A team of physicians and computer scientists at the University of California – San Diego and University of California – Davis has shown that it is easy to modify medical test results remotely by attacking the connection between hospital laboratory devices and medical record systems. A release from the UC San Diego notes that these… Continue reading How Unsecured Medical Record Systems and Medical Devices Put Patient Lives at Risk
Category: Medical Care
Drugs for Heart Failure Are Still Under-Prescribed, Years After Initial Study
A 2018 UCLA-led study found that many people with heart failure do not receive the medications recommended for them under guidelines set by the American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association and Heart Failure Society of America. The study appeared in the July 24th issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. A… Continue reading Drugs for Heart Failure Are Still Under-Prescribed, Years After Initial Study
End-of-Life Conversations with Non-Clinical Workers Bring Patient Satisfaction
Patients with advanced cancer who spoke with a trained nonclinical worker about personal care goals were more likely to subsequently talk with doctors about their preferences, report higher satisfaction with their care and incur lower health costs in their final month of life, Stanford University School of Medicine researchers report. The findings, from a pilot… Continue reading End-of-Life Conversations with Non-Clinical Workers Bring Patient Satisfaction
When Doctors Get “Nudged,” Lifesaving Prescription Rates Go Up
Doctors who were “nudged” by an online patient dashboard to think about prescribing lifesaving statins tripled their prescription rates, according to a clinical trial led by Penn Medicine researchers. Cholesterol-lowering statins such as atorvastatin and simvastatin are known to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and associated deaths, and are relatively inexpensive with minor side effects. Yet… Continue reading When Doctors Get “Nudged,” Lifesaving Prescription Rates Go Up
Is Your Doctor Listening?
Analysis of clinical encounters shows that doctors spend little time listening to their patients and interrupt them often, according to a study published by Springer in July 2018 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, the official journal of the Society of General Internal Medicine. On average, patients get about 11 seconds to explain the… Continue reading Is Your Doctor Listening?
5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Time at The Doctor’s Office
For most of us, a visit to the doctor is a stressful event. And that anxiety can lead you to forget the most important points you need to make. Here, from the experts at the National Institute on Aging (NIA), are some strategies to make your visit as productive as possible. Be Honest It’s tempting… Continue reading 5 Ways to Make the Most of Your Time at The Doctor’s Office
The Importance of Getting a Second Opinion
People always hear about getting a second opinion. Many people even threaten to “get a second opinion”, but never do, although, when they do, at least one study suggests, they often get a differing opinion. A 2005 Gallup Poll that surveyed 5,000 Americans found that about half reported “never” seeking a second opinion and only 3 percent… Continue reading The Importance of Getting a Second Opinion
Essential Oils on Medical Devices Could Prevent Bacterial Infections
Scientists at James Cook University in Australia have discovered a technique to apply natural plant extracts such as Tea Tree Oil as a coating for medical devices, a process which could prevent millions of infections every year. Professor Mohan Jacob, Head of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at JCU, leads a team investigating the problem. He… Continue reading Essential Oils on Medical Devices Could Prevent Bacterial Infections
Reducing Delirium in Older Patients After Surgery
A drug that reduces delirium in postoperative patients may work by preventing the overactivity of certain receptors in brain cells, according to a new study published in June 2018 in the Online First edition of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). The researchers say the findings could lead to… Continue reading Reducing Delirium in Older Patients After Surgery
Physicians’ Group Calls for Policies that Better Support Women’s Health
The American College of Physicians (ACP) is calling for health-care policies that better support the challenges women face in the U.S. health care system. The organization’s position paper, “Women’s Health Policy,” is published in Annals of Internal Medicine. According to a news release from the ACP and the Annals of Internal Medicine, the paper addresses a… Continue reading Physicians’ Group Calls for Policies that Better Support Women’s Health
Electronic Health Records Need Social-Media Upgrade
Although electronic health record (EHR) systems were once seen as a technological advance, an analysis shows they have increased rather than decreased physicians’ workload, contributed to physicians’ burnout and resulted in little improvement to health care quality. To remedy those failings, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine called for a basic change:… Continue reading Electronic Health Records Need Social-Media Upgrade
Emergency Treatment by Older Surgeons Linked to Slightly Lower Death Rates
Patients undergoing emergency surgery who are treated by older surgeons (aged 60 or over) have slightly lower death rates in the first few weeks after their operation than patients treated by younger surgeons (aged less than 40) within the same hospital, finds US study published by The BMJ on April 25th, 2018. A release from… Continue reading Emergency Treatment by Older Surgeons Linked to Slightly Lower Death Rates
Medical Marijuana Gets a Cautious Welcome from Older Adults
Few older adults use medical marijuana, a new national poll done by the University of Michigan has shown, but the majority support its use if a doctor recommends it, and might talk to their own doctor about it if they developed a serious health condition. A release from the university notes that four out five… Continue reading Medical Marijuana Gets a Cautious Welcome from Older Adults
New Guidance for Safe Opioid Prescription for Hospitalized Patients with Acute Pain
For hospitalized patients, pain is an all-too-common part of the experience. Among U.S. patients who have not undergone surgery, more than half receive at least one dose of an opioid for acute pain during their stay. Even as current research demonstrates that hospitalized patients’ exposure to opioids has contributed to the nationwide addiction epidemic,… Continue reading New Guidance for Safe Opioid Prescription for Hospitalized Patients with Acute Pain
Researchers Say Use of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Raises Ethical Questions
Artificial intelligence is hard at work crunching health data to improve diagnostics and help doctors make better decisions for their patients. But researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine say the furious pace of growth in the development of machine-learning tools calls for physicians and scientists to carefully examine the ethical risks of incorporating… Continue reading Researchers Say Use of Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Raises Ethical Questions
More Isn’t Always Better When It Comes to Health Care, Older Americans Say
Doctors and older patients may disagree more often than either of them suspects about whether a particular medical test or medicine is truly necessary, according to findings from a 2018 poll of Americans over age 50, the National Poll on Healthy Aging done by the University of Michigan. A release from U of M notes… Continue reading More Isn’t Always Better When It Comes to Health Care, Older Americans Say
When Doctors Dismiss Your Symptoms
It’s extremely upsetting when doctors are dismissive of your symptoms or devalue your perceptions about your own health. But the worst thing that happens when doctors don’t take you seriously is that real medical problems often get misdiagnosed and go untreated. And if you are a parent trying to advocate for your sick child, it… Continue reading When Doctors Dismiss Your Symptoms
Long-Term Acute Care Facilities Not Always the Best Choice
For older adults recovering from hospitalization for a severe, complex illness, there may be other, less expensive options besides long-term acute care (LTAC) facilities, researchers say. Only about half of older adults are transferred to LTACs for reasons related to the severity or complexity of their illnesses. For the other half, hospital preferences and regional… Continue reading Long-Term Acute Care Facilities Not Always the Best Choice