Hopefully, by now, people are realizing that more is not necessarily better. A new study reported at the American Heart Association 2009 Scientific Sessions showed that patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) receive large doses of ionizing radiation per hospital admission.They looked at patients treated at 55 academic hospitals and found, on average, each patient received seven studies per AMI admission. The studies included chest X-rays, chest CT, head CT, ...
December 2009
All Stories
How women can benefit from oral contraceptive pills
Originally posted in MedPage Todayby Nancy Walsh, MedPage Today Contributing WriterHormonal contraceptives have a variety of noncontraceptive uses, ranging from common problems such as dysmenorrhea to severe conditions such as premenstrual dysphoric disorder, according to a new practice bulletin from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).
"Combined hormonal contraceptives can correct menstrual irregularities resulting from oligo-ovulation or anovulation and ...
Why patients should be careful of celebrity medical advice
More celebrities are giving medical advice these days.Rahul Parikh explores the phenomenon in a recent piece from Slate, citing Lance Armstrong, Suzanne Somers, and Jenny McCarthy, among others.But does their celebrity make them an authority in a given medical issue? Unfortunately, too many people think so, as following celebrity medical advice can be dangerous
Their messages have led some doctors and patients to make inappropriate health decisions, at times increasing ...
How to tell a family that their loved one has died
by Tim NoonanWhen a team misses out on an opportunity to go to the Super Bowl, World Series, Final Four, or something similarly trivial, these words may be appropriate. When the person, who has been the center of your life dies, what is more insensitive than, We're sorry for your loss?What kind of language is that to use when providing some of the worst news we could imagine? True, we ...
Why are women refusing an MRI to screen for breast cancer?
Originally published in MedPage Todayby Crystal Phend, MedPage Today Senior Staff WriterMany women at elevated breast cancer risk may refuse MRI as part of their screening program, largely because of fear and inconvenience, researchers found. Among eligible women with dense breasts who were at intermediate to high risk for breast cancer, 42.1% refused additional MRI screening as part of a ...
Why healthy patients refuse drugs that reduce the risk of cancer
Would you take a pill every day to reduce the risk of breast cancer?That's a question Tara Parker-Pope asks in a recent blog entry. Referring to Tamoxifen, a drug that's been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer in high-risk women, she notes that a substantial number said they wouldn't take the drug after hearing about the side effects:
Just 6 percent said they would consider it after ...
How to find the best cancer specialist for you
by Dana GriffenReceiving a cancer diagnosis is an upsetting experience for the patient, as well as his or her family and friends. Cancer patients are thrust into a new world with new language and new rules. Knowing where to turn and who you can trust is a huge concern.One of the first things a cancer patient will discover is that he or she will not be treated by only one ...
A cockpit checklist to improve patient safety
Originally published in MedPage Todayby Chris Emery, MedPage Today Contributing WriterMedical teams should take a lesson from airplane crews, a new study concludes. Medical personnel who used procedural checklists modeled after preflight checklists used by airplane crews were more likely to report safety-related incidents and feel empowered to address safety issues, according to an online report in the Dec. 21 ...
Radiation from CT scans increases the risk of cancer
One of the best ways to combat unnecessary tests is to truthfully expose their risks and complications.Patients can only make an informed decision after such a discussion with their physicians, and too often, the media ignores publicizing risk. If, for instance, more airtime was spent discussing the risks of breast cancer screening, the outcry wouldn't have been as great.Perhaps that's changing.The Archives of Internal Medicine recently released a study ...
Smoking related diseases are the number one cause of death in African-Americans
Lawrence Jones started smoking Kool Menthols when he was playing Rhythm and Blues in the ‘70s, as a way of fitting in with his bandmates and the in crowd at the clubs where he played.The band broke up after a few years, but the cigarettes remained. Instead of being a way to look sophisticated, smoking became a means for Jones to relax and, he says, to feel he was “in ...
When should chemotherapy be given to treat breast cancer?
Originally posted in InsidermedicineGiving breast cancer patients chemotherapy before hormone-suppressing therapy with tamoxifen may improve their prognosis, but only if they are at high risk for a cancer recurrence, according to research published in The Lancet.classid='clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000' codebase='http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=7,0,0,0' WIDTH='385' HEIGHT='239' id='play_continuous_flvs'>
Poll: The biggest obstacle to cutting health care spending
Health economists estimate that 30 percent of annual health care spending is wasted money. That 30 percent translates to 700 billion dollars.Why is cutting health care costs such a challenge?Both Congress and the public are unwilling to admit that reducing health care is the only meaningful way to cut spending. Patients bristle at the suggestion of reduced access to an available test. This is partly due to the pervading ...
Follow KevinMD on Twitter and Facebook, or read my opinion pieces
The blog will be on hiatus until Monday, December 28th.In the meantime, I invite you to explore KevinMD.com on Twitter and Facebook, along with Google Friend Connect.
Don't forget that the blog is also optimized for use in your mobile browser.Still not enough?Here's my collection of published opinion pieces, for your ...
Issues surrounding videotaping surgeries in the operating room
The rapid advance in digital video and still camera technology has found its way into the operating room.There is the potential to capture and record just about every minute of every surgical procedure in some way. The newest endoscopic camera systems and operating microscopes have integrated systems to record video footage. Storing all that data is just the press of a button away.The advantages for surgeons are obvious, like the ...
A review of the latest stroke studies
Originally published in HCPLive.comby Victor G. Dostrow, MDThere are some recent developments in the world of stroke, which are interesting:
The first manuscript is an evaluation of stroke risk and the "stroke belt" (North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, or Alabama).The authors evaluated stroke risk measured over three decade census intervals for persons aged 30 to 80, ...
How constant H1N1 breaking news updates may be going too far
Originally posted in MedPage TodayShe is 11, a fifth grader, as prepubescent as nature allows, and utterly terrified. She hasn't eaten normally for nearly a month, her mother reports. She sleeps poorly, reports nightmares, and cleans her hands so obsessively that she is literally bleeding raw.Her fifth grade peer group typically does not guard its language nor govern its remarks, ...
The hidden problem when patients e-mail their doctor
The number of physicians adopting e-mail has been distressingly low.That's a stark fact, especially when you consider that other industries have moved on from e-mail, using more instant forms of communication, like Twitter and other social networking tools.There are a number of reasons, which have been discussed here in the past. They range from a lack of financial incentives for doctors to e-mail their patients to the bureaucracy ...
10 ways patients can save on health care costs
It’s beginning to look like health care consumers are going to have to take lowering health care into their own hands since no answers are coming down from above.Here are ten tips for lowering your costs.One, encourage your employer to offer a health savings account with a high deductible. Encourage the employer to pay half the deductible. Your premiums will be much lower, and your employer will save up to ...
How doctors can afford to have a vacation
Originally published in HCPLive.comby Jeff Brown, MDNow this is a fun topic. I've always liked writing, "For a vacation" on a script pad for those stressed out patients who need to go on one. Even a weekend away, or in this economy, a "staycation." It's good for the soul. And it's a good use of medical authority to help your patients.
How medication mistakes happen in the hospital
Originally published in MedPage Todayby Katrina Woznicki, MedPage Today Contributing WriterHospitalized patients were often clueless when asked about their medications, with almost all of them unable to name all their medications and many leaving out as many as a half-dozen drugs they have been prescribed, according to a small survey of patients in a Colorado hospital. Ninety-six percent of the ...
Kevin Pho, MD
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Why more primary care doctors are referring patients to specialists
According to a recent study from the Archives of Internal Medicine, primary care physicians are referring more patients to specialists than ever...
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Should Google censor anti-vaccine claims?
One of the reasons there is such a movement against vaccines is the democratization of information, perpetuated by search engines like Google....
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Radiologists who cheat on their board exams: Who’s to blame?
In a widely circulated CNN article, many radiologists have been found to cheat on their board exams: "Doctors around the country taking an...
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Doctors: Don’t be ashamed about going bankrupt
Are doctors really going broke? According to this piece from CNN Money, some are: "Doctors list shrinking insurance reimbursements, changing regulations, rising...
Physician
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Patients will understand an honest mistake if the doctor tells the truth
It was 1976 and I was a junior resident in urology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. I was assigned...
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Diagnosing an illness is an art
Diagnosis is the foundation on which all care and treatments rest. If the diagnosis is wrong, most probably so is the treatment. ...
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Physicians have a natural role as advocates
As physicians, we are often called upon to be advocates for our patients. Sometimes they have no other person to turn to....
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Our society expends huge sums on futile care
Mike was a runner, outdoors-man, and fitness nut. This was not so much as for health reasons as for "feeling good", but...
Patient
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How will the Baby Boomers age and die?
I love listening to life stories. As a hospice chaplain, I loved sitting with our patients and their loved ones engaging in...
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Patient engagement is the holy grail of health care
For health care professionals, patient engagement is the holy grail of health care. It is the key to patient adherence – a...
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Why do doctors delay hospice referrals?
This is a response to Deb Discenza's article requesting a one page informational sheet informing a patient about hospice or palliative care. This would...
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How touch can calm patients
So, Megen at Not Nurse Ratched wrote post recently about therapeutic presence. The following passage really caught my attention: "Question is: are...
Policy
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A lack of incentive for medical schools to train primary care doctors
A social media movement is happening before our eyes with action starting to take shape. The #occupyhealthcare movement has begun within to...
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What should be the stated aim of health care in America?
The triple aim of health care, as defined by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is: improving the experience of care, bettering...
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How Moneyball applies to healthcare
The storyline is familiar. An organization is challenged to achieve better results without spending more money. An executive is committed to obtaining...
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The problem of insurance gaps in cancer patients
Why are cancer organizations waiting until it starts to rain before they suggest buying an umbrella? “Join my Medicare Advantage plan and...
Tech
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Repetition is the curse of the doctor-patient engagement
How many times as a doctor do you ask the same questions over and over again as part of the routine process...
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Why the prognosis of patients is difficult
Many clinical decisions in older persons are dependent on life expectancy. For example, as life expectancy declines, cancer screening is likely to...
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Innovative technologies can markedly enhance safety
“To Err Is Human” is the title of the now famous book from the Institute of Medicine on patient safety published about...
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Google knows more about certain diseases than physicians ever will
Professor Gunter Dueck, is a calm and eloquent german mathematician who’s also the CTO of IBM Germany. He studied mathematics and philosophy...
Social Media
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The Internet is where patients go for pre-visit consultations
As a physician, technology cannot replace you, but it can make you more efficient and effective. This was the message from Richard...
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5 ways doctors can benefit from professional connections
Looking ahead to the next several months, I’ve found myself frequently wondering how many physicians will make this their year to take...
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Twitter Is my third office location
The physician’s decision to first dive into social media can be stress-inducing. Issues of time management, maintaining professionalism, and determining a return...
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The impact of social media on a physician assistant
The impact of social media on medicine could arguably be compared to the impact of the industrial revolution on the human condition....
