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Heard Around The Blogosphere: 2.22.09

greysharkI thought I’d highlight some interesting posts written by my peers this week. Keep up the great blogging, everyone!

Healthcare Policy

This is what happens when you begin the process of bailing out key stakeholders in our economy:  h/t Happy Hospitalist

Britain’s NHS has hired teams of bureaucrats whose sole purpose is to enforce health coverage denials. Dr. Crippen also notes that the NHS will cover sex change operations, but not ear repair from piercings.

The number of Americans without health insurance is increasing by 14,000/day. H/t Shadow Fax.

Just Plain Gross

Thanks to Medgadget for featuring a story on grey nurse sharks. Apparently their young, while still in the womb, cannibalize each other until only one is left in the uterus. They even linked to a video of fetal sharks devouring one another. Eww!

Bad Science Of The Week

Thanks to Mark Hoofnagle for deconstructing the laughable PLoS article suggesting that cell phone exposure increases migraine risk but decreases Alzheimer’s and epilepsy risk. The study was a statistical fishing expedition that proposes random cause and effect.

Good Doctor

Dr. Theresa Chan coaxed a 90 year old man out of somnolent delirium by singing to him.

“Bad Doctor”

By not caving in to a 16 year old’s request for a medical excuse from school or admitting a patient to the hospital for walker training and observation, this doctor won no brownie points with his patients.

Funny Patient

Nurse Gina witnesses a post-op patient give a doctor a math lesson.

Tragedy

A physician mother struggles with the immanent death of her 4-year-old with brain cancer.

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