or Fruit Baskets

A food or fruit basket might seem a little bit cliché, but things become cliché for a reason; people like them. A basket full of tasty treats will bring a smile to almost anyone’s face. Of course, you can always include a card to help express your gratitude.

Handwritten Card or Note

Saying thank you doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive or even cost you anything more than your time. Something as simple as a handwritten letter or a short note that expresses your feelings can go a long way.

Flowers or Gifts

Gifts, gift cards, and flowers make great tokens of appreciation. Perhaps a gift card for the book lover will come in handy off shift or during breaks.

A Hug and a Handshake

With most patients, once they’re done dealing with whatever brought them under a nurse’s care, the nurse doesn’t see them again. This is the life of a nurse. The people they care for drift in and out of their lives, often never returning once they leave. This part of their job can sometimes be difficult to deal with.

If nurses helped create a particularly good experience for you, returning to say thank you in person when you’re feeling better will dowonders for their spirit. It lets them know that their work was noticed and they’ve not been forgotten.

Nurses Week

Nurses don’t do what they do to be thanked. They do it because they’re the kind of people who want to help others. Their work is far from glamorous and often done anonymously. Even though they may sometimes feel forgotten or underappreciated, they show up day after day and give their all to make the lives of other people better. It’s not a job suited for everyone.

If you or a loved one have ever gone through a healthcare experience that was made easier because of a caring nurse, consider taking some time during National Nurses Week to let them know that you appreciate what they’ve done. A small gesture or a few words will mean a lot to someone who spends their days selflessly helping others.

Nurses Week

5 Ways You Can Help Raise Awareness During World PI Week

It’s World PI Week! In honor of World PI Week and the Jeffrey Modell Foundation our centers participated in a ballon release.

World PI Week is about spreading the word about primary immunodeficiency. It’s an opportunity to educate and inform health policy-makers, schools, and the general public in an effort to promote early diagnosis and optimal treatment for people with primary immunodeficiency. This global event aims to create positive changes and practices to help support people living with PI.

Quick Facts About Primary Immunodeficiency

An immunodeficiency is when a part of the body’s immune system is either missing or does not function the way it should. When this problem is caused by genetics, it is called a primary, or inherited immunodeficiency. There are more than 200 forms of primary immunodeficiency, and more than 10 million people suffer from PI around the world.

PI most often shows up as “normal” infections that either don’t seem to go away or recur frequently. The biggest mistake physicians make when dealing with patients suffering from PI is that they treat the symptomatic infections without realizing that there is an underlying cause — primary immunodeficiency. Doing so can leave patients open to much more serious problems such as organ damage, physical disabilities, or even death. This is what makes it so vitally important to raise awareness about PI, both among the general public and the healthcare community.

What You Can Do to Help Raise Awareness

There are plenty of things you can do to contribute to the cause of raising awareness. Every little bit helps.

Share Your Story with The Community and The World

You can join the World PI Week campaign by simply sharing your own story. As a relative, a caregiver, a person living with some form of PI, or just as someone who wants to help, you can add your story to the World PI Week Story Book. Your story, messages of support or advice about dealing with PI will help raise awareness as well as help others. Once you’ve added your story, you can also share it through any or all of your social media profiles to spread the word even further.

Organize A World PI Week Event

The World PI Week Organization has all kinds of resources and materials available to help you organize an event in your area. You’ll find lists of past successful events to help inspire you, tools to help get the word out, and tips to make sure that your event is successful. You can also share your event through the organization’s interactive event map.

Sign the Call to Action Petition

The Global Primary Immunodeficiency’s Call To Action urges government all over the world to take steps to better understand, diagnose and manage treatment for Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases. It will only take a moment to add your name to the petition and show your much-needed support for this worthy cause. Every new name on the petition helps to bolster support around the globe.

Attend an Awareness Event Near You

There are PI awareness events happening all over the world. Chances are that there’s an event coming up somewhere near you. It’s easy to use the worldpiweek.org interactive map to find one. Attending or helping with an upcoming event is a great way to lend your support.

Sponsor World PI Week

The World PI Week initiative is still very young. Started just a few years ago, in 2010, the campaign has grown substantially, but still needs the help and support of the corporate community.

Funding from corporate sponsors helps the organization to produce materials like brochures, informational videos, posters, and other campaign materials. These materials are then used to help support the worldwide efforts of PI campaigners around the globe.

If you own a company or think the company you work for might be interested in sponsoring World PI Week, you can find all the information you’ll need to get the ball rolling on the organization’s sponsorship page.

Your Involvement Makes a Difference

Big changes always begin with small steps. By getting involved with World PI Week, you’re helping people all over the world to improve their quality of life. By raising awareness about primary immunodeficiency diseases, patients, caregivers and the medical community all become better educated and better prepared to deal with these chronic illnesses. Your efforts help those living with PI to stay healthier and live longer, happier lives.

 

IVIG Administration

When you’re undergoing IVIG treatment, it’s important to understand IVIG administration and each step of the process. If you know what to IVIG Administrationexpect ahead of time, it will eliminate a lot of stress and allow things to go as smoothly as possible. Your doctor may follow slightly different procedures, but below are some of the most common situations and suggestions for dealing with them.

Your Responsibilities as a Patient

Before everything else, you should understand your responsibilities before, during, and after the procedure. You are, after all, the one in control. Exactly how the IVIG treatment process proceeds will be dictated by how you feel. As the patient, it will be up to you maintain a close and honest relationship with your doctor and other caregivers.

Your main responsibilities will be to cooperate as best you can, follow their instructions, and maintain an open and honest line of communication. Always let them know if there is anything you need or don’t understand. You should tell them immediately about any problems or issues that arise, especially those that might affect the course of your treatment.

Doctor or Nurse Responsibilities

Above all, safety should be the priority for any doctor or nurse whether they are administering IVIG treatment or educating a patient about infusions. The prescriber’s orders should be followed carefully, with any problems addressed and fully resolved before the infusion.

Assessments Before IVIG Administration

Before beginning the IVIG infusion, your nurse will look at several factors to help minimize any problems, discomfort or adverse effects and make sure you have a successful IVIG infusion experience.

  • Assess whether the IVIG product is appropriate for the patient. There are different types of IVIG products, which are NOT interchangeable. Your nurse will first check to make sure the present product is suitable for your particular case.
  • Assess the integrity of the IVIG product. Like any other medication, the nurse will check to make sure that the product is fully intact, no seals have been broken, and it has not been tampered with.
  • Check that the IVIG product is at the right temperature. The immunoglobulin solution should be at room temperature when it is administered.
  • Check that the patient understands IVIG therapy. The nurse will check with the patient to make sure they understand the purpose of the therapy and what will be involved in the process.
  • Check the patient’s general health and hydration level. The nurse should assess whether or not the patient is in a healthy state and properly hydrated. Any problems with health should be communicated to the prescriber. If the patient does not seem to be fully hydrated, this should be remedied before the infusion begins.
  • Check for any variation in weight. IVIG therapy prescriptions are based on the weight of the patient. Any significant change in weight could mean that the prescription would need to be adjusted.
  • Check heart rate and respiratory status. IVIG therapy can cause a fluid overload in patients with congestive heart failure. Their heart and respiratory status must be checked before and during infusion to avoid potential problems.
  • Check the patient for signs of fever. If a patient has a fever, the prescriber should be contacted and consulted for instructions. Depending on condition, the infusion may need to be postponed until the fever subsides.
  • Assess the need for pre-medications. If a patient has had any issues during previous infusions, the prescriber should be consulted for instructions to see if pre-medications may be necessary to help ensure a successful infusion.
  • Determine if there is a need for anesthesia. Some patients, especially children, may wish to receive local anesthesia to numb the sites where needles or catheters will be placed.
  • Assess emergency preparedness. The nurse will make sure that all emergency equipment is functional and nearby as well as make sure there are clear communication channels for reaching both the prescribing doctor as well as emergency services such as 911.
  • Assess the need for blood work before starting the infusion. Blood must be drawn prior to an IVIG infusion if it is needed for monitoring purposes. The nurse should go over any previous blood work with the patient as well as make sure that regular blood tests are being carried out as expected.
  • Assess the patient’s experience with prior IVIG infusions. Last, but not least, the nurse should ask the patient about previous experiences and what they expect to happen. Patients, children especially, may have routines they are used to that help them get through the experience with fewer issues. Nurses should try to follow these routines whenever possible.ivig administration

Assessment During IVIG Administration

During the administration of the IVIG therapy, infusion, the nurse will monitor the patient’s general status and make sure that the infusion is being tolerated. This will involve asking basic questions about how you feel as well as monitoring vital signs for any changes. At this point, as the patient, there isn’t much more to do other than wait for the process to finish.

Assessments After IVIG Administration

After the infusion has been completed, the nurse will generally check on a few things that will allow him or her to assess how well you’ve tolerated the infusion and what could be done to improve your experience during the next one.

  • Check for problems related to the infusion. The nurse will check for any problems occurring immediately after the infusion that may have been caused by it, such as headaches, fever or rashes. In some cases, changes to the infusion protocols might be suggested to provide some relief in the future.
  • Assess the need for future infusions and discuss with the patient. The nurse should inform the patient of upcoming IVIG therapy sessions and their responsibility according to what has been ordered by the prescribing doctor.ivig administration after

The Typical IVIG Infusion

IVIG therapy typically consists of a dose between 400 and 500 milligrams per kilogram of weight, given every three to four weeks. The majority of patients tolerate the procedure well and experience little to no adverse effects.

Individual patients may get better results with a more personalized infusion regimen, just as some people respond better to one IVIG product over another. Once you and your doctor have decided on an infusion regimen that works for you, it’s important to stick with it and follow your doctor’s orders. If you have questions about IVIG administration, IVIG therapy, or the IVIG infusion process, you should talk with your doctor.

What Is IVIG?

What is IVIG?

What Is IVIG? IVIG stands for IntraVenous ImmunoGlobulin. IVIG is a preparation made by pooling immunoglobulin G (IgG) from the plasma of healthy blood donors. Generally, it’s used for the treatment of patients suffering from immunodeficiency disorders.

This type of preparation first became widely available during the second world war and was used to help prevent diseases such as polio, measles, and hepatitis. It was first used as a replacement therapy for people with primary immunodeficiency disorders in 1952 and administered through intramuscular injections. This method of administration limited the doses that could be given because of the small volumes involved and also proved to be painful for patients. This is no longer the case.

The U.S. licensed preparations that could be safely administered intravenously in the early 1980s. Larger doses could be given through the intravenous route and more closely matched the body’s own antibody production. Most patients tolerated this type of treatment well, and it soon became the standard treatment for patients suffering from primary immunodeficiencies with antibody deficiency.

what is ivig

What is IVIG Made Of?

IVIG is manufactured using donor pools from 10,000 to 60,000 units of donated human plasma. They contain immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies which fight off a wide variety of infectious agents. There are differences in the exact processes and stabilizing agents that are used from one manufacturer to another, but all IVIG preparations contain more than 96% IgG. Most products also contain some immunoglobulin A and trace amounts of other plasma proteins.

What is IVIG Used for?

Immunoglobulin preparations are currently approved by the FDA to be marketed for the following conditions:

All IVIG products carry an indication for one of the above disorders, but none of them are indicated for all five.

Off-Label Uses of IVIG

Using a drug for an “off-label” purpose means to use it for something other than what it has been approved for. For example, aspirin is approved to relieve pain or reduce fever, but, because of other properties that aspirin has, many doctors suggest taking one aspirin per day to reduce the risk of heart attack. This would be an off-label use of aspirin.

Immunoglobulin therapy is often used for many different off-label conditions such as:

  • Guillain-barré Syndrome
  • Polymyositis
  • Dermatomyositis
  • Multifocal Motor Neuropathy
  • Stiff Person Syndrome
  • Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis
  • Pemphigus

IVIG has also been used to treat other immune disorders, but results have not been proven on a large enough scale to earn the full acceptance of the medical community at this time.

Healthy after ivig

What Is an Immunodeficiency Disorder?

An immunodeficiency disorder is when the body is unable to properly defend itself against infections and diseases. Someone suffering from this type of disorder is more susceptible to illness and disease than an average person. There are two type of immunodeficiency disorders, primary and secondary.

A primary disorder is one in which the immunodeficiency is caused by something congenital. The deficiency may or may not be present at birth, but it develops as the result of something the person was born with. There are more than 100 known types of primary immunodeficiency disorders.

Secondary disorders, sometimes called acquired disorders, develop later in life. They are caused by environmental factors that weaken the immune system. Some examples of secondary immunodeficiency causes are HIV, chemotherapy, malnutrition, and severe burns.

 What is IVIG Treatment for an Immunodeficiency Disorder?

Treatment for immunodeficiency disorders focuses on three main points, regardless of whether it is a primary or secondary disorder:

  • Treating and preventing infections
  • Boosting the weakened immune system
  • Treating the underlying cause of the deficiency

For managing infections, patients may be given antibiotics to fight pathogens as well as other medications to relieve the resulting symptoms, such as decongestants, expectorants, and ibuprofen to reduce pain and fever.

To boost the immune system, IVIG therapy is often used, but treatment may also include gamma interferon therapy and growth factor therapy.

If the immunodeficiency is caused by an underlying serious illness, such as cancer, for example, additional treatment would be specific to that illness.

talk to your doctor about ivig

Talk Your Doctor

What is IVIG? Still want to know more? If your doctor has recommended IVIG treatment, it’s important to follow through with the advice. Speak to your doctor for more information about immunodeficiency disorders, IVIG therapy, and qualified treatment centers near you.