"The R.O.A.D. to happiness lies in radiology, ophthalmology, anesthesiology, and dermatology."
A quote taken from a wonderful article from US News and World Report detailing the realities of medicine in the 21st century (via SoloDoc).
The USPSTF released a new recommendation regarding screening for AAA
The USPSTF recommends one-time screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) by ultrasonography in men aged 65 to 75 who have ever smoked.
Rating: B Recommendation.
Rationale: The USPSTF found good evidence that screening for AAA and surgical repair of large AAAs (5.5 cm or more) in men aged 65 to 75 who have ever ...
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Is Celebrex safe or not?
Many mixed messages. The "smoking gun" was thought to be found with the study unearthed by the Public Citizen Health Research Group:
Wolfe thinks he found that second study--and it was conducted six years ago. In a letter sent to the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Wolfe outlined a statistical analysis he had done of a ...
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The stress of returning to work on a Monday morning can trigger a dangerous increase in blood pressure
"It may explain why deaths from heart attacks and strokes tend to peak on a Monday morning.
There are 20% more heart attacks on Mondays than on any other day."
NEJM with a medical mystery
"A male infant was born at 38 weeks and 1 day of gestation with a weight of 3430 g. When the child was five months old, his mother noticed an unusual weight gain and a rash. He was referred for medical treatment at seven months of age. His weight was 8450 g, and his blood pressure was elevated, at 114/52 mm Hg. What is ...
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There really shouldn't be any circumstance where chaperones aren't used during intimate examinations
Nonphysicians eager to prescribe medication
"'A person who is not a physician ought to be able to practice within their training,' Dr. Nelson said. 'If they want to increase their scope, they should do it through education, not legislation.'"
Agreed. If you want to prescribe medication, go to medical school. Or get a DO, NP, or PA degree. People should adapt to the system instead ...
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North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard M. Burr favors reforms in the legal system to rein in medical malpractice lawsuits, which he blames for the inflation in medical costs
I much prefer his stance than that of the man he replaced, John Edwards.
Proof that tort reform works
"Because of tort reform, malpractice lawsuits no longer can be counted on to police the profession.
In Harris County, the numbers of medical malpractice lawsuits have dropped precipitously since October 2003, when limits on non-economic damages (awards for "pain and suffering") went into effect.
For the previous eight years, the number of malpractice suits averaged in the high 400s. In 2003, they spiked ...
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Kaiser bans painkiller Bextra
"It is the first time the nation's largest HMO has refused to dispense a drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration."
I wonder when Celebrex will be next.
Chris Rangel opines on how marketing worsened the Vioxx debacle
However, because of the heavy direct to consumer advertising by Pfizer and Merck a huge number of patients came to their doctors asking for these drugs even if they needed only short term treatment for aches and pains and had no history of and no increased risks for gastrointestinal side effects. If anything, direct to consumer advertising proved that it ...
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Blogborygmi talks about the computer glitch that caused the urology match to be re-run
Urology happens to be one of the harder specialties to match in. I wonder how many dreams were shattered by this.
CodeBlueBlog calls Canadian health care consumers morons
". . . when people are not responsible for their health care they become health care morons. You see, if someone else pays the bills then one doesn't comparison shop, and one doesn't compare results. One doesn't get educated. You stay stupid."
Bill Frist writes about a utopian future of medicine in ten years
"I would like you to meet a patient from the year 2015. He lives in a world in which years ago America's leaders made tough but wise decisions. They built on the best aspects of American health care and unleashed the creative power of the competitively driven marketplace. These changes resulted in dramatic improvements to the U.S. ...
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The New Yorker writes about Merck and Vioxx
"While that kind of weighing of risk and benefit may be medically rational, in the legal arena itÂ’s poison." (via PointofLaw.com)
"A comprehensive and extremely useful roadmap for doctors."
-Eric Topol, MD, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine
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Past 6 Months
Dear lawmakers: This is what it’s like to be a doctor today
Matthew Moeller, MD | PhysicianA gun owner responds to Sandy Hook
Edwin Leap, MD | PhysicianIs Chris Christie too obese to run for president?
Jeffrey Parks, MD | PhysicianIf I’m wrong about guns, can you please explain why?
Claire McCarthy, MD | PhysicianPrimary care doctors may no longer be needed
Doug Olson, MD | PhysicianWalgreens moves into primary care, and it’s our own damn fault
Kevin Pho, MD | Kevin's Take