Recent data suggests that over 60 percent of American patients consult the web first before going to a doctor.That's all good, and even encouraged, but trouble comes when they feel that online health information can replace physician advice.Bryan Vartabedian talks about these so-called "amateur physicians," and how they think they know more than they actually do. There is a danger of knowing too much information, and being unable ...
December 2009
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iPhone medical apps can be improved by Google Android
by Felasfa Wodajo, MDIn a recent post, entitled, Why doctors should choose Google Android over the iPhone for medical apps, the author seems to have gone out out of his way to make a series of increasingly hyperbolic arguments declaring Motorola Droid superior to the iPhone.
The long trail of negative comments on the site demonstrate that perhaps not all readers were ...
Specialists should staff the patient centered medical homes, not primary care doctors
Originally published in HCPLive.comby Alan Berkenwald, MDThe approaching fire storm over the “patient-centered medical home” model reminds me of the destructive powers seen before in HMOs. Once seemingly destined to revolutionize organized medicine, the HMO model nearly destroyed it.
We can learn from past failures. We need to promote best-practice models and make physicians accountable for their actions, both physiologically ...
Tamiflu kills babies, and other H1N1 flu pandemic misconceptions
Originally published in MedPage Todayby Todd Neale, MedPage Today Staff WriterAs one of the two MedPage Today writers on full-time H1N1 duty since the beginning of the outbreak in April, I feel like I know the issues well enough to help clear up misconceptions when they come up in conversation.
The other day, just such a situation presented itself. An ...
Why electronic medical records won’t improve patient care or cut costs
Have electronic medical records made a difference in patient care?According to a study looking at digital medical record adoption of 3,000 hospitals, electronic records have made little difference in cost or quality of care.That's discouraging, considering that the government is investing billions of dollars into the technology.Very few physicians use electronic record systems effectively. For instance, many are simply scanning paper records into a computer, which provides minimal ...
Pharma, evidence, and trust
by David Rind, MDA number of the other blogs that have noted the existence of this blog seem to have "Pharma" in their titles in one way or another, and the implication is not that the blogger likes much about Big Pharma.In the late 1990s, when I was spending much of my clinical time providing HIV care, I was a defender of Pharma on Usenet, at least as it related ...
Seeing floaters or flashing lights can be caused by posterior vitreous or retinal detachment
Originally posted in InsidermedicineThe eye is very similar to a camera. Both are optical systems that have lenses in the front to focus light rays onto a film. The retina is the eye’s film. It is a tissue that consists of 10 layers and is about 500 microns thick—or, half a millimeter. The main function of the retina is to trap light rays, convert them into electrical impulses, and ...
iPhone radiology app to diagnose appendicitis
Originally published in MedPage Todayby Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today Staff WriterFor years, the pager and cell phone have summoned on-call radiologists to the emergency room. Now this leap in technology: an iPhone App that lets radiologists diagnose a patient remotely, wherever they may be. Using a $20 iPhone application called OsiriX, radiologists made correct diagnoses of appendicitis in 124 of ...
Should patients talk with their doctors using social media?
As both patients and doctors find themselves increasingly on Twitter and Facebook, more are wondering whether they should be talking to one another using social networking outlets.This issue has come up before, most recently when the New England Journal of Medicine asked whether doctors should friend their patients on Facebook.Pediatrician Bryan Vartabedian looks further at the issue, and sees it fraught with potential risk.He points out that sharing ...
ACP: Teasing out science, politics, and emotion about the mammography guidelines
The following is part of a series of original guest columns by the American College of Physicians. by Steven Weinberger, MD, FACP
It is difficult to find a medical guideline that has garnered so much press and controversy as the recent recommendations about breast cancer screening developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and published in Annals ...
How salt is associated with stroke and heart disease risk
Originally published in InsidermedicineSodium intake has a direct and independent impact on the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease, according to a meta-analysis published online ahead of print in the British Medical Journal.id="play_continuous_flvs" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="385" height="239" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0">
Medical student needlestick injuries
Originally posted in MedPage Todayby Kristina Fiore, MedPage Today Staff WriterMedical students are frequently stuck by needles, and few report their accidents, researchers say. In a survey, about 60% of surgery residents reported being stuck with a needle while they were in medical school, Martin A. Makary, MD, MPH, of Johns Hopkins, and colleagues reported in the December issue of ...
Failing to address poverty and homelessness may undermine health reform
Will the billions we're thinking of spending on health care reform matter if we don't address poverty and homelessness?Surgeon Amina Merchant has her doubts in a Washington Post opinion piece. She observes something that's rarely mentioned, namely, that some patients abuse the health system to their benefit:
"I am suicidal with a plan," they say. People know that that phrase is a key to the psychiatric ward. After it ...
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....
