The first thing to keep in mind is that operating rooms are not silent. Instead, there is the noise of the equipment, medical staff talking with each other -- and in some cases -- personal electronic devices going off. Others also prefer to operate with music on, something that could end up being distracting to other staff members in the room. 

According to the study, which was published this month in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, background noise did make it harder for surgeons to understand and repeat unpredictable words. Hence, background noise was found to be a barrier to communication.

Whether or not music is acceptable to play in the operating room has also been a long-standing point of contention among surgeons, anesthesiologists and caregivers. Some say music can be soothing and helps staff focus, while others say it can be a distraction.

According to the recent study, music was only a communication barrier when the surgeon was involved in an actual surgical task.

When it comes to background noise, one has to wonder if there should be a line that cannot be crossed. For example, should cellphones be left on to ring? Is it OK that medical staff at times answer those calls in the operating room? What about colleague chatter? While it is good to have working relationships, could these side conversations be distracting?

As a Tennessee resident, what do you think? Should there be stricter rules to prevent unnecessary noise in the operating room? Would this lead to a decrease in surgical errors?

Source: Scripps Howard News Service, "From ringing phones to sleep deprivation: Distractions increase surgeons' potential for mistakes," Lee Bowman, May 16, 2013

In light of this increase, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently published its policy on home births, enforcing the idea that those babies and mothers should be receiving the same level of care as those born in hospitals or birthing centers. The idea behind this is to reduce the risk of birth injuries and injuries to the mother.

The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends for a doctor or certified midwife to be on location. Essentially, there needs to be someone there who can care for the baby and someone who can care for the mother. Again, this is important not only for screenings after the birth, but to be on hand should there be complications. 

Sadly though, even with taking these precautions -- whether at home, in a hospital or at a birthing center -- complications can still arise that lead to birth injuries. And while certainly no one purposelly makes decisions to put a mother or unborn child in harm's way, at times the lack of decisions or medical negligence can cause these complications. 

Source: amednews.com, “Pediatricians offer newborn care standards for home births,” Kevin B. O’Reilly, May 13, 2013

In general, when looking at texting while driving bans and why drivers are deciding to skirt around the rules, some think it may be the lack of enforcement.

In terms of issuing citations, since the early 2000s, when texting bans started to be enacted around the country, how to enforce the laws were always of concern among police and state troopers. Unlike speeding, where an officer can literally see a vehicle speeding down the road, it is not always as easy to see someone texting, especially since the ban has led many drivers to try to conceal their phones in their laps.

Additionally, the goal of the texting bans is not necessarily to issue citations, said Justin McNaull, the director of state relations for auto club AAA. Rather, it is to change behavior.

But with people not thinking they will get caught due to the lack of enforcement, it appears it is harder to change behaviors. Even with the majority of people knowing texting while driving is dangerous, many still do it.

As a driver in Tennessee, what do you think of the texting ban? What else can be done to deter distracted driving?

Source: USA Today, "FWIW, few drivers nabbed by texting bans," Larry Copeland, May 5, 2013

The study was conducted by researchers at Cohen Children's Medical Center. The data came from a 2011 Youth Risk Behavior Survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This survey, which is conducted every two years, was the first time questions related to texting while driving were included.

This was also not the only trend found in the study. Other findings included:

• Teenage boys are more likely than teenage girls to text while driving. 
• The older teens, like those who are 17 and 18, are more likely to text and drive than the younger teens between the ages of 15 and 16. 
• Teens who text and drive are more likely to drive drunk and use an indoor tanning device. Basically, teens who take risks in one aspect of their lives are more likely to take risks in other aspects too.

For those in Tennessee reading about this study, there is a tendency to want to believe teens in other states without texting bans are the ones making up the majority of those who text while driving. However, the truth is that the percentage difference among teens from states with bans versus those without bans is very small. In fact, broken down, 44 percent of teens asked from states with no ban reported texting while driving and 39 percent of teens asked from states with bans admitted to still texting anyway.

What this means is that regardless of the law, some teens are still thinking they are invincible and are in turn putting themselves and others in direct risk of getting into a car accident.

Source: Latinos Post, "Close to Half of Teens Text and Drive Despite New Laws and Ad Campaigns," Erik Derr, May 5, 2013

Recently, a first of its kind study was conducted looking at the rate of children's injuries from rides. The types of rides were broken into three categories: fixed-sites rides, mobile rides and mall rides. Fixed-site rides are those found at amusement parks. Mobile rides tend to be those at fairs and festivals and mall rides are those at shopping centers, restaurants, stores and arcades.

The types of injuries ranged, with head and neck injuries being the most common. Of the injuries, a rather low percentage required hospitalization. However, when it comes to injuries requiring hospitalization, these were most common among the summer months. In fact, the study found that every three days between May and September a child in the U.S. is hospitalized due to a ride-related injury.

As a parent, hearing of these statistics may leave some wondering what to do. Is it better to say no to all rides? How can parents best protect their children from these types of injuries?

The No. 1 thing a parent can do is follow all height, weight and age restrictions. This means that even if a child really wants to go on a ride, if the child is not big enough or old enough, the answer should be no.

Aside from this though, parents also need to know their child. If there is reason to believe the child is not going to follow the rules of the ride, it is best not to risk it. Additionally, if a parent feels a ride may be unsafe, it is best to follow those gut feelings.

Lastly, parents need to also make sure and follow any loading instructions. This means putting on any safety belts and bars and encouraging keeping hands and feet securely inside the ride at all times.

Source: News-Medical, “New study examines injuries to children related to amusement park rides,” May 2, 2013 

It turns out that many of these dietary supplements may in fact be dangerous products. In fact, according to the Food and Drug Administration's classification system, dietary supplements accounted for more than 50 percent of the Class I drug recalls by the agency between 2004 and 2012. To fall into this classification, it means the supplements contained ingredients that could cause "serious adverse health consequences or death."

The issue with dietary supplements is that FDA approval is not needed before the products are put on store shelves. Rather, the FDA becomes involved after it is reported that a supplement supposedly contains a potentially dangerous ingredient. After hearing of this dangerous ingredient, then the FDA will try and reach out to the manufacturer.

But, due to the way the system works, getting a hold of the manufacturer is not always easy. With the FDA only having correct contact information for one-fifth of manufacturers, and how easy it is for manufacturers to change company names, locations or make small adjustments to their formulas, cracking down can be quite difficult.

To try to combat this, the FDA has initiated stronger enforcement groups and media campaigns. The thought is the more awareness regarding certain ingredients found in certain dietary supplements, the better for the consumer. However, even though this information is out there, it should be noted these dangerous supplements still find their way on to store shelves.

Source: Forbes, "Massive Drug Recalls are a Wake-Up Call for Vitamin and Supplement Industry," David DiSalvo, April 18, 2013