May 26th, 2010 by Medgadget in Announcements, Better Health Network, News, Research
Tags: Game Technologies, Games For Health 2010, General Medicine, Health Apps, Health-Related Video Games, healthcare, Nintendo, PS3 Move, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Science, Smartphone Game Applications, Video Game Skill, Wii In Medicine
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It’s time for the 6th annual Games for Health conference. The conference, in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, provides a forum for experts in the fields of video games, healthcare, and science to come together and share the latest and greatest in health-related video game news and research.
From their promotional pamphlet:
Because digital games can actively engage and challenge people of all ages, they have the ability to help individuals manage chronic illnesses, support physical rehabilitation, pursue wellness goals and contribute to changes in health behaviors. Public health leaders, doctors and nurses, rehabilitation specialists, emergency first responders and other health professionals are also using games and game technologies to advance their skills and enhance how they deliver care and services. Games are even beginning to mine the wisdom of the crowds to forge critical new discoveries in biology and genomics.
The acceptance of games as a valuable health management and training method, the popular success of consoles like the Nintendo Wii, and the growth of smartphone game applications indicate that there is tremendous potential for continuing to move health and behavior change activities beyond clinical settings and the classroom and into consumers’ home, work, social and recreational spaces.
We’ll be reporting throughout the event (May 25-27). Stay tuned for info on the PS3 Move, a Wii laparoscopic trainer, and more.
*This blog post was originally published at Medgadget*
May 26th, 2010 by DrWes in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Research
Tags: Clinical Research, Clinical Trials, comparative effectiveness research, Cutting-Edge Research, Cutting-Edge Science, Evidence Based Medicine, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, Government Research, Healthcare Lab, Insync, Medical Research, Medical Researchers, Medical Scientists, Medtronic, Peter Orsag, Randomized Trials, Research Centers, Research Studies, Science Based Medicine, Science-Based Evidence
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“…I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” — Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams’ play A Streetcar Named Desire
Years ago when I began my medical training, I recall enrolling patients for clinical research. In cardiology, there were a myriad of questions that needed to be answered, especially in the area of defining which medications were best to limit the damage caused by a heart attack.
Patients routinely participated in large, multi-center prospective randomized trials to answer these questions. It was routine for them not to charged for participating in the trial — the drug(s) and additional testing would be funded by the company whose drug was being studied. Patients enrolled willingly, eager to help advance science and perhaps, in some small way, their fellow man. It never dawned on me in those early days why hospitals and research centers were so eager to promote research. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes*
May 26th, 2010 by BobDoherty in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Humor, Opinion, Research, Uncategorized
Tags: A.A. Milne, Accountable Care Organizations, Advance Practice Nurse, Consultant Physicians, Duplicate Testing, Edward Bear, Family Caregivers, Family Medicine, Follow-Up Phone Calls, Follow-Ups, General Medicine, House At Pooh Corner, Insurance Companies, Internal Medicine, Internists, Jay Larson, Lab Studies, Medicare Payment Rate, NEJM, New England Journal of Medicine, Office Visits, Patient Satisfaction, Patient-Centered Medical Homes, Pharmacy Callbacks, Physician Assistant, Physician Satisfaction, Pre-Authorizations, Prescription Renewals, Primary Care, Qualified Non-Physician, Return Calls, Richard Baron, Team-Based Primary Care, Unnecessary Referrals, Winnie The Pooh, Worried Patients
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Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.
— From A.A. Milne’s “Winnie the Pooh and the House at Pooh Corner.”
Internists, I expect, will identify with Edward Bear.
Richard Baron’s study in the NEJM on the amount of work he and his colleagues do outside of an office visit — the “bump, bump, bump” of a busy internal medicine (IM) practice — has resonated with many of his colleagues.
Jay Larson, who often posts comments on this blog, did a similar analysis for his general IM practice in Montana, and found that for every one patient seen in the office, tasks are done for 6 other unscheduled patients. Jay writes: “So really there [are] internists [who] are managing about 130 patients per day. Not much consolation when they only get paid for 18 per day.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at The ACP Advocate Blog by Bob Doherty*
May 25th, 2010 by Davis Liu, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, Opinion, Quackery Exposed, Research
Tags: Alcohol In Moderation, Bone Density Testing, Calcium, Carotid Ultrasound, Controlling Blood Pressure, Controlling Cholesterol, Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry, DXA, Family Medicine, General Medicine, Hip Fracture, Insurance Claims, Insurance Coverage, Internal Medicine, Life Line Screening, Low-Sodium Diet, Medicare, National Stroke Association, Not Covered By Insurance, Osteoporosis, PAD, Peripheral Artery Disease, Preventive Health, Preventive Health Services, Preventive Healthcare, Preventive Medicine, Preventive Screening, Primary Care, Quitting Smoking, Regular Exercise, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, Unnecessary Medical Tests, Unnecessary Testing, USPSTF, Vascular Disease, Vitamin D
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A patient brought in a flyer for Life Line Screening, where for $129 an individual can have their carotid (neck) and peripheral (leg) arteries screened for blockage, their abdominal aorta screened for aneurysm (swelling), and be tested for osteoporosis. The advertisement claims that “we can help you avoid a stroke,” and their logo notes “Life Line Screening: The Power of Prevention.”
Are these tests worth your money? Short answer: No.
Although the flyer correctly indicates that 80 percent of stokes can be prevented, the National Stroke Assocation does not recommend ultrasound as a screening test. Preventing stroke includes quitting smoking, knowing your blood pressure and cholesterol numbers, drinking alcohol in moderation (if already doing so), exercising regularly, and eating a low-sodium diet. Their is no mention of an ultrasound test. Why? Because there is NO evidence that it helps save lives in individuals who are healthy and have no symptoms (except for the following situations). Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Saving Money and Surviving the Healthcare Crisis*
May 25th, 2010 by Toni Brayer, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Research
Tags: Angina, Cardiac Risk Factors, Cardiology, Coronary Artery Disease, Coronary Health, Diabetes, Elevated Lipids, Employee Health, European Heart Journal, Family Medicine, Fatal Myocardial Infarction, General Medicine, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, Heart Health, Internal Medicine, Lifestyle Changes, Lifestyle Choices, Overtime Work, Primary Care, smoking, Workaholic, Working Overtime, Working Too Much
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The European Heart Journal studied 6,000 British civil servants and followed them for 11 years. They found that working an extra 3 to 4 hours a day is associated with increased coronary heart disease.
The researchers controlled and adjusted for lifestyle, cardiac risk factors, and other factors that would skew the results, and still found that people who worked 3 to 4 extra hours a day had a 60 percent increase in risk for heart disease. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth*
