August 18th, 2010 by RamonaBatesMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Opinion, Research
Tags: Bias and Medicine, Cultural Sensitivity in Healthcare, Dr. Desiree Lie, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Implicit Association Test, Implicit Vs. Explicit, Internal Medicine, Managing Bias In Healthcare, Medical Practice and Bias, Medscape, Obese Patients, Obesity, Primary Care, Tolerance in Healthcare
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This article was written more for family medicine physicians, but all of us can benefit from self-assessment of potential biases that might affect our judgment. It was also written with the potential bias towards the obese patient in mind, but the article could have been written with any “fill in the blank” bias as the topic.
The article points out that bias among physicians tends to “be implicit rather than explicit because of social pressure for healthcare providers to show tolerance and cultural sensitivity.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Suture for a Living*
August 17th, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Research
Tags: Absolute Emergencies, Alarm Fatigue, American Medical News, Benefits Vs. Harms, Critical Medical Alerts, Desensitized Doctors, Digital Medical Equipment, Electronic Medical Records, EMRs, General Medicine, Medical Alarms, Medical Monitors, Medical Technology, Potential Patient Harm
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The hospital is never a quiet place. Walk through the wards on a typical day and you’ll hear a cacophony of alarms, bells, and other tones coming from both computers and medical equipment.
American Medical News recently discussed so-called “alarm fatigue.” They cite a study showing find that “16,934 alarms sounded in [a medical] unit during an 18-day period.” That’s astounding, and for those who are wondering, that’s about 40 alarms an hour.
It’s not surprising that doctors become desensitized to these alarms, and that has potential to harm patients, as physicians may miss legitimate, emergent findings. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
August 17th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News
Tags: Advice For Parents, Disclosure Of Medical Information, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, Healthcare For College Students, Healthcare Power Of Attorney, HIPAA, Medical Care On Campus, Medical Records, Mental Health, Patient Information, Patient Privacy, sexually transmitted diseases, Sheila Benninger, STDs, Substance Abuse, Teen Health, Wall Street Journal
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Sending a child off to college? Call your lawyer first. From the Weekend Wall Street Journal:
After a few clients ran into difficulty getting information about adult children who were ill, Sheila Benninger, an attorney in Chapel Hill, N.C., began recommending that clients’ children designate a health-care power of attorney after they turn 18 to identify who can speak for them if they can’t.
She also includes a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, release form that allows patients to determine who can receive information about their medical care and whether information about treatment for substance abuse, mental health or sexually transmitted diseases can be disclosed.
You don’t have to use a lawyer. Generic health-care power-of-attorney forms can be found online. If the school has a HIPAA release online, it’s best to use that more-tailored document.
Parents should keep a copy in an email folder, where it can be easily accessed in an emergency. And students should designate a general power of attorney so someone can pay bills or handle other issues if they go abroad.
It’s good advice for those of us shipping one more child back to college this week.
-WesMusings of a cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist.
Hat tip: Instapundit
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
August 17th, 2010 by Medgadget in Better Health Network, News, Research
Tags: 3D Brain Images, ASD, Autism Diagnosis, Autism In Adults, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Grey Matter, Journal of Neuroscience, KCL, Kings College, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, MRI, Neuroimaging, Neurology, University of London
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A team of researchers at King’s College of the University of London (KCL) has developed a brain scan which can purportedly detect autism in adults. The scan, which uses MRI to obtain images of the brain, can identify autism based on the physical makeup of grey matter in the brain. Results of an initial study involving the scan were published in the Journal of Neuroscience today.
From the article:
The team used an MRI scanner to take pictures of the brain’s grey matter. A separate imaging technique was then used to reconstruct these scans into 3D images that could be assessed for structure, shape and thickness — all intricate measurements that reveal Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at its root.
The research studied 20 healthy adults, 20 adults with ASD, and 19 adults with ADHD. All participants were males aged between 20 and 68 years. After first being diagnosed by traditional methods (an IQ test, psychiatric interview, physical examination and blood test), scientists used the newly-developed brain scanning technique as a comparison. The brain scan was highly effective in identifying individuals with autism and may therefore provide a rapid diagnostic instrument, using biological signposts, to detect autism in the future.
KCL’s press release: Adult autism diagnosis by brain scan…
Abstract in the Journal of Neuroscience: Describing the Brain in Autism in Five Dimensions — Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Assisted Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder Using a Multiparameter Classification Approach…
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
August 16th, 2010 by RyanDuBosar in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Research
Tags: CAM, CNN, Complementary And Alternative Medicine, Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Health Insurance Costs, Healthcare Costs, Healthcare Economics, Internal Medicine, medicaid, Medical Tourism, Non-Local Healthcare Services, Patients Avoiding Care, Patients Not Seeking Healthcare, Postponing Medical Care, Primary Care, Retail Clinics, Unemployed Patients, Unemployment
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One in five Americans didn’t seek medical care for a recent illness or injury, often because of the cost, according to a survey of adults polled by a healthcare consulting firm, and the number of people who saw a doctor fell as well.
Four out of 10 adults said the cost was the main reason not to seek care, a trend that be driven by unemployment and health insurance costs, said a survey by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. They surveyed more than 4,000 adults. Also, 79 percent of respondents sought medical attention from a doctor or other health care professional in 2010, down from 85 percent in 2009. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
