Summertime and warm weather means a lot of time spent outdoors in the sun.  More exposure to the sun and its UV rays means you are going to need greater protection for your skin.  The solution to that may seem easy – just put on sunscreen.  However, choosing the right sunscreen is a bit more complex than it may seem.  There are so many options to consider when choosing a sunscreen, other than just SPF.  We have answers to get you more informed and help you make an educated decision when choosing your sunscreen.

Remember to Reapply!

To begin, the amount of SPF protection in sunscreen ranges from SPF 2 to SPF 100+!  SPF is an abbreviation for Sun Protection Factor.  This measures the length of time the sunscreen will protect you from getting sunburn, compared to not wearing any sunscreen.  For example, SPF 15 will protect you from getting sunburn 15 times longer than if you did not use sunscreen.  You may think that SPF 30 would give you double protection as SPF 15 from the sun, but it does not work that way.  When choosing sun protection, you need to consider the sun’s UV rays.

UVB rays are what cause you to get sunburn.  UVA rays have more long terms damage on your skin, like skin cancer and wrinkles.  SPF 15 blocks 94% of UVB rays and SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays – now that’s not double the protection!  There are many things this information brings you to consider when choosing a sunscreen.  First of all, it’s the UVA rays that cause skin cancer, so you want to find a sunscreen with more than just the SPF protection from UVB rays.  You want one that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.  Generally, theses types of sunscreens are labeled as “broad spectrum”.   Look on the label for ingredients such as avobenzone, ecamsule, or zinc oxide.  Also, UVB rays allow natural Vitamin D into your body.  So, you must be careful not to get Vitamin D deficiency from wearing too much sunscreen and completely blocking this vitamin from getting to your system.

Now that you know what the SPF levels mean, you need to choose a sunscreen that is best for you.  If you have lighter skin, you will obviously need an SPF that has stronger and longer protection from the sun’s UV rays.  But, Dermatologists do not recommend high SPFs just to people with lighter skin tones.  They recommend that everyone uses a higher SPF (check out the most Dermatologist Recommended Brands).  The higher the SPF, the greater protection you will have from harmful UV rays.  Even if you wear a higher SPF you should still stick to the recommended guidelines for reapplying your sunscreen.

Research shows that you get the best protection from you sunscreen if you apply it 15-30 minutes before going into the sun and then reapply after being in the sun for 15-30 minutes.  Then, you should reapply sunscreen every two hours because the ingredients protecting against UVA rays break down rather quickly when exposed to the sun’s rays.  If you go in the water or sweat, you will need to reapply the sunscreen.  Waterproof sunscreen is available; but, follow the instructions carefully because this too will need reapplication.  In addition to sunscreen, there are other things you can wear to protect yourself from the sun’s UV rays, like clothes, hats, and make-up.

When I think of the emergency room, I think of the crowded waiting area, chock full of people who have been waiting a long time to see a doctor.  The Center for Disease Control confirms that image. Studies have shown that the average wait to receive care is around one hour. A 2006 report by Press Ganey Associates found that the average stay in an American emergency room clocks in at around 3.7 hours. Patients filled out satisfaction surveys, and Arizona clocked in with the highest average wait time at 297.3 minutes—close to five hours!  Iowa led the way with a wait time of 138.3 minutes, a little over two hours worth of time spent in the hard plastic waiting room chairs.

Healthcare providers working to reduce Emergency Room waits

Some feel that the health care reforms will put the squeeze on emergency rooms. After Massachusetts implemented universal health care, emergency rooms reported a boost in people. Even though the health insurance would theoretically give them more access to preventative care, the primary care physician shortage may actually make it more difficult to seek preventative services, consequently making ER care ever more critical.

It’s no surprise that hospitals throughout the United States are working to increase patient satisfaction by decreasing hospital wait time. According to the Baltimore Sun, in 2006, 120 million patients went to an emergency room, a sizeable increase from ten years earlier. More and more people are using the ER to receive care. By using innovative, inexpensive new technology, emergency rooms are cutting down unnecessary services.  Hospitals in some states use texts and emails to communicate with patients, marketing their services.

A recent article in the Baltimore Sun details the efforts of area emergency rooms.  At St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson, the hospital advertises its emergency room wait time online. This initiative has raised patient satisfaction, increasing the likelihood that patients will choose St. Joseph’s. St. Joseph’s cuts out unnecessary, bulky procedures to streamline care.  At the University of Maryland Medical Center, staff moves patients in need of urgent care to beds instead of housing them in the ER.  Many other Maryland hospitals have added staff to deal with emergencies.

In Arizona, the state that the third longest wait time in 2009, hospitals are also marketing their wares. Gilbert Hospital in Phoenix ran an ad touting its ER services, highlighting the fact that most patients saw a doctor in 31 minutes or less. Other area hospitals used billboards and other media to promote speedy service. By marketing their superior service, hospitals can increase their business, unless their actions don’t back up their words.

All in all, the fact that emergency rooms are working to become more efficient is promising.  Ultimately, however, I feel that increased ER waiting times are a symptom of the primary care physician shortage. On top of all the slimming and trimming of ER procedures, emphasizing preventative care is crucial to reducing ER wait times.  Building a strong supply of primary care physicians can increase access to preventative care as more and more people are insured.

…Or at least it’s on its way to it.  In the 1990s it was reported that doctor’s offices and hospitals in the US produced 2 million tons of medical waste per year!  Unfortunately, this number was disregarded by the millions in the field and the medical waste has only gotten worse.  In the recent “Go Green” movement throughout the US, doctors have suddenly gained an awareness of their amounting waste.   They have begun to notice that perfectly good medical equipment is being thrown away, especially after surgeries.  In fact, the Operating Room (O.R.) is responsible for about 30% of all hospital waste!  Doctors are becoming more conscious of the amount of medical waste they dispose of daily.

Doctors are Working to Decrease Medical Waste

The O.R. is responsible for so much of the waste because a general “O.R. Pack” is given to doctors for use during each surgery.  This pack contains all the tools the doctor may need during the operation.  Not surprisingly, all of the tools in this pack are not used during one surgery.  However, most doctors discard the entire pack at the end of the surgery, including the tools that have been untouched.  Now that is a huge waste of perfectly good medical equipment!

This problem of wasting useful medical equipment arose when disposable medical equipment became available to doctors.  Doctors and nurses began throwing things away without the slightest thought of recycling.  It was not until recently when doctors and hospitals began seeking ways to cut down on medical costs that they realized their outrageous amount of medical waste.  Consciousness of what they were throwing away had doctors realize that they could save a lot of money.  Most of the medical equipment that they were throwing away could be reused.  The equipment simply needed to be recycled and sterilized before re-use.  Even the disposable equipment can be reused a number of times (after sterilization).  It’s a two for one deal: doctor’s offices and hospitals can cut down on both medical costs and waste by recycling tools.

Recycling tools and materials is a great way for medical facilities to cut back on costs and waste.  They can absolutely rely on sterilization to kill the virus.  In fact, a doctor and a medical student did research to see if anyone had suffered infections or harm from recycled medical tools. Their results were outstanding: they found none!  Devices that have shown even the slightest risk of hazard have been exempt from the “Go Green” process (though these are few).  Other devices don’t need as much attention when cleaned for recycling because they have such a low risk.  These would include devices that do not penetrate the skin.

If doctors and hospitals choose not to re-use their equipment, there is still no excuse for throwing useful tools away.  Many things can be done with this medical equipment.  There are non-profit organizations that collect unused medical equipment and redistribute it to places that cannot afford the equipment. This is extremely useful to poorer countries, like Haiti.

In efforts to “Go Green”, medical facilities are also looking to take more environmental measures than just cutting back on waste.  They are looking for ways to reduce their energy consumption (especially electricity), as well as improving their indoor air quality.  More specifically, the O.R. has considered many other environmentally friendly methods in their campaign for “Greening the O.R.”.