October 14th, 2010 by RyanDuBosar in Better Health Network, News, Research
Tags: ACP Internist, American College Of Physicians, Center for Studying Health System Change, Communicating With Colleagues, Communicating With Other Doctors, Communicating With Patients, Doctor-Patient Communication, Doctor-to-Doctor Communication, Doctor-to-Patient Communication, Doctors Who Email, Emailing With Patients, General Medicine, Health Information Technology, Office-Based Physicians, Ryan DuBosar, Who Doctors Email
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Only 6.7 percent of office-based physicians routinely e-mailed patients about clinical information in 2008, according to an issue brief from the Center for Studying Health System Change.
Only 34.5 percent of office-based, ambulatory care physicians reported that information technology for communicating with patients about clinical issues via e-mail was available in their practice in 2008. Of that third, 19.5 percent routinely e-mailed patients, or 6.7 percent overall, while the rest were split between occasional use or non-use. The study sample was restricted to 4,258 office-based physicians and the response rate was 62 percent.
In contrast, twice as many physicians spent at least some time each work day e-mailing physicians and other clinicians. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
October 14th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, News, Opinion, Quackery Exposed, Research, Uncategorized
Tags: Aesthetic Society, American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, ASAPS, Chris Woolston, Cosmetic Surgery, Dr. Ramona Bates, Fat Injections, Health Scams, Health Skepticism, LA Times, Stem Cell Face-Lifts, Suture For A Living
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It’s been almost a month since the LA Times ran the article by Chris Woolston entitled The Healthy Skeptic: Stem cell face-lifts on unproven ground. It’s well written and presents a fairly balanced view. While I am a fan of stem cell research, I think the “claims” are often put ahead of the science. This is one of those times. I can’t find any decent articles to support the claims of the plastic surgeons doing “stem cell face-lifts.”
My view is echoed in the article (bold emphasis is mine):
Rubin says he’s excited about the potential of stem cells in the cosmetic field and beyond. Still, he adds, there are many unanswered questions about the cosmetic use of stem cells, and anyone who claims to have already mastered the technique is jumping the gun. As Rubin puts it, “Claims are being made that are not supported by the evidence.”
While researchers in Asia, Italy, Israel and elsewhere are reporting decent cosmetic results with injections of stem cell-enriched fat, Rubin says that nobody really knows how the stem cells themselves are behaving. He points out that fat injections alone can improve a person’s appearance, no stem cells needed.
Rubin believes it’s possible that injected stem cells could create new collagen and blood vessels — as they have been shown to do in animals studies — but such results have never been proved in humans. And, he adds, the long-term effects of the procedures are an open question.
Stem cell face-lifts could someday offer real advances, says Dr. Michael McGuire, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and a clinical associate professor of surgery at UCLA. But he believes that scientists are still at least 10 years away from reliably harnessing stem cells to create new collagen and younger-looking skin. Until then, promises of a quick stem cell face-lift are a “scam,” he says.
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) issued a statement two weeks after the article first appeared. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
October 13th, 2010 by GarySchwitzer in Better Health Network, Expert Interviews, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Video
Tags: Big Pharma, Dr. Joel Lexchin, Dr. Peter Mansfield, Gary Schwitzer, Global Health, Health Journalism, Health Reporting, Health Skepticism, HealthNewsReview.org, International Criticism, International Medicine, Merrill Goozner, National Press Foundation, NPF, Pfizer, Pharmaceutical Companies, Pharmaceutical Industry, Pharmaceutical Influence, Ray Moynihan, Science Reporting, Selling Sickness
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Next week, the National Press Foundation offers an “all-expenses-paid, educational program on cancer issues” for journalists, with all expenses paid by Pfizer. I’ve written several times about my criticism of this approach.
The National Press Foundation has offered to let me speak at next week’s event or at a subsequent all-expenses-paid program for journalists on Alzheimer’s disease also underwritten by Pfizer.
I’m unable to attend either event because of prior commitments, but suggested to NPF that they ask Merrill Goozner to speak instead. He’s right in Washington, has written and lectured about conflicts of interest in healthcare, and was available. Goozner told me he has not been contacted. So, since I can’t attend and since critical voices probably won’t be represented at the first workshop, I have posted some video clips of what others might have said if given the opportunity. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Gary Schwitzer's HealthNewsReview Blog*
October 12th, 2010 by Felasfa Wodajo, M.D. in Better Health Network, Interviews, News, Opinion
Tags: Apple, Doctors and Smartphones, Doximity, Dr. Felasfa Wodajo, ePocrates, iMedicalApps, iPad, iPhone, iTouch, Medical Apps, Medicine and Smartphones, Physicians' Use of Smartphones, Private Facebook For Doctors, Social Networking For Doctors
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Doximity is an app that launched on the App Store just over a week ago and has the potential to significantly change the way physicians use their smartphones.
The main focus of the app is physician communication, and for this it incorporates an innovative, secure SMS-like text service. But its real power lies in its deep incorporation of multiple databases of physician and related information.
In particular, the makers of the app carefully integrated data from the physician NPI and Medicare databases as well as lists of medical schools, hospitals, imaging centers and pharmacies. What they’ve produced is a surprisingly refined version 1 product that can quickly answer the myriad of small, practice-related questions that pop up all day long during a busy schedule. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at iMedicalApps*
October 12th, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Alarm Fatigue, Diagnosis and treatment, Dr. Kevin Pho, EHR, Electronic Health Record, Electronic Medical Record, Electronic Test Reporting, EMR, General Medicine, Harm Patients, Health IT, KevinMD, Medical Charting, Overwhelm Doctors, Patient, Too Much Data, Tracking of Test Data, VA Doctors, Veterans Administration, Wall Street Journal Health Blog, WSJ
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One of the supposed strengths of electronic medical records is better tracking of test data. In theory, when using more sophisticated digital systems, doctors can better follow the mountains of test results that they encounter daily.
But a recent study, as written in the WSJ Health Blog, says otherwise. Apparently, a study performed in 2007 found:
VA doctors failed to acknowledge receipt of 368 electronically transmitted alerts about abnormal imaging tests, or one third of the total, during the study period. In 4% of the cases, imaging-test results hadn’t been followed up on four weeks after the test was done. Another study, published in March in the American Journal of Medicine, showed only 10.2% of abnormal lab test results were unacknowledged, but timely follow-up was lacking in 6.8% of cases.
Consider that the VA has what is considered the pinnacle of electronic systems — their unified, VistA program that permeates all their hospitals and clinics. Apparently the problem is one of alert overload:
Hardeep Singh, chief of the health policy and quality program at the Houston VA’s health and policy research center, led both studies. He tells the Health Blog that doctors now receive so many electronic alerts and reminders — as many as 50 each day — that the important ones can get lost in the shuffle.
This is not unlike the alarm fatigue issue that I recently wrote about. Too much data — whether it is written or on the screen — can overwhelm physicians and potentially place patients at harm. Curating test results by prioritizing abnormals will really be the true power of electronic test reporting.
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
