The public service messages we see about getting screened for illness are very effective – maybe too much so for some people. A new study found that 29 percent of veterans who underwent recommended screening colonoscopies were uncomfortable with the idea of stopping these screenings even when the benefit was expected to be low for… Continue reading Public Service Screening Messages Don’t Tell the Whole Story About An Illness
Category: Medical Procedures
Some Dementia-Test Results May Be Biased
Quick tests known as “brief cognitive assessments” help doctors decide whether a patient should be given a full evaluation for dementia. But the results can be misleading. Three tests examined in the study were the Mini-Mental Stats Examination, which analyzes orientation to time and place and the ability to remember words; the Memory Impairment Screen,… Continue reading Some Dementia-Test Results May Be Biased
An Eye Test for Alzheimer’s
Until now, it has been difficult to diagnose Alzheimer’s. But researchers have come up with an imaging device that can see signs of the illness within seconds. The non-invasive device reveals that small blood vessels in the back of the eye are altered in patients with Alzheimer’s. The same is true for patients who have… Continue reading An Eye Test for Alzheimer’s
The Risky Business of Medical Procedures
How cautious are you in deciding on a medical treatment? In exploring that question, a team of European researchers found that people underestimate the risks of treatments ranging from minor drugs to major and overestimate the benefits. Published in the journal Risk Analysis, the study of 376 adults was led by Professor Yaniv Hanoch from… Continue reading The Risky Business of Medical Procedures
A Tale of Two Vaccines
The new shingles vaccine is much better than the old one – but it’s more painful as well. Canadian researchers analyzed 27 clinical studies involving two million patients age 50 or older and found that the new vaccine, Shingrix, was 85 percent more effective in reducing cases of shingles. The research was published by The… Continue reading A Tale of Two Vaccines
Are You Physically and Mentally A Good Candidate for Plastic Surgery?
In 2009, then-Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, signed the Donda West Plastic Surgery Law, requiring health checks be conducted prior to all major plastic surgery procedures in the state. This was following the death of rapper Kanye West’s mother. It was later determined that her heart attack was spawned by a combination of numerous postoperative… Continue reading Are You Physically and Mentally A Good Candidate for Plastic Surgery?
How Safe Are Electronic Health Records?
Four years after publication by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), voluntary guidelines designed to increase the safety of e-health records have yet to be implemented fully, according to a new survey. The findings appeared recently in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association. “Less than 20 percent of… Continue reading How Safe Are Electronic Health Records?
The Most Common Shoulder Surgery Is No Better than A Placebo
Researchers have found that one of the most common shoulder operations – shoulder impingement surgery – has no more benefit than placebo surgery. Shoulder impingement occurs when muscles become inflamed, causing weakness and limitation in movement. In a follow-up two years after the newest study, known as the Finnish Shoulder Impingement Arthroscopy Controlled Trial (FIMPACT),… Continue reading The Most Common Shoulder Surgery Is No Better than A Placebo
Vaccines to Get if You’re Over 50
Do you think that immunizations are strictly kid stuff? Think again: While you likely got plenty of “shots” as a child, you need more after age 50. Advancing age can render you more susceptible to certain illnesses, making it necessary to get inoculated against them. In other cases, the immunity gained from a long-ago vaccine… Continue reading Vaccines to Get if You’re Over 50
Patients and Doctors Don’t See Post-Surgical Scars The Same Way
When it comes to post-surgical scarring, patients and doctors sometimes don’t see eye to eye. Researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found patients and physicians disagreed in their scar evaluations 28 percent of the time. Patients were likelier to focus on the depth of the scar, according to a… Continue reading Patients and Doctors Don’t See Post-Surgical Scars The Same Way
Ophthalmologists and Electronic Health Records
Although ophthalmologists’ use of electronic health records (EHR) systems for storing and accessing patients’ medical histories more than doubled between 2006 and 2016, their perceptions of financial and clinical productivity following EHR implementation declined, according to new research. The study was published in JAMA Ophthalmology. “Our findings highlight the fact that companies that design EHR… Continue reading Ophthalmologists and Electronic Health Records
Opioid-Free Anesthesia Decreases Post-Surgery Nausea
The use of opioid alternatives in general anesthesia is safe, effective and substantially decreases post-operative nausea, according to research presented at the 2017 annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Using those alternatives is part of an effort by TEAMHealth Anesthesia at Select Physicians Surgery Center in Tampa, Florida to reduce the use of… Continue reading Opioid-Free Anesthesia Decreases Post-Surgery Nausea
The Cancer Treatment that Causes Malignant Cells to Self-Destruct
Researchers have discovered a compound that causes cancer cells to “commit suicide” –and leave healthy cells alone. The compound, found by investigators at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, was described in the Oct. 9, 2017 issue of Cancer Cell. In experiments, it was directed against acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells but may also have potential… Continue reading The Cancer Treatment that Causes Malignant Cells to Self-Destruct
Post-Surgery: Getting Your Mojo Back
The body’s reaction to surgery depends on many factors, including the type and location of the surgery, the aftereffects of anesthesia, and the patient’s overall health. Beyond the variation from person to person, all surgery is trauma to the body – the entire body – and induces a common and predictable response beyond the immediate… Continue reading Post-Surgery: Getting Your Mojo Back
MRIs Are Safe for Patients with Wide Variety of Pacemakers, Defibrillators: Study
Patients who have cardiac implantable electronic devices can safely undergo magnetic resonance imaging, even for chest imaging, according to a new study. In the past, MRIs have been considered dangerous for people who have the devices. However, the new study, “Real World MRI Experience with Non-Conditional and Conditional Cardiac Rhythm Devices After MagnaSafe,” published in… Continue reading MRIs Are Safe for Patients with Wide Variety of Pacemakers, Defibrillators: Study
Whooping Cough and The Failure of Some Vaccines
The startling global resurgence of pertussis, or whooping cough, in recent years can largely be attributed to the immunological failures of some vaccines, Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researchers argue in a new journal article. The article, published in F1000 Research, points to the differences in mucosal immunity between whole-cell pertussis (wP) vaccines… Continue reading Whooping Cough and The Failure of Some Vaccines
Hospitals Working to Reduce Unnecessary Blood Transfusions
Unnecessary blood transfusions are often a drain on hospital resources and finances. But now a five-year “blood management program” could change all that. Researchers who developed the program at the Johns Hopkins Health System found that the program resulted in an annual cost saving of $2 million, while improving patient care. A summary of the… Continue reading Hospitals Working to Reduce Unnecessary Blood Transfusions
Study: Nursing-Home Workers Don’t Change Gloves Often Enough
Certified nursing assistants often fail to change gloves, and that careless practice may be a significant cause of the spread of pathogens in long-term care settings such as nursing homes. That’s according to a new study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the journal of the Association for Professionals… Continue reading Study: Nursing-Home Workers Don’t Change Gloves Often Enough