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 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*
August 16th, 2010 by BobDoherty in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Research
Tags: Bloomberg News, Cardiology, Congestive Heart Failure, Doctor Performance, Family Medicine, Foreign Medical Graduates, General Medicine, Health Affairs, Healthcare Delivery Models, IMGs, Inpatient Death Rates, Internal Medicine, International Medical Graduates, John Norcini, Kaiser Health News Daily, Medical Board Certification, Medical Degrees Aboard, Medical School, Medical Training, Non-Citizen Medical Students, Outcome Of Care, Patient Lengths Of Stay, Primary Care Shortage, U.S. Medical Schools, Years of Medical Practice
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Yes, according to a study in today’s Health Affairs. (The full text of the study is available only to subscribers, but Kaiser Health News Daily has a good summary of its findings and links to other news reports.)
The study compares inpatient death rates and lengths of stay for patients with congestive heart failure or acute myocardial infarction when provided by U.S. citizens trained abroad, citizens trained in the United States, and non-citizens trained abroad. Treatment was provided by internists, family physicians, or cardiologists. The differences were striking, according to the authors:
“Our analysis of 244,153 hospitalizations in Pennsylvania found that patients of doctors who graduated from international medical schools and were not U.S. citizens at the time they entered medical school had significantly lower mortality rates than patients cared for by doctors who graduated from U.S. medical schools or who were U.S. citizens and received their degrees abroad.”
Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty*
August 15th, 2010 by Berci in Better Health Network, Health Policy, News, Research
Tags: Children's Health, Diagnostics, Distant Learning, DIY Checkup, Family Medicine, Future Of Health Report, Games For Health, Gaming For Health, General Medicine, Health-Related Video Games, iMedicalApps, Pediatrics, PSFK, UNICEF
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A report on the future of health was presented to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) by PSFK, a trends research and innovation company. It features a wide range to topics including distant learning, diagnostics, gaming for health, offline web, DIY checkup, and many others:
(Hat Tip: iMedicalApps)
*This blog post was originally published at ScienceRoll*
