A lack of skilled attendants at birth accounts for two million preventable maternal deaths, stillbirths and newborn deaths each year, according to the newly released Countdown to 2015 Decade Report (2000-2010). The report shows that nearly 50 percent of women in the 68 countries carefully tracked in the Countdown report – most of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia – still give birth without the aid of a trained midwife, nurse, or doctor.

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A common practice of successive 12-hour shifts for U.S. hospital nurses leaves many with serious sleep deprivation, higher risk of health problems, and more odds of making patient errors, according to a University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) study presented at the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in San Antonio. The study also found that the average total sleep time between 12-hours shifts was only 5.5 hours.

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