Many patients and caregivers think it’s hard to get information on health-care costs from their doctor, although cost is an important element in health-care decisions, according to new research. The nonprofit organization FAIR Health, which aims to bring greater transparency to health care costs, conducted two separate surveys: one with older adults aged 65 and… Continue reading Some Seniors Skip Health Care Because of Cost
Tag: doctors
Five Ways to Reduce Stroke Risk
Strokes don’t discriminate — they can happen to anyone, at any age. And they don’t stop because of a pandemic. About one in four people worldwide have a stroke — the world’s No. 2 killer and a leading cause of disability. But up to 80% may be prevented. That’s why the American Stroke Association (ASA),… Continue reading Five Ways to Reduce Stroke Risk
Doctors’ Attitude toward A Treatment May Influence Patients’ Reaction to It
When you take medicine, your expectation about how well it will work can affect how much relief you get from your symptoms. This is called the placebo effect. It can even make a treatment that has no biological effect feel like it works because you think it will. And a health care provider’s style interacting… Continue reading Doctors’ Attitude toward A Treatment May Influence Patients’ Reaction to It
The Income Factor in Blood Pressure Treatment
People enrolled in a large clinical hypertension management trial were half as likely to control their blood pressure if they received care at clinics and practices in low-income areas, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association. Participants in a low-income area had a 25% higher chance of dying from any cause… Continue reading The Income Factor in Blood Pressure Treatment
Hypnosis for Health
Have you seen someone get hypnotized? They may have been put in a trance and told to do silly things. But hypnosis can be used for more than just show. It’s also being studied to treat certain health conditions. Medical hypnosis aims to improve health and wellness. It can help relax and focus your mind—and… Continue reading Hypnosis for Health
Football-Related Concussions Much More Common Than Thought Among Kids 5 – 14
Concussions among football players age 5 to 14 are higher than previously reported. Five out of every 100 kids who were monitored suffered a football-related concussion, according to new research. The study, by investigators from Seattle Children’s Research Institute and University of Washington Medicine’s Sports Health and Safety Institute, was published in the Journal of… Continue reading Football-Related Concussions Much More Common Than Thought Among Kids 5 – 14
Public Service Screening Messages Don’t Tell the Whole Story About An Illness
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
Atrial Fibrillation Patients with Cancer Are Less LIkely to See Cardiologists
Atrial fibrillation (AFib) patients with a history of cancer are less likely to see a cardiologist or fill anticoagulant prescriptions, compared with AFib patients who never had cancer, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. By not filling and taking prescribed medication, these patients are potentially putting themselves at… Continue reading Atrial Fibrillation Patients with Cancer Are Less LIkely to See Cardiologists
Patients Want to Know More About The Medicines They’re Taking
Many patients want more information on the medicines they’re prescribed and are concerned about long-term side effects, according to a new study. The research, from the University of Kent, in the UK, is the first major study of the burden of long-term medicine use. Professor Janet Krska and two other researchers at the university’s Medway… Continue reading Patients Want to Know More About The Medicines They’re Taking
How Healthcare Providers Can Keep Patients Safe from The Flu
The summer months are coming to end, school is beginning… which means the flu season is looming and providers must find better tactics to help prevent its spread. While it may feel strange to talk about the flu while it is still warm in much of the country, this is the most important time of… Continue reading How Healthcare Providers Can Keep Patients Safe from The Flu
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
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
4 Tips for Staying Positive on The Road to Breast-Cancer Survival
About one in eight U.S. women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime, according to http://www.breastcancer.org/. The website notes that in 2017 an estimated 252,710 more American women will be diagnosed. October’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month magnifies those alarming statistics. The disease stays center-stage when a celebrity like actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus announces she has breast… Continue reading 4 Tips for Staying Positive on The Road to Breast-Cancer Survival
Physicians, Health Care Workers and Hand Hygiene
Patients who have a new tool to ask physicians about their hand hygiene feel more empowered to do so, researchers say. The tool, a cardboard paddle (similar to a ping-pong racquet), has a question: “Did You Wash Your Hands?”. The study was published in the American Journal of Infection Control, the official journal of the… Continue reading Physicians, Health Care Workers and Hand Hygiene
Physicians’ “Fat Shaming” Can Cause Physical and Mental Harm
“Fat shaming” — making overweight people feel embarrassed or ashamed of their weight — is painful enough when it comes from coworkers, family, friends or social media, but it can be especially harmful in a physician’s office. In fact, medical discrimination based on people’s size and negative stereotypes of overweight people can take a toll… Continue reading Physicians’ “Fat Shaming” Can Cause Physical and Mental Harm
Long-Distance Caregiving: What You Need to Know
Long distance caregiving can be complicated and difficult. These strategies, from the National Institute on Aging, offer a list of things to remember: Know What You Need to Know Experienced caregivers recommend that you learn as much as you can about your family member or friend’s illness, medicines, and resources that might be available. Information… Continue reading Long-Distance Caregiving: What You Need to Know
One Patient’s Health Crisis Can Negatively Affect Others
Hospital patients can suffer negative health effects if a person in their unit has a crisis such as being transferred to an intensive-care unit, according to new research by University of Chicago physicians. The effect was described in a research letter published in JAMA. The researchers found that when one patient on a typical 20-bed… Continue reading One Patient’s Health Crisis Can Negatively Affect Others