The visual and narrative arts can help physicians hone their observational skills — a critical expertise increasingly needed in today’s medicine, according to Caroline Wellbery, MD, PhD, a Georgetown University Medical Center family medicine professor. Her article was published in July 2015 in Academic Medicine. A release from the university notes that Dr. Wellbery explains… Continue reading The Arts Help Doctors Hone Their Observational Skills
Category: Medical Care
Spinal Injuries Increasing Among Seniors
You probably associate hip injuries with falls among older people, but now research shows that fall-related traumatic spine injury is also a huge and increasing problem. The research, from investigators at Vanderbilt University, was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, which analyzed data from 63,109 patients with acute traumatic spinal… Continue reading Spinal Injuries Increasing Among Seniors
Why You Should Be Concerned About OTC Painkillers
Next time you reach into the medicine cabinet seeking relief for a headache, backache or arthritis, be aware of important safety information for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. FDA is strengthening an existing warning in prescription drug labels and over-the-counter (OTC) Drug Facts labels to indicate that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can increase the chance of a… Continue reading Why You Should Be Concerned About OTC Painkillers
Vitamin B12 May Not Help Everybody
Although taking Vitamin B12 helps older people who have a serious deficiency of the substance, it doesn’t improve neurological or cognitive function in older people with only moderate B12 deficiency, according to a new study. The research, from investigators at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, was published in the American Journal of… Continue reading Vitamin B12 May Not Help Everybody
The Debate About Surgery for Stress Urinary Incontinence
A Cochrane systematic review published in July 2015 makes an important contribution to an ongoing debate about surgery for stress urinary incontinence. The paper will help women make more informed choices about treatment, according to a release from the publisher. Inserting a “mid-urethral sling”, a type of tape, to support the muscles of the bladder… Continue reading The Debate About Surgery for Stress Urinary Incontinence
Toward a Universal Flu Vaccine
Flu vaccines must be given yearly, but there has been no guarantee that the strains against which they protect will be the ones circulating once the season arrives. Now research by Rockefeller University scientists in New York and their colleagues suggests it may be possible to harness a previously unknown mechanism within the immune system… Continue reading Toward a Universal Flu Vaccine
Hospital Hazards That Can Harm Older People
Hospital stays can be risky, especially for older people. For example, many seniors who could walk on their own and care for themselves before entering the hospital lose these abilities during their stay. They may also develop delirium (sudden, intense confusion). As part of the Choosing Wisely series, the American Academy of Nursing has partnered… Continue reading Hospital Hazards That Can Harm Older People
Fighting Mosquito-Borne Viruses
For most of us, mosquito bites are as much a part of summer as backyard barbecues. But bites from these bugs can be more than a mere annoyance. They could make you very sick. The federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) emphasizes that whether you’re staying at home or traveling within the U.S. or abroad,… Continue reading Fighting Mosquito-Borne Viruses
Older Patients and Implantable Defibrillators
Fewer one in 10 heart attack patients over 65 get an implantable defibrillator within a year of their heart attacks, according to a study from Duke Medicine. The most likely reasons for the low rate included advanced age, transitions in care between the hospital and an outpatient clinic, and a mandatory waiting period to… Continue reading Older Patients and Implantable Defibrillators
Patients Email and “Friend” Doctors in Spite of Resistance
A large number of patients use online communication tools such as email and Facebook to engage with their physicians, despite recommendations from some hospitals and professional organizations that clinicians limit email contact with patients and avoid “friending” patients on social media, new research suggests. The findings from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers… Continue reading Patients Email and “Friend” Doctors in Spite of Resistance
Treatment for Stroke Shows Wide Regional Variations
According to a new study, treatment for stroke varies sharply from region to region – and thousands of people a year may end up unnecessarily disabled as a result. In the July issue of the journal Stroke, University of Michigan Medical School researchers report the results of a study that for the first time shows… Continue reading Treatment for Stroke Shows Wide Regional Variations
Potential Danger of “Domestic Surgical Tourism”
Some of the nation’s largest businesses encourage employees to travel to large U.S. medical centers for complex elective surgical procedures. As part of these medical travel programs, companies negotiate lower prices for patients to receive high-quality surgical care at some of the nation’s premier hospitals. However, up to 22 percent of surgical patients experience unexpected… Continue reading Potential Danger of “Domestic Surgical Tourism”
Lack of Coordinated Health Care Means Unnecessary Tests and Procedures
Uncoordinated health care services are linked to higher rates of unnecessary medical tests and procedures among Medicare patients, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins researchers. In the report, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the investigators analyzed 5 percent of Medicare claims using a previously validated set of 19 over-used procedures and a measure… Continue reading Lack of Coordinated Health Care Means Unnecessary Tests and Procedures
Are Some Hospital Patients Kept Longer than Necessary?
Some hospitals may be keeping patients longer than necessary because of the way Medicare determines payment rates, according to a study from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. Medicare pays these facilities – known as long-term hospitals – at a higher rate for patients who stay for at least a certain number of days;… Continue reading Are Some Hospital Patients Kept Longer than Necessary?
Automated Process Paves the Way for Screening, Prevention, and Treatment
A breakthrough in machine learning has also brought about a “game changer” for the science of metabolomics, the study of substances involved in metabolism. A researcher at the University of Alberta in Canada contends that the discovery will hasten the development of diagnostic and predictive tests for Alzheimer’s, cancer, diabetes and numerous other conditions, leading… Continue reading Automated Process Paves the Way for Screening, Prevention, and Treatment
A Computer Program to Help Patients, Doctors and Caregivers
New software for medical records will help provide more personalized care for older patients, according to researchers. A study published in eGEMs, a peer-reviewed online publication recently launched by the Electronic Data Methods Forum, details the enhanced Electronic Medical Record Aging Brain Care Software, an automated decision-support system that enables care coordinators to track the… Continue reading A Computer Program to Help Patients, Doctors and Caregivers
New Guidelines for Making Critical-Care Decisions
Experts have developed guidelines aimed at avoiding conflicts between physicians caring for patients with advanced illness, and the families of those patients. “Neither individual clinicians nor families should be given unchecked authority to determine what treatments will be given to a patient,” explained Douglas White, M.D., M.A.S., UPMC Chair for Ethics in Critical Care Medicine,… Continue reading New Guidelines for Making Critical-Care Decisions
Growth Hormone in Cattle More Dangerous Than Previously Thought
Potentially harmful hormones used in beef production are likely to persist for longer in the environment, and at a higher level, than was previous thought, according to new research. “What we release into the environment is just the starting point for a complex series of chemical reactions that can occur, sometimes with unintended consequences,” said… Continue reading Growth Hormone in Cattle More Dangerous Than Previously Thought