June 16th, 2010 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: AP, Associated Press, British Medical Journal, Dr. Abraham Verghese, Dr. Richard Baron, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Healthy Lifestyle, Internal Medicine, Limiting Radiation Exposure, New England Journal of Medicine, Overtesting, Overtreatment, Physician Payment, Primary Care Doctors, Primary Care Shortage, Stanford Medical School, Staying Well, Too Many Tests, Too Much Testing, Unnecessary Testing, Unnecessary Treatment
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The Associated Press has been running a fantastic series of must reads with the latest article highlighting the consequence of too many imaging studies, like X-rays and CT scans, which are the biggest contributor to an individual’s total radiation exposure in a lifetime. Americans get more imaging radiation exposure and testing than people from other industrialized countries.
Reasons for doing too many tests include malpractice fear, patient demands for imaging, the difficulty in obtaining imaging results from other doctors or hospitals, as well as advanced technologies, like coronary angioplasty, which have increased radiation but avoid a far more invasive surgery like heart bypass. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
June 16th, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Opinion, True Stories
Tags: Doctor-Patient Communication, Doctor-Patient Connection, Doctor-Patient Responsibility, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Internal Medicine, Medical Records, Patient Confidentiality, Patient Embarrassment, Patient Privacy, Patient-Doctor Partnership, Patient-Doctor Relationship, Primary Care Physician, Private Nature Of Medicine, Secrets From Your Doctor, Shouldn't Keep From Your Doctor, Tell Your Doctor
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It’s important to have an open relationship with your primary care physician because the more he or she knows about your health and lifestyle, the better able he or she is to diagnose illnesses as they come up.
You wouldn’t take your car to a mechanic and not tell him that the brake is sticking, and a human organism is thousands of times more complicated than a car. But patients are shy. They’re embarrassed. They don’t want you to think badly about them, so they often leave out important information that’s critical for the physician to know. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
June 16th, 2010 by AndrewSchorr in Audio, Better Health Network, Expert Interviews, Health Tips, Opinion
Tags: Andrew Schorr, Dr. David Camitta, Dr. Edward Dy, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Internal Medicine, Patient Power, Patient-Doctor Relationship, Preventative Medicine, Preventive Medicine, Primary Care Physician, Screenings, Staying Healthy, UW Medicine Neighborhood Clinics, Vaccinations, Western Washington
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Experts say over 100,000 lives a year could be saved in the United States if patients focused more on preventive medicine. What is preventive medicine? What can you do in your everyday life that may make a long-term difference?
On this Patient Power program, you will hear from two board certified internists from the UW Medicine Neighborhood Clinics in Western Washington. They will discuss how having an ongoing relationship with a primary care physician who you check in with regularly –- even when you’re well –- gives you the best chance at staying healthy.
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June 15th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Health Tips, Research
Tags: Skin Cancer Prevention, Sunscreen Safety
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I “preach” sunscreen use to my family, friends, and patients. I do this because sunscreen helps prevent skin cancers, but in light of the recent President’s Cancer Panel report on Cancers from Environment ‘Grossly Underestimated’ and concerns by the group Friends of the Environment, I thought perhaps I should look at the safety of the active chemicals/nanoparticles in sunscreens.
You need both UVA and UVB protection. It is the UVA rays that are most responsible for wrinkling and aging the skin. It is the UVB rays that are the most responsible for the sunburn and skin cancer formation.
According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), sunscreens should ideally be water-resistant, so they cannot be easily removed by sweating or swimming, and should have an SPF of 30 or higher that provides broad-spectrum coverage against both UVA and UVB light. I think it is not worthwhile to purchase any sunscreen with an SPF higher than 55. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
June 14th, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, News, Opinion
Tags: Annals Of Internal Medicine, AP, Archives of Internal Medicine, Associated Press, Clinical Guidelines, Cost-Conscious Care, Critical Thinking, Doctor's Recommendations, Evidence Based Medicine, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Health News, High-Value Care, Informed Decisions, Informed Healthcare Consumer, mainstream media, Medical Journals, Medical News, Primary Care, Responsible Reporting, Unnecessary Medical Tests, Unnecessary Medical Treatment
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Just when I’ve lost hope that mainstream media will stop perpetuating the myth the more medicine equals better care, the Associated Press came up with this excellent piece. The article states, rightly, that “anywhere from one-fifth to nearly one-third of the tests and treatments we get are estimated to be unnecessary,” and that, “it may lead to dangerous side effects.”
Regular readers of this blog should be familiar with those concepts. I wrote recently that patients often reject evidence-based medicine. One reason is that there aren’t enough clinical guidelines available for patients to make an informed decision. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
