August 2nd, 2010 by RyanDuBosar in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Research
Tags: ACP Internist, AHA, American College Of Physicians, American Hospital Association, Case Managers, Center For Connected Health, Electronic Medical Record, EMR, General Medicine, Human Touch, Medical Technology, Most Wired Hospitals, Preventive Health, remote monitoring, Telemedicine, Vital Signs, Wall Street Journal, Wireless Connections
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Monitoring vital signs remotely saves time and money for everyone: patients, physicians, facilities and insurers. Heart failure is a particular target because its increasingly common, its easily triggered (by as little as too much salt on food, for example), it costs so much to manage in the hospital, and it’s so easily avoided.
Remote monitoring equipment made even easier with wireless connections can take vital signs, and even ask standard questions every morning. The equipment puts patients in contact with nurses once they detect warning signs. That human touch is key. Case managers can screen out false alarms (avoiding alert fatigue) and can direct patients to the physician when needed. ACP Internist covered remote monitoring technology in its March issue. (Wall Street Journal, ACP Internist) Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
August 1st, 2010 by John Mandrola, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Challenge Yourself, Comfort Zone, COURAGE, General Medicine, Life Choice, Life Is Short, Life's Exams, Mental Health, Psychology, Self Esteem, Self-Motivation, Taking Tests, Taking Tests In Life, Test Your Limits, To Test Yourself Or Not, Voluntarily
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Do you remember the visceral sensations of angst over an upcoming final exam? Or the first procedure as an independent doctor? A major presentation, perhaps?
Life’s exams test not only specific knowledge and skill, but one’s self esteem as well. And it’s the self esteem portion that creates the stomach churn, the palpitations, and the random thoughts of doom.
The future lurks over you for weeks, like a weighty backpack, or the possibility of encountering the bully on your walk home from elementary school. (For my bony self, her name was Marilyn.) Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr John M*
August 1st, 2010 by DrRob in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: A Doctor's Feelings, Abnormal Kids, Autism, Autistic Children, Caring For Disabled Patients, Disabilities, Disabled Kids, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Internal Medicine, Normal Children, Pediatrics, Pity, Primary Care, Treating Autistic Kids
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I’ve been practicing for sixteen years now, doing both internal medicine and pediatrics. One of the joys of that is watching kids under my care grow up and not having to give up their care just because they get older. The spectrum is wide, with some kids growing up in “normal” families with “normal lives,” others in “abnormal” families, and yet others with inherently “abnormal” lives due to illness or disability.
But the kids aren’t the only thing that has changed over the past sixteen years. Their doctor has changed as well. My comfort zones have widened, not getting rattled by “abnormal” as I once did. I used to feel uncomfortable with the mentally and emotionally disabled, now I am not. I used to feel sorry for parents with “abnormal” children. I used to feel bad for kids who were “abnormal.” I still do now, but not nearly as much. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Musings of a Distractible Mind*
August 1st, 2010 by Steve Novella, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Alcohol, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Appetite Control, Calorie Density, Calorie-Dense Foods, Cessation of Smoking, Consumption of Meat, Diet and Exercise, Diet and Nutrition, Diet and Weight, Eating Meat, Eating More Vegetables, Eating Out of Home and Obesity, EPIC-PANACEA Project, Epidemiology, European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Physical Activity, Food and Nutrition, Gaining Weight, Less Physical Activity, Macronutrients, Meat Eaters, Nutrition, Portion Control, Regular Exercise, Self-Reported Weight, Total Caloric Intake, Total Weight, Types of Diets, Weight Control, Weight Gain, Weight Management
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A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition is reporting an association with eating meat and weight gain. This is a fairly robust epidemiological study, but at the same time is a good example of how such information is poorly reported in the media, leading to public confusion.
The data is taken from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition–Physical Activity, Nutrition, Alcohol, Cessation of Smoking, Eating Out of Home and Obesity (EPIC-PANACEA) project. This is a long-term epidemiological study involving hundreds of thousands of individuals, and is therefore a great source of data. We are likely to see many publications from from it. This one looked at the association of meat eating –- poultry, red meat, and processed meat -– with total weight. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
July 31st, 2010 by JenniferKearneyStrouse in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Research
Tags: Facebook, Friendship, General Medicine, In-Person Friendships, Interpersonal, Lifespan, Live Longer, Longevity, Mental Health, Online Friendships, Personal Relationships, PLoS Medicine, Psychology, Social Health, Social Networks, Strong Social Ties
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A study published in the July PLoS Medicine is getting a lot of press for its conclusion that strong social networks are related to increased lifespan.
The meta-analysis of 148 studies involving 308,849 people found that those with stronger relationships were 50 percent more likely to survive over 7.5 years of follow-up. What’s more, the researchers reported that a lack of strong social ties is as bad healthwise as drinking or smoking, and worse than not exercising or being obese.
But although the association between strong social ties and improved longevity seems robust, other factors could be at play, and applying the findings in clinical practice could be difficult. And sorry, Facebook fanatics: Online “friendships” aren’t thought to count as much as in-person ones do. (PLoS Medicine, New York Times, TIME, The Atlantic)
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
Monitoring vital signs remotely saves time and money for everyone: patients, physicians, facilities and insurers. Heart failure is a particular target because its increasingly common, its easily triggered (by as little as too much salt on food, for example), it costs so much to manage in the hospital, and it’s so easily avoided.
