May 18th, 2011 by Jeffrey Benabio, M.D. in Health Tips
Tags: Dermatology, DNA, melanoma, New Test, Oncology, Skin Cancer, Tape Test, Testing
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“I hate needles.” Patients say this to me everyday. When you think about it, who “likes” needles?
Skin biopsies are relatively painless, but they still involve the dreaded needle and always leave scars. The trouble is we dermatologists cannot guarantee that a mole isn’t skin cancer without sending a biopsy for pathology. That is, until now.
Although it is not available in clinic yet, an almost incredible new innovation might allow us to determine if a mole is cancerous by testing the DNA of the mole. It sounds like it’s from an episode of CSI, but it’s real.
Melanomas have DNA (messager-RNA to be exact, but it’s a little complicated) that differentiate them from normal moles, so testing the mole for melanoma requires only a tiny sample of skin. Fortunately, no needles are needed — in fact, no sharp objects are necessary at all. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Dermatology Blog*
May 18th, 2011 by Linda Burke-Galloway, M.D. in Health Tips
Tags: Babies, Birth, Change Of Shift, Dr. Linda Burke-Galloway, Hand Offs, High Risk Pregnancy, Hospitals, Labor And Delivery, Medical Errors, Miscommunication, Patient Safety, Physicians, Pregnancy
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At one time, a hospital would be called a 24-hour institution but now it’s a business. Within this business are shift workers that include nurses, technicians, clerical staff and even hospital employed doctors who are now called hospitalists. In a teaching hospital resident physicians also work in shifts so the responsibility of patient care is always being transferred from one group of healthcare providers to another. Do they always communicate effectively? Regrettably, “no.”
Sign-outs, handoffs, shift changes, nurses’ report. These are the multiple names for the process where a departing provider is responsible for letting the arriving provider know what’s going on with the patient. According to statistics, 80% of medical mistakes occur during shift changes and 50 to 60% of them are preventable. Listed below is an excerpt from The Smart Mother’s Guide to a Better Pregnancy that teaches pregnant moms what things should be known during a shift change. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Linda Burke-Galloway*
May 18th, 2011 by Medgadget in Health Tips, News
Tags: CT Scans, Digital Images, iPhone App, Neurology, Radiology, Remote Diagnosis, Stroke, Technology, Telemedicine
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Researchers from the University of Calgary have shown that doctors can make a stroke diagnosis using an iPhone application just as accurately (and faster) than they can on a traditional computer. In a study recently published by Journal of Medical Internet Research, two neuro-radiologists looked at 120 consecutive noncontrast computed tomography (NCCT) scans and 70 computed tomography angiogram (CTA) head scans. One used a diagnostic workstation and the other using Calgary Scientific‘s ResolutionMD Mobile app. The study results showed that using the ResolutionMD app is between 94%-100% accurate in diagnosing acute stroke, compared to a medical workstation.
In addition to accurately diagnosing a stroke, the app was also praised for its ability to handle a large number of images seamlessly and to detect subtle, but potentially critical findings in CT scans. Moreover, the mobile nature of the app gives doctors the ability to analyze and diagnose strokes from practically anywhere. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
May 17th, 2011 by Bryan Vartabedian, M.D. in Health Tips, Opinion
Tags: Medical Meetings, Pharma, Self-Promotion, Twitter, Twitter Feed, Twitter Stream, Wrong Way To Use Twitter
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I’ve been to several major medical meetings recently and Twitter is beginning to see traction. Slowly but surely Twitter hashtag use among doctors at meetings is growing. The vendors are there, too. I attended AGA/Digestive Disease Week this week and I have been unimpressed with the attempts of vendors to participate in the back channel. Those trying seem inept at real dialog.
Remember that a meeting’s Twitter feed is a communication channel, not an opportunity for spam. Go ahead and remind us about your booth but only after contributing in a way that serves everyone in a non-promotional way (one pitch tweet for 10-20 informational tweets).
What works is sharing, not selling. Take interest in the attendees. Watch the feed. Listen. Re-tweet the interesting stuff. Share some breaking medical information. Reach out to attendees in a genuine, respectful way. And fear is no excuse – because the most memorable dialog will not involve your drug or medical device.
Start there and Twitter will work for not only for you but everyone.
*This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts*
May 17th, 2011 by DrCharles in Health Tips
Tags: Babies, Best Thermometer, Fever, Home Thermomenter, Illness, Infants, Most Accurate, Pediatrics, Rectal, Thermometer
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A fever in an infant can be the first sign of an illness. While a rise in body temperature above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit is part of a healthy immune system response, it does signal potential danger and need for further evaluation. Since a reading may lead to a call or visit to the child’s doctor or emergency room, accuracy is key. What is the best type of infant thermometer?
A digital rectal thermometer.
This is according to such authorities as the American Academy of Pediatrics, Consumer Reports, and the American Academy of Family Physicians.
The definition of a fever is important as well. According to the AAFP:
A normal temperature is about 98.6°F (37°C) when taken orally (in your child’s mouth) and 99.6°F (37.5°C) when taken rectally (in your child’s bottom). Many doctors define a fever as an oral temperature above 99.5°F (37.5°C) or a rectal temperature above 100.4°F (38°C). Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The Examining Room of Dr. Charles*
