MedStar Health Blog

Millions of people get a flu vaccine in the fall as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Medical Association and other professional medical groups. But many people don’t, believing it doesn’t work or will make them sick.

If you’re thinking about skipping a flu shot this season, MedStar Harbor Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Anta Kah, MSN, CRNP, encourages you to reconsider. Below are five reasons to get the flu shot.

1. Not only can the flu vaccine keep you from getting the flu, it may make your illness milder if you do get sick.

2. Getting vaccinated benefits everyone around you. “The flu virus spreads easily— you can contract it when an infected person coughs, talks, or sneezes. You can also get the flu by touching something that has the virus germs on it, then touching your eyes, nose, or mouth,” notes Kah.

3. Some people are at greater risk of getting seriously ill from the flu, like pregnant women, older adults, and people with chronic health conditions. If you fall into one of these categories, the vaccine can help protect you. “Flu symptoms can lead to dehydration, the worsening of chronic illnesses, bacterial pneumonia, ear or sinus infections, and in severe cases, death,” says Kah. “Every year, about 200,000 people are hospitalized because of the flu.”

4. The flu shot is safe and it can’t give you the flu. The flu vaccine is formulated from dead or inactive viruses, so it can’t make you sick. If you do get sick, chances are you were exposed to the virus before getting the shot or you picked up a virus not included in the vaccine.

5. Last year’s vaccination won’t protect you this year. “The flu is a virus that changes from year to year,” Kah explains. “The vaccine is reformulated annually to protect against strains of the virus predicted by the CDC to be most widespread.”

Children 6 months or older and most adults should get vaccinated against the flu annually. Flu season usually starts in October and can last until May, so it is important to get vaccinated early. “Getting the shot is the single best way for nearly everyone to prevent the flu,” says Kah.

The use of home oxygen has increased over the past decade. While oxygen itself is not flammable, an oxygen-rich environment can cause any material that catches fire to burn more readily, quickly and hotter. It’s critical that patients understand the risks associated with home use of medical oxygen. The Burn Center at the MedStar Washington Hospital Center has treated patients who were badly burned while using home oxygen.

In 2003-2006, hospital emergency rooms saw an estimated average of 1,190 thermal burns per year caused by ignitions associated with home medical oxygen. 

• Eighty-nine percent of the victims suffered facial burns
• In most cases, the fire department was not involved

The Burn Center team recommends these tips to help you take better precautions for oxygen safety in the home:

By Chris Goeschel, ScD, MPA, MPS, RN

Earlier today Facebook reminded me of a memory from 2015. I am not a daily FB user, and I limit my posts to select, real friends, versus the “I know someone who knows you“ category social media tends to classify as “friends”. Ironic that the post referred to an Institute of Medicine (IOM) Panel on which I had served for 2 years, and the report that our committee released in September 2015 on “Improving Diagnosis in Health Care”. Two years ago an article discussing the findings and importance of our report appeared in the New York Times. My FB post included a link to the article.

Today, as I write this I am sitting on a plane headed to Boston for the 10^th annual meeting of the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine(SIDM). My mind drifts to the ways in which life has a way of merging events that occur in isolation, but create reality for individuals. Thirty years ago today my 67-year-old father died from a cancer that was treated as an infection until just weeks before he died. Missed diagnosis? Delayed diagnosis? For me, the memory is he died too young, too quickly, and in a way that surprised his physician, who cried when he told our family that in fact, it was not an infection it was cancer. We have come a long way in 30 years, right? My father never knew a cell phone, TV remotes were the “new thing”, and computers were just starting to make a dent in how we work and live.

In some ways progress has been astounding; in other ways the pace of change is frustratingly slow. Last week a team of MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety colleagues and I met with others from six healthcare organizations from across the country, SIDM leaders, and leaders from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). Together we committed to 9 months of intensive work developing a “prototype” collaborative to guide organizations that are serious about improving diagnosis. The SIDM conference that I attended had more poster presentations than they could handle, and the lineup of speakers transcends from gurus in the quality and safety space (Don Berwick, Dave Mayer, and Amy Edmondson among others) to physicians, nurses and health services researchers in the trenches, who are all too aware that missed diagnosis, incorrect diagnosis, and delayed diagnosis remain a looming challenges.

Perhaps I should not have been surprised that when I shared my Facebook “memory”, the comments from friends included new stories of how “we” got it wrong, got it “late” or didn’t listen when they tried to TELL us what was going on with their health. These stories are sources of real dissatisfaction.

The report from our IOM panel suggested that each of us will experience at least one diagnostic error in our lifetime. An important way to help mitigate this reality is to acknowledge that diagnosis really needs to be a team endeavor. The ideal team benefits from patients and families at the center surrounded by physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and others, working together, sharing information, insights, concerns, and successes on behalf of better health for individuals and populations. Watch this space for how to join us on the journey.

I welcome your comments, questions and stories at mailto:chris.a.goeschel@medstar.net.

Dr. Curl serves as assistant team physician for the Baltimore Orioles.

When an athlete becomes injured, the first question their physician often hears is “how long will it be until I can get back out there?” The specialists at the MedStar Harbor Hospital Sports Medicine and Shoulder Center, part of MedStar Sports Medicine, understand that passion, and are committed to helping those who become injured get the treatment they need to heal and get back to what they love.

“We work with each patient until he or she reaches their goals,” says Milford H. Marchant Jr., MD, an orthopedic surgeon who is part of the practice and specializes in sports medicine. “It doesn’t matter if you got hurt on the field, at work or at home; we will get you back to being able to do the activities that are important to you.”

Perhaps it’s that “can do” attitude, along with the clinical excellence demonstrated by Dr. Marchant and his colleagues, Leigh Ann Curl, MD, and Jeffrey Mayer, MD, CAQSM, that has earned the Sports Medicine and Shoulder Center such a superior reputation. So superior, in fact, that many major and minor-league sports teams across the Baltimore and Washington areas have designated MedStar Sports Medicine as their preferred providers for treatment and ongoing care when shoulder, knee, ankle, foot, hip, hand, wrist, elbow or back injuries occur.

“It is a great honor to care for so many local professional athletes and to know that the leaders of these teams are putting their trust in us,” says Dr. Curl, who serves as head orthopedic surgeon for the Baltimore Ravens and assistant team physician for the Baltimore Orioles.

While Dr. Curl spends her time on the sidelines at M&T Bank Stadium and Oriole Parkat Camden Yards, Drs. Marchant and Mayer collaborate as team physicians for the Washington Valor. Dr. Marchant also assists with medical care for US Lacrosse. Dr. Mayer serves as team physician for the Maryland Jockey Commission, as well as Arundel, Chesapeake, Glen Burnie, Meade, North County and Northeast high schools.

“We all truly enjoy working with athletes, however, this is just one part of what we do,” notes Dr. Mayer. “Our team is here to treat patients of all ages and activity levels, using the most advanced therapies and minimally invasive proceduresto reduce pain and get you moving again.”

In other words, you don’t have to be an athlete to benefit from the wide range of services offered by the sports medicine program. If you are battling a knee injury, or experiencing recurring shoulder or elbow pain, consider scheduling an appointment. Drs. Curl, Marchant and Mayer can evaluate your condition, diagnose your injury and develop a treatment plan based on your personal goals.

MedStar Harbor Hospital is pleased to introduce the two newest members of our Behavioral Health team.

Erica Matthews, PsyD is a board-certified clinical psychologist with extensive experience working with individuals who struggle with issues ranging from everyday stressors to traumatic events. She works with her clients to match the most effective approach and techniques to meet their needs, with an emphasis on restoring a sense of well-being and enhancing quality of life. Dr. Matthews received her doctorate degree in clinical psychology from Alliant International University, California School of Professional Psychology.