January 20th, 2010 by JessicaBerthold in Better Health Network, News, Research
Tags: Emergency Medicine, Hospital, Mortality Rate, Neurology, Stroke, tPA, Weekend, Weekend Effect
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In early 2008, researchers at the International Stroke conference unveiled two studies showing a “weekend effect” in stroke– ie, mortality from stroke was higher on the weekends (and at night) than weekdays. We explored this topic in the June 2008 ACP Hospitalist.
Now, a new Archives of Neurology study has found no difference in stroke death rates based on weekend/weekday arrival. What’s more, stroke patients admitted on weekends were more likely to get tPA. This flies in the face of one of the main theories about the weekend effect–namely, that stroke rates may be higher on weekends because there is often a shortage of staff and resources, which leads to less aggressive treatment. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Hospitalist*
January 18th, 2010 by RyanDuBosar in Better Health Network, Research
Tags: Behavior, Music, Music Therapy, News Of The Obvious, Psychiatry, Psychology
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Students exposed to songs with a positive message were more likely to help others after listening. A British study randomized students into groups who listened to socially conscious songs or those with negative or nonsense meanings. Then, a researcher pretended to knock pencils off the table by accident. Those who’d listened to positive songs helped more quickly and picked up almost five times as many pencils. Other subjects were asked to help with another research project, and three times as many volunteered.
Help! by the Beatles and Michael Jackson’s Heal the World were cited in the study, which is in press at the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Let us know your favorite “help” songs that get you through the day.
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*
January 17th, 2010 by GruntDoc in Better Health Network, Research, True Stories
Tags: Back Board, Emergency Medicine, EMS, Hannibal Lecter, Immobilization, Neck Trauma, Neurosurgery, Transport, Trauma
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Hmmmm:
Emergency spine immobilization may do more harm than good, study says
January 11, 2010 | 3:57 pm
When emergency responders reach a gunshot or stabbing victim, they try to immobilize the spine to reduce the danger of paralysis upon movement of the victim. That effort, however, can have a fatal toll.
A study published in the Journal of Trauma has found that, among these types of trauma victims, those whose spines are held still are twice as likely to die as those whose spines aren’t immobilized.
Read the news article, but they’re talking only (apparently, I don’t get this journal) about penetrating trauma. Those discussing the article wonder if the reason for the increased mortality is “Stay and Play” vs “Load and Go”, the two basic precepts of transporting the ill and injured in prehospital medicine. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at GruntDoc*
January 16th, 2010 by Steve Novella, M.D. in Better Health Network, Quackery Exposed, Research
Tags: Acupuncture, Breast Cancer, Complementary And Alternative Medicine, Hot Flashes, Pseudoscience, Why Acupuncture Doesn't Work
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In the most recent issue of The Journal of clinical Oncology is a study comparing acupuncture to Effexor in the treatment of vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes) in women with breast cancer who cannot take hormone replacement therapy. The study found that the two treatments are equivalent, with longer duration and fewer side effects from acupuncture. However, the study is designed as a pilot study (very preliminary) and therefore the conclusions are highly unreliable – given prior research, this raises the question as to why the study was performed at all. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Science-Based Medicine*
January 14th, 2010 by Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Research
Tags: Fleeing, Non Traditional, Part-Time, Pediatrics, Primary Care, Work Force
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The WSJ Blog posted recently that health care job postings are up and that the health care job market is “strong”.
According to the post, ”The business research group said that “advertised vacancies for healthcare practitioners or technical occupations outnumbered the unemployed looking for work in this field by almost 3 to 1,” citing November data.”
While it’s true that more job openings than job hunters is typically a good thing and indicates a robust job market, the WSJ Blog failed to recognize one important issue with the health care industry: in some areas of the health care sector, namely primary care, docs are leaving the field of medicine all together, and have been for at least a decade. So, it’s no wonder there are so many job openings…there’s no one around to fill them! Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Gwenn Is In*
