Here are 11 articles on medical research study findings from the week of March 23.
1. Children who get Rocky Mountain spotted fever are five times more likely to die from it than adults because physicians are reluctant to prescribe the most effective RMSF treatment to children due to a warning on its label.
2. Researchers in China found the best ways to boost ICU patients' sleep quality include using oral melatonin, earplugs and eye masks.
3. A survey of South Korean physicians, nurses and families revealed that patients support patient involvement in hand hygiene, but healthcare providers did not.
4. One survey of breast cancer surgery patients discovered minority women were less actively involved in selecting their surgeon and hospital than white women, potentially leading to treatment disparities.
5. Hand hygiene compliance improves at hospitals that have implemented interventions that include having administrative leadership in place, according to one study.
6. Research from the University of Georgia College of Public Health in Athens found patients who contract norovirus infections experience symptoms for roughly the same amount of time, independent of age or virus strain.
7. Chlorine used in wastewater treatment may not completely eliminate pharmaceuticals from waste and may actually boost antibiotic resistance, according to a lab study.
8. The Alzheimer's Association reported just 45 percent of people with Alzheimer's disease or those who care for them were told the diagnosis by their physician.
9. Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill revealed that a vaccine using virus-like particles can elicit antibody responses to a wide range of vaccine and non-vaccine virus-like particles, meaning a norovirus vaccine could be available in the future.
10. A study out of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis showed bacteria that frequently cause urinary tract infections and respiratory infections in hospital settings are on the verge of becoming resistant to antibiotics.
11. A study from Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based Adventist Health System underlined how improving patient safety saves money.