MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'annals'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:16:29 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036231&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fstudy-investigates-relief-for-chronic-back-pain%2F2011.07.17 This study confirmed what I have known for a long time.  They looked at relaxation massage and structural massage, which focuses on correcting soft-tissue abnormalities.  At 10 weeks they found (more…) *This blog post was originally published at EverythingHealth* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036231 Sun, 17 Jul 2011 12:00:00 +0100 5036231 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670109&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdoes-your-doctor-trust-you%2F2011.04.02 Members of the  American public are frequently surveyed about their trust in various professionals.  Doctors and nurses usually wind up near the top of the list, especially when compared to lawyers, hairdressers and politicians.  Trust in professionals is important to us: they possess expertise we lack but need, to solve problems ranging from the serious (illness) to the relatively trivial (appearance). How much professionals trust us seems irrelevant: our reciprocity is expressed in the form of payment for services rendered or promised, our recommendations to friends and families and repeat appearances. So I was surprised to read an article in the Annals of Family Medicine describing a new scale to measure doctors’ trust in their patients.  This scale, based on input from focus grou... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670109 Sat, 02 Apr 2011 18:00:08 +0100 4670109 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4600538&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcolon-cancer-screening-guideline-truths-and-myths%2F2011.03.16 Colon cancer screening has a particular personal interest for me — one of my colleagues in residency training had her father die of colon cancer when she was a teenager. No one should lose a loved one to a disease that, when caught early, is often treatable. But for both men and women, colon cancer is the third most common cancer behind lung cancer and prostate cancer in men, and behind lung cancer and breast cancer in women, it’s the second most lethal. The problem is that patients are often confused about which test is the right one. Is it simply a stool test? Flexible sigmoidoscopy? Colonoscopy? Virtual colonoscopy? Isn’t there just a blood test that can be done? (No.) In simple terms, this is what you need to know: All men and women age 50 and older should be scr... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4600538 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:00:00 +0100 4600538 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501584&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnarrative-medicine-healing-through-storytelling%2F2011.02.21 More in the evolving meme of narrative medicine: Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (my alma mater) have found that for a select population of individuals, listening to personal narratives helps control blood pressure. While the power of stories is old news, the connection to clinical outcomes is what’s newsworthy here. Read Dr. Pauline Chen’s nice piece in the New York Times. The implications for ongoing work in this area are mind boggling. The Annals of Internal Medicine study authors sum it up nicely: Emerging evidence suggests that storytelling, or narrative communication, may offer a unique opportunity to promote evidence-based choices in a culturally appropriate context.  Stories can help listeners make meaning of their lives, and listeners may be in... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501584 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:00:32 +0100 4501584 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4495202&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-negative-medical-studies-are-good%2F2011.02.18 This is a guest column by Ivan Oransky, M.D., who is executive editor of Reuters Health and blogs at Embargo Watch and Retraction Watch. One of the things that makes evaluating medical evidence difficult is knowing whether what’s being published actually reflects reality. Are the studies we read a good representation of scientific truth, or are they full of cherry-picked data that help sell drugs or skew policy decisions? That question may sound like that of a paranoiac, but rest assured, it’s not. Researchers have worried about a “positive publication bias” for decades. The idea is that studies showing an effect of a particular drug or procedure are more likely to be published. In 2008, for example, a group of researchers published a New England Journal of Medicin... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4495202 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 22:20:24 +0100 4495202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4377789&cid=t_351346_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FaVe4cHW2HSM%2F In a move that some may consider long overdue, more than a dozen of the most prestigious medical journals will consider requiring doctors who submit studies to disclose any payments received from hedge funds and other large investors. The proposal is expected to be discussed at the next annual meeting of The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, which is scheduled for June, according to a spokeswoman for the New England Journal of Medicine. The possibility follows ongoing concerns about conflicts of interest between researchers and the pharmaceutical industry and the extent to which undisclosed financial relationships may unduly influence medical research and, from there, medical practice. But the issue is also encompassing financial ties to large investors, given the growing... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4377789 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:21:05 +0100 4377789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4314005&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fon-the-value-of-open-mindedness%2F2011.01.05 Three recent sto­ries lead me to my open­ing topic for the year: The value of open-mindedness. This char­ac­ter­is­tic — a state of recep­tive­ness to new ideas — affects how we per­ceive and process infor­ma­tion. It’s a qual­ity I look for in my doc­tors, and which I admire espe­cially in older people. Piece #1 — On the brain’s matu­rity, flex­i­bil­ity and “cog­ni­tive fitness” For the first piece, I’ll note a Dec 31 op-ed piece that appeared in the New York Times: This Year, Change Your Mind, by Dr. Oliver Sacks, the neu­rol­o­gist and author. In this thought­ful essay, he con­sid­ers the adult brain’s “mys­te­ri­ous and extra­or­di­nary” power to adapt and grow: “I have seen hun­dreds of patients with var­i­ous deficits &#8212... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4314005 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:00:57 +0100 4314005 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4302123&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fechinacea-for-colds-does-it-really-work%2F2010.12.31 This study is unlikely to change minds about whether to take this remedy. Have you tried echinacea as a cold remedy? Has it worked? How do research findings, pro and con, affect your opinion of so-called alternative medicines? Many of the echinacea studies, especially early on, were sponsored by companies making or selling the product. This study was supported by a grant from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. - Peter Wehrwein, Editor, Harvard Health Letter *This blog post was originally published at Harvard Health Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4302123 Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:00:12 +0100 4302123 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294629&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-business-of-anticoagulation%2F2010.12.28 This is a guest post by Dr. Juliet Mavromatis: ********** The emergence of a new generation of anticoagulants, including the direct thrombin inhibitor, dabigatran and the factor Xa inhibitor, rivaroxaban, has the potential to significantly change the business of thinning blood in the United States. For years warfarin has been the main therapeutic option for patients with health conditions such as atrial fibrillation, venous thrombosis, artificial heart valves and pulmonary embolus, which are associated with excess clotting risk that may cause adverse outcomes, including stroke and death. However, warfarin therapy is fraught with risk and liability. The drug interacts with food and many drugs and requires careful monitoring of the prothrombin time (PT) and international normalized ratio (IN... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294629 Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:00:00 +0100 4294629 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4275325&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Freassuring-patients-about-ct-scans-and-radiation-risks%2F2010.12.20 Emergency patients with acute abdominal pain feel more confident about medical diagnoses when a doctor has ordered a computed tomography (CT) scan, and nearly three-quarters of patients underestimate the radiation risk posed by this test, reports the Annals of Emergency Medicine. “Patients with abdominal pain are four times more confident in an exam that includes imaging than in an exam that has no testing,” said the paper’s lead author. “Most of the patients in our study had little understanding of the amount of radiation delivered by one CT scan, never mind several over the course of a lifetime. Many of the patients did not recall earlier CT scans, even though they were listed in electronic medical records.” Researchers surveyed 1,168 patients with non-traum... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4275325 Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:00:00 +0100 4275325 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233229&cid=t_351346_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2F06%2Fsex-important-to-older-men-stop-the-presses%2F Here’s a news flash for you — people like sex. Even older people. Wow, what an astounding insight into human behavior. I think some people have this conception that older people are somehow, like, not normal. Like they don’t have all the same needs, wants and desires as a younger person does. Like aging itself is some sort of disorder or disease that needs separate studying and understanding. I’ll let you in on a little secret — most older folks don’t feel their age. Most middle-age folks don’t feel their age. Once you hit 25 or so, many people (most?) seem “stuck in time” in terms of their own self-image and what they imagine others see them as. Most people simply don’t seem to feel their chronological age. So your grandparents ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233229 Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:31:18 +0100 4233229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214108&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Funderstanding-treatment-the-communication-disconnect-between-doctors-and-patients%2F2010.11.30 Over the long week­end I caught up on some read­ing. One arti­cle* stands out. It’s on informed con­sent, and the stun­ning dis­con­nect between physi­cians’ and patients’ under­stand­ing of a procedure’s value. The study, pub­lished in the Sept 7th Annals of Inter­nal Med­i­cine, used sur­vey meth­ods to eval­u­ate 153 car­di­ol­ogy patients’ under­stand­ing of the poten­tial ben­e­fit of per­cu­ta­neous coro­nary inter­ven­tion (PCI or angio­plasty). The inves­ti­ga­tors, at Baystate Med­ical Cen­ter in Mass­a­chu­setts, com­pared patients’ responses to those of car­di­ol­o­gists who obtained con­sent and who per­formed the pro­ce­dure. As out­lined in the article’s intro­duc­tion, PCI reduces heart attacks in patients wi... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214108 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:00:42 +0100 4214108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214111&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-journals-do-peer-reviewers-get-worse-with-experience%2F2010.11.29 Interesting post by the Retraction Watch blog, pointing to an interesting paper published last week in the Annals of Emergency Medicine. An excerpt from the blog post: Over 14 years, 84 editors at the journal rated close to 15,000 reviews by about 1,500 reviewers. Highlights of their findings: …92% of peer reviewers deteriorated during 14 years of study in the quality and usefulness of their reviews (as judged by editors at the time of decision), at rates unrelated to the length of their service (but moderately correlated with their mean quality score, with better-than average reviewers decreasing at about half the rate of those below average). Only 8% improved, and those by very small amount. How bad did they get? The reviewers were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 in which a change of ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214111 Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:00:30 +0100 4214111 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4186906&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Finfection-control-and-the-doctor-patient-relationship%2F2010.11.20 Hospitals have recently been stepping up their infection control procedures, in the wake of news about iatrogenic infections afflicting patients when they are admitted. Doctors are increasingly wearing a variety of protective garb — gowns, gloves, and masks — while seeing patients. In an interesting New York Times column, Pauline Chen wonders how this affects the doctor-patient relationship. She cites a study from the Annals of Family Medicine, which concluded that, fear of contagion among physicians, studies have shown, can compromise the quality of care delivered. When compared with patients not in isolation, those individuals on contact precautions have fewer interactions with clinicians, more delays in care, decreased satisfaction and greater incidences of depression and anxiety. T... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4186906 Sat, 20 Nov 2010 15:00:09 +0100 4186906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4125283&cid=t_351346_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fz4r5rINz09I%2F Much attention has been paid to conflicts of interest relating to the pharmaceutical industry, but where do medical journals fit in this equation? A new study notes that journals also have vested interests that warrant disclosure. Specifically, industry-supported clinical trials can boost a journal’s so-called impact factor by generating greater distribution of reprints that increase citation rates and, of course, revenue. The trials are often supported by drugmakers, which purchase reprints. What is an impact factor? The researchers defined it this way: a measure of a journal’s importance based on how often its articles are cited. This is not just about prestige, of course, but the potential for greater circulation (there is a formula contained in the study, which was publishe... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4125283 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:41:53 +0100 4125283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4125010&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fprogressive-healthcare-rationing-what-will-it-look-like%2F2010.11.01 In prior posts, DrRich introduced his readers to Ezekiel Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., brother of Rahm, eminent medical ethicist, and one of the White House’s chief advisers on healthcare policy. Dr. Emanuel was one of the authors of that recent paper in the Annals of Internal Medicine which admonished American physicians that resistance is futile. He has also famously called upon American physicians to abandon the obsolete medical ethics expressed in the Hippocratic Oath. The reason the ideas (and pronouncements) of Dr. Emanuel are important is that he presumably will be a major “decider” in determining who will serve on the GOD panels, and how those panels will operate to advance his (and Mr. Obama’s) program of healthcare reform. So, before we leave Dr. Emanuel to his important duties, ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4125010 Mon, 01 Nov 2010 12:00:10 +0100 4125010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3954259&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fpatients-starved-for-time-with-the-doctor%2F2010.09.09 If you’re into health care consumerism, you’ll enjoy my guest blog post at CDHC Solutions magazine. CDHC Solutions focuses on consumer-driven health plans. Consumer-driven plans are a form of “high deductible” health coverage that is more popular than ever. For whatever you want to say about these plans, one thing is clear: They don’t solve the fundamental problem of patients not having enough time with their doctors. Here’s a taste of what I wrote: Researchers have been trying to pinpoint the impact of this time starvation on the quality of medical care, and they’re finding disturbing results. A recent study in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that because of time pressures and related factors, doctors deliver “error-free” care as rarely as 22 percent of the ti... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3954259 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:00:36 +0100 3954259 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3858156&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fyoung-doctors-who-lie%2F2010.08.11 This is something: A study published in the July 20, 2010 Annals of Internal Medicine finds that 5 percent of residency applications contain plagiarized content. The study from Boston’s Brigham & Woman’s Hospital is based on the personal statements of nearly 5,000 residency applicants that were matched against a database of published content. The authors comment that the study is limited, among other things, by the fact that it was done in just one institution. It makes me wonder if the number is artificially high or potentially too low. So why would medical students lie? (more…) *This blog post was originally published at 33 Charts* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3858156 Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:00:14 +0100 3858156 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3833426&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-diagnosing-doctors-often-ignore-patients-social-factors%2F2010.08.07 A recent study from the Annals of Internal Medicine found that doctors often discounted a patient’s social situation when making a medical diagnosis. Lead researcher Saul Weiner “arranged to send actors playing patients into physicians’ offices and discovered that errors occurred in 78 percent of cases when socioeconomic concerns were a significant factor.” Evan Falchuk, commenting on the results, provides some context: It’s hard to expect even the most gifted clinician, trying to make it through yet another week of a hundred or more patient encounters, to get these difficult decisions right. Too much of the context of a patient’s care gets lost in the endless churn of patient visits that the health care system imposes on doctors.I suspect this is enormously frustrating for doc... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3833426 Sat, 07 Aug 2010 12:00:37 +0100 3833426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3816758&cid=t_351346_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FmShjsSO3yyM%2F A new study finds that clinical trials funded by the pharmaceutical industry are more likely to report a positive outcome, but less likely to be published shortly after completion than trials funded by other sources, such as the federal government, non-profit groups or academia. Unlike previous studies on this topic, the researchers say their study broadens the debate because they made a point of examining 546 trials that were registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and involved five widely used classes of meds for treating depression, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heartburn and schizophrenia. All of the trials occurred between 2000 and 2006. The study, which was published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, found 346 trials, or 63 percent, were primarily funded by industry, 74 or 14 per... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3816758 Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:50:41 +0100 3816758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3816331&cid=t_351346_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2010%2F08%2Freport-shows-industrysponsored-medical-research-finds-surprise-positive-benefits%2F Dr. Kenneth Mandl and colleagues at Childrens Hospital in Boston have published a report in Annals of Internal Medicine showing that the overwhelming majority of industry-sponsored medical research finds results that would financially benefit the sponsoring industry. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3816331 Tue, 03 Aug 2010 13:38:35 +0100 3816331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3812978&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhow-error-free-is-your-doctors-care%2F2010.08.02 According to the Annals of Internal Medicine, doctors make the wrong medical decisions surprisingly often. Using a “mystery patient” technique –- in which actors pretended to be patients –- researchers found that doctors made errors in complicated cases in 60 percent to 90 percent of cases. Sixty to ninety percent. In uncomplicated cases, they made errors in nearly 30 percent of cases. As one study participant put it, “I was shocked.” The study took place over three years, and included more than 100 doctors in six Chicago-area hospitals. The doctors had agreed to participate in a study on medical decision making, but had no idea that they might see a patient who was actually an actor. The actors recorded their conversations with the doctors. (more…) *This bl... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3812978 Mon, 02 Aug 2010 16:00:06 +0100 3812978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3790702&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-cancer-letter-reveals-rhodes-scholar-falsification-by-duke-cancer-researcher%2F2010.07.26 This is not good. Not good at all. Recently Paul Goldberg of The Cancer Letter reported on an investigation into Duke cancer researcher Anil Potti, M.D., and claims made that he was a Rhodes Scholar in Australia. The misrepresentation was made on grant applications to National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Cancer Society (ACS). The Cancer Letter, a $375 per year go-to newsletter on cancer research, funding, and drug development, has made this issue free at this PDF link. News & Observer higher education reporter Eric Ferreri has a nice overview of the situation. Potti has been placed on administrative leave by Duke, and the ACS has suspended payments on his grant and initiated their own investigation. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Terr... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3790702 Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:00:07 +0100 3790702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3714188&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fsocial-mission-a-primary-care-score-for-medical-schools%2F2010.06.30 Medical schools are traditionally ranked on criteria like research funding and technological innovation. These rankings are highly significant. A place on the U.S. News‘ annual “Best Medical School” list  is a coveted spot indeed. So that’s why there was some media attention paid to a recent study from the Annals of Internal Medicine, which ranked medical schools according to their “social mission” — a phrase that defines a school’s commitment to primary care, underserved populations and workforce diversity. Using this new criterion, some of the traditionally high ranking schools fell significantly. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3714188 Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:00:17 +0100 3714188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3690838&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-schools-why-do-some-do-primary-care-better%2F2010.06.23 A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, ACP’s flagship journal, finds that medical schools vary greatly in producing more primary care physicians and getting them into underserved communities. - “Public schools graduate higher proportions of primary care physicians” than private schools. - “The 3 historically black colleges and universities with medical schools (Morehouse College, Meharry Medical College, and Howard University) score at the top” in training primary care physicians who then go on to practice in underserved communities. (Click here for an interview with two recent graduates of historically black colleges and with Wayne Riley, MD, FACP, who is the president and CEO of Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee and a regent ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3690838 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:00:00 +0100 3690838 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3662674&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Funnecessary-tests-and-treatments-responsible-reporting-can-help%2F2010.06.14 Just when I’ve lost hope that mainstream media will stop perpetuating the myth the more medicine equals better care, the Associated Press came up with this excellent piece. The article states, rightly, that “anywhere from one-fifth to nearly one-third of the tests and treatments we get are estimated to be unnecessary,” and that, “it may lead to dangerous side effects.” Regular readers of this blog should be familiar with those concepts. I wrote recently that patients often reject evidence-based medicine. One reason is that there aren’t enough clinical guidelines available for patients to make an informed decision. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3662674 Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:00:37 +0100 3662674 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3617835&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdo-speeding-ambulances-save-more-lives%2F2010.06.01 How fast should an ambulance go? The stereotypical speeding ambulance with lights flashing and sirens blaring is the image that most conjure up. But recent data suggests that transport speed may be overstated. In a fascinating piece from Slate, emergency physicians Zachary F. Meisel and Jesse M. Pines examine that very question. They cite a recent study from the Annals of Emergency Medicine, which concluded that a fast transport speed didn’t necessarily save lives. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3617835 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:00:49 +0100 3617835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3526741&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fgo-to-a-famous-hospital-get-better-care%2F2010.05.03 Hospital rankings matter. Specifically, those published in the U.S. News & World Report carry additional weight. Hospitals use these numbers in advertising campaigns, and patients often choose hospitals based on these rankings. But does a high place really mean you’re getting better care? Not necessarily. (more…) *This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3526741 Mon, 03 May 2010 16:00:24 +0100 3526741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3298379&cid=t_351346_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F02%2F22%2Fdoes-happiness-follow-on-vacation%2F One of the holy grails of modern psychology is figuring out what makes people happy. The thinking goes, “If we know what makes people happy, people can then do more of that thing and increase happiness in their own lives.” Makes sense. We’ve noted previously how an experience — such as a vacation or going out to dinner — is more likely to increase happiness than buying a material gift. The reasoning behind this is that experiences create (hopefully fond) memories, which can be later recalled and enjoyed again. While you may also enjoy a gift, it just doesn’t seem to have the same impact that an experience does. But research published last week demonstrates that this finding be more complicated than we originally thought. That research by Nawijn and col... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3298379 Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:30:54 +0100 3298379 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3056589&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2009%2F12%2Fhealth-journos-protest-fda-interview-rules.html By MERRILL GOOZNER The Association of Health Care Journalists, the Society of Professional Journalists and 9 other scribbler groups have asked the Food and Drug Administration to lift its requirement that agency officials first get permission from the public relations... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3056589 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0100 3056589 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3035869&cid=t_351346_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F11%2F27%2Ffollowfriday-ff-the-ebm-skeptics-cochranecollab-evidencematters-oracknows-acpinternists%2F FollowFriday is a twitter tradition in which twitter users recommend other users to follow (on Friday) by twittering their name(s), the hashtags #FF or #FollowFriday, and the reason for their recommendation(s). Since the roll out of Twitter lists I add the #FollowFriday Recommendations to a (semi-)permanent #FollowFriday Twitter list: @laikas/followfridays-ff This week I have added 4 people to [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3035869 Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:54:01 +0100 3035869 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2719697&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2009%2F08%2Fscience-is-leading-us-to-more-answers-but-its-also-misleading-us.html By DAVID SHAYWITZ Be careful what you wish for. That is the unexpected lesson of the past decade of biomedical research, which has been characterized by an overwhelming abundance of interesting things to study and powerful ways to study them.... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2719697 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2719697 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2610919&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2009%2F07%2Fgop-to-uninsured-drop-dead.html By MICHAEL L. MILLENSON “We are now contemplating, Heaven save the mark, a bill that would tax the well for the benefit of the ill.” No, that’s not Senate Minority Leader John Boehner, Rush Limbaugh or any of the other... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2610919 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2610919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2572919&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2009%2F07%2Fwashington-posts-salon-disaster-and-health-care-reform.html By CRAIG STOLTZ As a former citizen of the Washington Post newsroom, the recent disaster about the newspaper’s “salon” project is heartbreaking and embarrassing. I won’t belabor the issues many others have so thoroughly covered, including today’s “apology” by publisher... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2572919 Mon, 06 Jul 2009 12:21:48 +0100 2572919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2550216&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2009%2F06%2Fthe-message-is-the-medium.html By MERRILL GOOZNER Emory University psychologist and political consultant Drew Westen in the weekend Washington Post offers a troubling view of the public's role in health care reform. While reform's reality involves complicated technical issues like insurance exchanges, public plan... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2550216 Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2550216 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2270337&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2009%2F03%2Fi-shake-my-fist-at-clay-shirky.html By Matthew Holt Last week (Tuesday to be precise) Chris Rauber, the health care journo at the SF Business Times calls me to talk about health care IT. But he ends with a question that’s not about Health care or... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2270337 Sun, 15 Mar 2009 04:00:00 +0100 2270337 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1782897&cid=t_351346_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F387682768%2F Last month, a group of doctors published a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine that labeled a Vioxx study known as Advantage as a seeding study, a reference to a trial that is actually conducted for marketing purposes, rather than prove a scientific point. In response, Jonathan Edelman, executive director at Merck’s research labs, published an open letter in which he chastised the authors for failing to reach out to the drugmaker. “It is unfortunate that the authors and journal editors chose not to contact Merck before finalizing these publications. Had any of these individuals contacted Merck, factual errors could have been avoided,” he wrote. (Back story). However, in an August 22 e-mail to Merck lawyer Ted Mayer, one of the JAMA authors, Brown University’s ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1782897 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 13:52:09 +0100 1782897 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1760168&cid=t_351346_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F381339641%2F Now that a Senate investigation into ties between prominent academic psychiatrists, universities and drugmakers have made national headlines (look here, here, here and here), a leading journal has decided to disclose conflicts of interests held by its editorial board members. In an editorial, Ronald Pies, the editor in chief of Psychiatric Times, writes “I believe that this policy will help ensure fair and accurate reporting, as well as balanced and scientifically grounded opinion and commentary.” After all, he notes, “it is the editor in chief’s job to know of potential conflicts and to make executive decisions accordingly.” However, the Integrity in Science Watch program writes that the move “only raises further questions about who is calling the shots at ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1760168 Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:55:57 +0100 1760168 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1634758&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2008%2F07%2Finvestigative-j.html By Sarah Arnquist Despite seemingly never-ending reports of layoffs in American newsrooms, a new model of investigative journalism has emerged and health care falls squarely into its areas worthy of significant scrutiny. ProPublica is a nonprofit, investigative journalism organization that... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1634758 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1634758 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1491960&cid=t_351346_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F06%2F04%2Fnew-location-for-rsm-journals-and-new-access-to-journal-of-integrated-care-pathways%2F RSM Journals have just got a whole lot easier to use, you can now find all of them on one page at http://www.rsmjournals.com. Key link to look for is the Sign In via User Name/Password which is where you type your Athens (you can get one here if you work for a PCT in the North West and view the Getting an NHS Athens Password Flash Video 2.21 min here) password to get access. Alternatively you can go straight to each journal’s individual archive: Annals of Clinical Biochemistry Clinical Ethics Clinical Risk He@lth Information on the Internet Health Services Management Research International Journal of STD & AIDS Journal of Health Services Research & Policy Journal of Integrated Care Pathways Journal of Medical Biography Journal of Medical Screening Journal of the Royal Soci... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1491960 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:09:59 +0100 1491960 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1112064&cid=t_351346_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F204112690%2F The news that Merck and Schering-Plough failed to publish some studies about the Zetia cholesterol med and liver damage is the latest example of an issue that plagues the pharmaceutical industry - a failure to be transparent. The problem was underscored by the fact that The New York Times noted that partial results of the studies (look here) were alluded to in documents on the FDA web site. So for those who want to play detective, here is a handy step-by-step primer to locate hard-to-find documents on the agency site. This cheat sheet should help you find briefing documents - the reams of supporting paperwork submitted by a drugmaker when seeking FDA approval for its med. It was compiled by a professor and students at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine’s School of Pharmacy... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1112064 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:57:34 +0100 1112064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1074829&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=34470&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehealthcareblog.com%2Fthe_health_care_blog%2F2007%2F12%2Fannals-of-journ.html "With the holidays and being taken hostage, they are likely off the stress chart." -- Rochester psychologist Anita Remig, reflecting on the likely current psychological state of the six Clinton campaign workers taken hostage last Friday in New Hampshire by... (Source: The Health Care Blog) The Health Care Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1074829 Thu, 06 Dec 2007 05:00:00 +0100 1074829 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=786020&cid=t_351346_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F141742484%2F Now that the FDA panel has decided Glaxo’s diabetes drug can stay on the market - but with unspecified warnings and restrictions - the drugmaker has an opportunity to blunt any further damage. And so what better way to do so than to throw darts at the study that caused the ruckus in the first place? That study, of course, was the recent meta-analysis published in The New England Journal of Medicine by Steve Nissen, the controversial Cleveland Clinic cardiologist, who found that Avandia increased the risk of a heart attack by 43 percent. Despite criticism that a meta-analysis can have limitations, Nissen continues to argue its a good way to assess safety. Today, though, Glaxo sent e-mails to the media touting the conclusion of a new study published in The Annals of Internal Medicine ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=786020 Tue, 07 Aug 2007 21:11:06 +0100 786020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=725114&cid=t_351346_87_f&fid=34867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thediabetesblog.com%2F2007%2F07%2F10%2Fselenium-elevates-type-2-diabetes-risk%2F Filed under: Type 2, Diet, Drugs, Research, Daily NewsA new study has shown that taking selenium supplements elevates the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Around twelve hundred participants were involved in the study. Some took 200 micrograms of selenium daily, while others got a placebo. After nearly eight years had gone by, the researchers found that those taking the selenium were at an increased risk of nearly fifty percent for Type 2 diabetes.The finding raises the question: does supplementation of the diet with bottled vitamin pills or fortified food products do as much, or possibly even more, harm than good? The Washington Post contains quotes from both Larry Deeb of the American Diabetes Association and Eliseo Guallar of Johns Hopkins University expressing concern at Americans' propensity f... The Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=725114 Tue, 10 Jul 2007 04:00:00 +0100 725114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=874678&cid=t_351346_129_f&fid=36191&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.arthritisblog.org Anupam: Arthritis patients, using dietary supplement chondroitin to relieve joint pain may be using it in vain because it is no better than a placebo for reducing pain. Study, conducted by the Swiss researchers that published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, came out promulgating this fact after reviewing data from 20 clinical trials, which tracked more than 3,846 patients. During the course of study, experts found no evidence, showing chondroitin effective against osteoarthritis. This finding stands head to head to the assumption, under whose impel chondroitin is considered quite effective against osteoarthritis. Chondroitin is generally combined with glucosamine, which is also a supplement. Interestingly, experts found no side effects in using this combination (chondroitin/glucos... Arthritis Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=874678 Tue, 17 Apr 2007 12:38:10 +0100 874678