Mar 09
By Courtney Phillips
The profession of Nurse Practitioner originally came about as a result of a shortage of MDs in the 1960s. Since that time, many things have changed, but one thing has not—the ability for a NP to move to another state and expect to be able to work in the same manner as before. Federalism is a wonderful aspect of the government, but one that ultimately falls short when it comes to regulating health care.
This issue may be a divisive one, but the truth of the matter is that NPs all over the United States are subject to completely different sets of rules and regulations from one state to the next. Whereas in one state a NP has full autonomy and can even practice independently, in others they must work in collaboration with an MD, while in others still they work beneath the doctor and must answer to that individual.
As for funding, the stipulations and regulations regarding this aspect of the NP system are something only the initiated can understand fully. Educational requirements also vary from state to state, with some requiring master, while others ask for a few months worth of post RN coursework.
This conundrum brings up various ethical and philosophical points which aren’t answered as easily as at first they seem. Obviously, the NP who moves from one state to another doesn’t change physically or mentally, yet their credentials fall under scrutiny because of discrepancies in the method of certification.
Naturally we don’t want unqualified or under qualified people practicing, which is why there needs to be some sort of baseline mandate in place that each state can adhere to. If health care, money, and insurance can all be so tangled that they are good enough to work for treatment by an NP in one state, they should certainly work in any other state in the same way.
Health care and all of the labyrinthine issues related to our health care system are being drowned out by other concerns for the time being. Let’s hope someone decides to address it eventually. Perhaps then the need for a comprehensive and cohesive nurse practitioner licensing system will finally be addressed.
Mar 09
By Courtney Phillips
Researching the cause of a condition as complex as Crohn’s disease can be frustrated for even the most seasoned researcher. There are so many variables and possibilities it seems an almost insurmountable task. But, there seems to be a light at the end of that tunnel, according to a recent article in Science-Centric News. There is new technology available designed to help researchers with gene searching.
According to the article, “Using a novel approach that combines a statistical tool that identifies genes interacting on the same biological pathways with highly automated gene-hunting techniques that scan the whole genome, an international team of researchers has discovered new genes involved in Crohn’s disease.”
This is some heady stuff when we start to consider the magnitude of this project. It is no small feat to map an entire genome and once seemed an endless, and often impossible, task. But, no more.
The biggest challenge with Crohn’s Disease is that many different genes come together to create a perfect storm, as such, and cause the disease. The task just got exponentially more difficult. Past research identified some of the stronger genes that influence the pronouncement of Crohn’s symptoms but could not identify the other weaker or ill-defined genes. So, the elusive disease remained so a bit longer.
“Currently the workhorse of gene-hunting is genome-wide association (GWA), which uses automated analytic equipment to sweep through the full range of all 23 human chromosomes and detect the most significant gene variants associated with a given disease. Those variants, each a change in a single DNA base, are called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).
However, individual GWA studies often do not have the statistical power to detect subtle but important variants that are involved in disease development. By using an algorithm developed by Kai Wang, Ph.D., at the Centre for Applied Genomics, Hakonarson’s study team created a pathway-based approach that seeks out interacting or related genes along the same biological pathway.”
With greater identification of the various genetic influencers for Crohn’s, researchers are able to adopt more effective drug protocols, which improve the patient’s quality of life and their long-term prognosis. It also means more complex diseases will benefit from this research and the tools being used to help better treat Crohn’s.
