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 'clinical'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:46:23 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182342&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F09%2Ffuture-of-pathology-jim-harrison.html This is a guest blog note by Jim Harrison, M.D., Ph.D. He is a pathologist and Associate Professor at the University of Virginia. It's a repost of a document that he circulated on the Association for Pathology Informatics (API) listserv earlier in the year and is, in part, a compilation of input from other pathologists about anticipated changes in AP and CP. Earlier this summer I posted a request to the API list for thoughts about key changes that might occur in AP and CP within the next five years and how those changes might be best supported by IT. A similar request was passed around in CAP's informatics-related committees, and the results were compiled for distribution to the CAP Pathology Transformation project. I did receive several responses from this list, so I'm summari... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182342 Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:42:49 +0100 5182342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181904&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FVL9Co8ZNmQY%2F URL: http://www.dbtselfhelp.com/This website is a service for people who are seeking information about DBT (Dialectal Behavior Therapy). This site was written primarily by PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN THROUGH DBT, not DBT professionals. For this reason, consider the source of any given document. We cannot give advice, but we can talk about our experiences on our DBT journey. In this regard, I hope we can help one another. For: Anyone, ConsumersTopics: Behaviour Management, Clinical Psychology, Emotional Health, General Psychology, Mental Health, Mental Health PromotionFeatures: Collaborative News, Information, Links, Research, e-learning This website is a service for people who are seeking information about DBT (Dialectal Behavior Therapy). This site was written primarily by PEOPLE WHO HAVE BE... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181904 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 17:00:51 +0100 5181904 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182319&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FA5G531mWaWs%2F Earlier this week, the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues declared that US-funded researchers knew they violated ethical standards when they deliberately infected Guatemalan prison inmates and mental patients with syphillis in the 1940s. The US apologized last year and the panel was convened to investigate and a final report is due later this year. About 1,300 people were infected with venereal disease, more than half of them with syphilis, including inmates who were exposed to infected prostitutes brought into jails, and male and female patients in a mental hospital. Some subjects had bacteria poured on scrapes made on their genitals, arms or faces. And they were not informed they were participating in medical research in which they were given penicillin to determi... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182319 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:20:37 +0100 5182319 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182320&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FscEadyD2R4s%2F As technology makes the world smaller, monitoring clinical trials no longer requires traveling to a destination to check up on the investigators. Much of this work can be done remotely and the FDA, in fact, wants to encourage sponsors to undertake more of what the agency calls risk-based monitoring in order to match international standards articulated by the International Conference on Harmonisation. And so the agency has just issued new guidance for drugmakers and contract research organizations, or CROs, to help sort out the variables that would determine when centralized monitoring would be preferable over on-site monitoring. The primary focus, the FDA notes, should be on steps that protect human subjects, while maintaining data integrity and compliance with regulations. Despite advance... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182320 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:50:37 +0100 5182320 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181801&cid=t_91127_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fapixaban-finally-showing-superiority-over-warfarin-in-clinical-trial%2F2011.09.01 With the publication of “Apixaban versus Warfarin in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation” (the ARISTOTLE trial) in the New England Journal of Medicine, the third drug in a series of medications designed to attack thrombin in the clotting cascade. The study was announced with quite a fanfare in Europe as cardiologists, financial analysts and reporters gushed forth with ‘mega-blockbuster’ praise this past weekend. And for good reason. This is the first trial to conclude that (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Dr. Wes* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181801 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:00:00 +0100 5181801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182323&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FvMmVEzuXRy0%2F Top of the morning to you. And yet another shiny day is unfolding over the Pharmalot corporate campus, where the short people and the official mascots appear to be snoozing indefinitely. This rare treat gives us more time this morning to brew those mandatory cups of stimulation and poke around for interesting items. So here they are. Meanwhile, we will get back to conducting our own version of R&D. So keep us in mind if you hear something interesting. Have a great day… Sanofi Strikes Deal To Make Generic Lipitor (Reuters) FDA And Drugmakers Agree On 6 Percent PDUFA Fee Hike (Wall Street Journal) XOMA CEO Resigns (Reuters) Baxter Sues Teva To Enforce Propofol Liability (Bloomberg News) Death Rate Rises In Clinical Trials In India (The Tribune) Contract Pharmaceuticals To Lay Off ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182323 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:08:48 +0100 5182323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182345&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Ftulaboratory-based-genetic-counselors-reduce-the-cost-of-ordered-tests.html Appropriate test ordering by clinicians is a key aspect of clinical laboratory management. It can save time and money. One of the most obvious goals of this approach is to cull out duplicate test orders when the patient in question is clinically stable and the additional results are useless. The number of test cycles to arrive at a diagnosis can also often be reduced by immediately ordering a more specific test rather than repetitive groups of less-specific tests. The more specific test may be more expensive than the others but the total cost of testing may be less. In general, clinicians often require the most advice when ordering molecular and genetic tests. They tend to be the most expensive, most complicated, and require the most interpretive skill. ARUP Laboratories has published a wh... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182345 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:54:47 +0100 5182345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174741&cid=t_91127_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fupcoming-event-cambridge-uk-12-16th.html Summer School in Applied Psychometrics From the website: Date: Monday, 12 September to Friday, 16 September Location: Peterhouse College, Cambridge Time: All Day Event "Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a popular and rapidly evolving area of psychometric research that builds on a long-standing methodology of self-report questionnaires. Today the assessment, analysis and interpretation of these questionnaires and of Patient-Reported Outcomes (PROs) rely upon a variety of modern psychometric methods that might be beyond the typical methodological/statistical training that researcher of related disciplines receive. This Summer School will cover the fundamentals of psychometric test theory as applied to HRQoL and PROs, with particular emphasis on latent trait/ Item Response Theory (... BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174741 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 01:34:00 +0100 5174741 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174622&cid=t_91127_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FX8KSTUUJEno%2F A chest trauma patient lies before you. When would you perform an emergency thoracotomy? A case-based Q&A approach to the indications and contraindications. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174622 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:00:10 +0100 5174622 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174703&cid=t_91127_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2Fg_faMvFVu7k%2F Lynn Scheps is Vice President, Government Affairs at EHR vendor SRSsoft. In this role, Lynn has been a Voice of Physicians and SRSsoft users in Washington during the formulation of the meaningful use criteria. Lynn is currently working to assist SRSsoft users interested in showing meaningful use and receiving the EHR incentive money. Check out Lynn’s previous Meaningful Use Monday posts. A great deal of work, discussion, and debate by the HIT Policy Committee and its Workgroup members went into developing the recommendations for meaningful use Stage 2 (discussed in the last two Meaningful Use Monday posts). Meetings were frequent and lengthy, but I tried to listen in on most of them to gain some insights into the thinking behind the decisions being made and the future direction of me... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174703 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 17:35:33 +0100 5174703 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174871&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fmdespite-patent-victory-myriad-still-faces-challenges.html A recent article about Myriad Genetics makes some important points (see; Despite Gene Patent Victory, Myriad Genetics Faces Challenges). Here's an excerpt from it: Myriad Genetics retained its monopoly on a lucrative genetic test for breast cancer risk when a federal appeals court recently upheld the company’s patents on two human genes — and the validity of gene patents in general. But newer DNA-sequencing techniques are far faster and only a fraction of the cost of the 1990s technology that Myriad uses. Indeed, it will soon be possible to sequence a person’s entire genome, all 22,000 or so genes, for less than Myriad charges for just two genes. Executives at Myriad say they are preparing for changes. Although its major patents start expiring in 2014, the executives say the comp... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174871 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 13:10:36 +0100 5174871 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169576&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2F99B5X6YMrKA%2F URL: http://www.get.gg/Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has been proven to help mental health problems. This website offers CBT self-help information, resources and tools, including therapy worksheets. For: Anyone, Clinicians, ConsumersTopics: Academia, Behaviour Management, Cognitive, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Common Factors, Counselling, Depression, Eating Disorders, Emotional Health, General Psychology, Life, Mental Health, Mental Health Promotion, Personality, Personality disorders, Psychology and Technology, Psychology and the Media, Self-helpFeatures: Articles, Assessment Instruments, Clinical Tools, File Sharing, Information, Links, Multimedia, Patient Handouts, Research Tools, Resources, Training, e-learning Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has been proven to help mental hea... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169576 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 17:00:09 +0100 5169576 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169577&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FxhaaQKoyW30%2F URL: http://www.pale-reflections.com/Pale Reflections is a complete support network for people affected by anorexia nervosa, bulimia, binge-eating disorder, compulsive overeating, and all eating disorders. We offer information and a caring environment for eating disorder sufferers, their friends and family, and therapists & professionals. For: Anyone, Clinicians, Consumers, ConsumersTopics: Academia, Behaviour Management, Cognitive, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Common Factors, Counselling, Depression, Eating Disorders, Emotional Health, General Psychology, Life, Mental Health, Mental Health Promotion, Personality, Personality disorders, Psychology and Technology, Psychology and the Media, Self-help, Abnormal, Addiction, Behaviour Management, Eating Disorders, Emotional Health, Life, L... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169577 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:00:39 +0100 5169577 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169553&cid=t_91127_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fgreat-clinical-care-and-excellent-bedside-manner-are-they-mutually-exclusive%2F2011.08.26 The New York Times recently published an article titled, Finding a Quality Doctor, Dr. Danielle Ofri an internist at NYU, laments how she was unable to perform as well as expected in the areas of patient care as it related to diabetes.  From the August 2010 New England Journal of Medicine article, Dr. Ofri notes that her report card showed the following – 33% of patients with diabetes have glycated hemoglobin levels at goal, 44% have cholesterol levels at goal, and a measly 26% have blood pressure at goal.  She correctly notes that these measurements alone aren’t what makes a doctor a good quality one, but rather the areas of interpersonal skills, compassion, and empathy, which most of us would agree constitute a doctor’s bedside manner, should count as well. Her articl... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169553 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:00:00 +0100 5169553 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159861&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Ffepic-beaker-ready-or-not.html There is going to be a lot of money made as the result of the potentially large-scale deployment of Epic's immature LIS called Beaker. One of the first in line to shake this money tree will be KLAS. Here is their announcement of a report on this topic by the company (see: Epic Beaker: Ready or Not?): The laboratory market typically sees little movement. Because of the expense and complexity from a laboratory system’s deep penetration into a hospital, laboratory systems are not changed frequently. If providers do change, it is rarely from a more sophisticated solution to a more immature one. One product that seems to be bucking that trend is Epic Beaker, Epic’s newly available laboratory solution. Of surveyed Epic hospitals currently using other laboratory solutions, over half are p... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159861 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 13:19:45 +0100 5159861 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159209&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FWwy5dqGZeRw%2F URL: http://womenforsobriety.org/beta2/Women for Sobriety (WFS) is an organization whose purpose is to help all women find their individual path to recovery through discovery of self, gained by sharing experiences, hopes and encouragement with other women in similar circumstances. We are an abstinence-based self-help program for women facing issues of alcohol or drug addiction. Our “New Life” Program acknowledges the very special needs women have in recovery – the need to nurture feelings of self-value and self-worth and the desire to discard feelings of guilt, shame, and humiliation. For: ConsumersTopics: Abnormal, Addiction, Anxiety, Behaviour Management, Clinical Psychology, General Psychology, Lifestyle, Self-harm and suicide, Substance AbuseFeatures: Advertising, Articles, Chat ... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159209 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 17:00:52 +0100 5159209 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159315&cid=t_91127_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Fdoctors-documentation-how-get-physicians-board-icd-10-initiatives ICD-10 implementation is a problem that affects how physicians will practice medicine. But just how to you persuade them that they need to get involved in the training and planning now? The first thing you do is put a physician on the ICD-10 steering committee. That physician is going to be your champion who gets his or her peers to understand and support the changes needed. read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159315 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:56:36 +0100 5159315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159199&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F25%2Fto-heal-after-an-affair-and-rebuild-the-relationship%2F “For many people, an affair is deeply traumatizing [and] some marriages can’t recover from it,” said Jason Seidel, PsyD, founder and director of The Colorado Center for Clinical Excellence in Denver. But if you decide to work on your relationship post-affair, you must accept a hard truth: Another affair can happen. This is the paradox of healing, Seidel said. Often, partners who’ve been cheated on will demand full access to their spouse’s email, cell phone records, Facebook and other accounts (or they’ll sneak around to get the access), he said. They see this as legitimate and essential to helping reestablish trust in the relationship. A common belief is “How could I ever trust you again unless you give me full access?” While this thinking is understandable, it simply doesn... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159199 Thu, 25 Aug 2011 12:40:21 +0100 5159199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159863&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fapathology-informatics-2011-conference-only-six-weeks-away-1.html The second annual Pathology Informatics 2011 conference is only about six weeks away. It will be held in Pittsburgh on October 4-7, 2011. It's the merged version of two prior, long-standing informatics conference, APIII and Lab InfoTech Summit. You can review the entire conference schedule as well as register on-line. Three separate content tracks are being offered: Clinical Information Management, System Support and Connectivity, and Digital Imaging. The 3 1/2 day conference with a venue at the Pittsburgh Wyndham Grand offers an opening day with three workshops, included in the registration fee, 10 plenary lectures, and 27 track lectures. A total of 43 faculty members will participate. Also presented will be about 40 scientific presentations and 15 e-posters that have been selected fr... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159863 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:47:29 +0100 5159863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158853&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F23%2Ffirst-steps-in-improving-phlebotomy-the-challenge-to-improve-quality-productivity-and-patient-experience%2F Scan or click to download 'First steps in improving phlebotomy: The challenge to improve quality, productivity and patient experience' Title: First steps in improving phlebotomy: The challenge to improve quality, productivity and patient experience The Skinny: Report from NHS Improvement testing whether Lean methodology could meet the challenge of improving the quality, productivity, and patient experience for phlebotomy services. Among the four cases are examples from Whiston. Publisher: NHS Improvement Published: May 2011 Size: 44p. Filed under: Ooops Missed Category! Tagged: Blood letting, Clinical support workers, Economic efficiency, Efficiency, Grey Literature, Lean Thinking, Medical laboratory assistants, Phlebotomists, Productivity, Support staff (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158853 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:05:35 +0100 5158853 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158855&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F23%2Fimplementation-of-patient-safety-alerts%2F Scan or click to download 'Implementation of Patient Safety Alerts' Title: Implementation of Patient Safety Alerts The Skinny: Report from Action Against Medical Accidents into the implementation of Patient Safety Alerts by NHS Trusts. These alerts are issued by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) about known problems that have repeatedly caused harm or killed patients, and which can be avoided if the actions in the alerts are implemented. The report finds: 195 NHS trusts had not complied with at least one patient safety alert for which the deadline had already past. This is almost 50% of all NHS trusts. Of the 9 extra-urgent “Rapid Response Report” alerts issued in 2010 and which are already past the deadline for completion, not a single one has been complied ... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158855 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:01:12 +0100 5158855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158856&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F23%2Fhow-to-guide-improving-transitions-from-the-hospital-to-the-clinical-office-practice-to-reduce-avoidable-rehospitalizations%2F Scan or click to download 'How-to Guide: Improving Transitions from the Hospital to the Clinical Office Practice to Reduce Avoidable Rehospitalizations' Title: How-to Guide Improving Transitions from the Hospital to the Clinical Office Practice to Reduce Avoidable Rehospitalizations The Skinny: Guide from Institute for Health Improvement on avoiding avoidable rehospitalisations as a result of poor co-ordination of care settings. Avoiding this is a key step toward achieving broader delivery system transformation. Based on the healthcare system of the USA this guide is of use to those looking at primary care and community settings. Publisher: Institute for Health Improvement Published: August 2011 Filed under: Ooops Missed Category! Tagged: Clinical Governance, Collaboration, Coord... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158856 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 09:53:48 +0100 5158856 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158857&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F23%2Fhow-to-guide-improving-transitions-from-the-hospital-to-post-acute-care-settings-to-reduce-avoidable-rehospitalizations%2F Scan or click to download 'How-to Guide Improving Transitions from the Hospital to Post-Acute Care Settings to Reduce Avoidable Rehospitalizations' Title: How-to Guide Improving Transitions from the Hospital to Post-Acute Care Settings to Reduce Avoidable Rehospitalizations The Skinny: Guide from Institute for Health Improvement on avoiding avoidable rehospitalisations as a result of poor co-ordination of care settings. Avoiding this is a key step toward achieving broader delivery system transformation. Based on the healthcare system of the USA this guide is of use to those looking at intermediate care/rehabilitation settings. Publisher: Institute for Health Improvement Published: August 2011 Size: 144p. Filed under: Ooops Missed Category! Tagged: Clinical Governance, finance, Gr... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158857 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 08:27:37 +0100 5158857 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158858&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F23%2Fhow-to-guide-improving-transitions-from-the-hospital-to-home-health-care-to-reduce-avoidable-rehospitalizations%2F Scan or click to download 'How-to Guide: Improving Transitions from the Hospital to Home Health Care to Reduce Avoidable Rehospitalizations' Title: How-to Guide: Improving Transitions from the Hospital to Home Health Care to Reduce Avoidable Rehospitalizations The Skinny: Guide from Institute for Health Improvement on avoiding avoidable rehospitalisations as a result of poor co-ordination of care settings. Avoiding this is a key step toward achieving broader delivery system transformation. Based on the healthcare system of the USA this guide is of use to those looking to aviod rehospitalisation on return to the community detailing initial steps to create an enhanced transition to home health care in the first 48 hours after the patient is discharged from the hospital, a post-acut... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158858 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 07:59:04 +0100 5158858 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159009&cid=t_91127_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2Fs7S_ZPgTeFY%2F A case-based Q&A on the assessment and management of patients presenting with suspected rectal foreign bodies. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159009 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 00:00:50 +0100 5159009 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159670&cid=t_91127_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F22%2Fparp-inhibitor-olaparib-has-activity-in-high-grade-serous-ovarian-cancer-without-inherited-brca1-or-brca2-gene-mutations%2F Researchers affiliated with the British Columbia Cancer Agency reported Phase 2 clinical study results indicating that advanced ovarian cancer, with and without germline (inherited) BRCA 1 or BRCA 2 gene mutations, responded to treatment with the PARP inhibitor olaparib. The Phase 2 study results were published online in the August 21 edition of The Lancet [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159670 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 18:39:54 +0100 5159670 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159205&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F22%2Fthe-myth-of-the-one-and-other-relationship-fantasies%2F Psychologist Jason Seidel, Psy.D, has heard partners lament all-too often: “This isn’t the person I married” or “I’m worried this person isn’t perfect for me.” And you know what? They’re probably right. But there’s more to relationships than a partner who remains the perfect fit your entire life. Seidel explains more about the myth of the perfect partner and other relationship fantasies. 1. Myth: Your partner will always be the one. Fact: There is no “once-and-for-all best match,” said Seidel, founder and director of The Colorado Center for Clinical Excellence in Denver. People and relationships rarely remain static. So that once great fit may “become broken, stale or wrong for [you].” In fact, according to Seidel, as you continue to grow in your life, you might ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159205 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 10:47:51 +0100 5159205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159011&cid=t_91127_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2Fn0G9RlORbGY%2F A 76 year-old man presents with a florid spreading violaceous rash over most of his body...what is your differential diagnosis? (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159011 Sun, 21 Aug 2011 23:51:36 +0100 5159011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158863&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F21%2Fpubmeds-higher-sensitivity-than-ovid-medline-other-published-cliches%2F Is it just me, or are biomedical papers about searching for a systematic review often of low quality or just too damn obvious? I’m seldom excited about papers dealing with optimal search strategies or peculiarities of PubMed, even though it is my specialty. It is my impression, that many of the lower quality and/or less relevant papers are [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158863 Sun, 21 Aug 2011 19:21:49 +0100 5158863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159206&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F21%2Fthe-other-side-of-the-placebo-effect%2F This is the second in a pair of articles on the placebo effect. Nocebo is sometimes referred to as “placebo’s evil twin,” or the “negative placebo effect.”  It’s also sometimes described as “the other side of placebo.”   The nocebo effect can be defined as a negative effect that occurs after receiving treatment (therapy, medication), even when the treatment is inert (inactive, sham). It is important to note that negative effects seen when taking active substances, reported as drug side effects, can often be at least partly attributed to a a combination of effects from the substance’s constituents (specifics), and those from nocebo effects (non-specifics). Studies suggest that nocebo effects can contribute appreciably to a variety of medic... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159206 Sun, 21 Aug 2011 12:47:27 +0100 5159206 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140181&cid=t_91127_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F18%2Fu-k-researchers-launch-clinical-trial-of-mercaptopurine-6-mp-in-women-with-hereditary-breast-and-ovarian-cancer%2F A Cancer Research UK-funded clinical trial of a new drug for patients with advanced breast or ovarian cancer due to inherited BRCA gene mutations has been launched at the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre at the University of Oxford. A Cancer Research UK-funded trial of a new drug for patients with advanced breast or ovarian cancer [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140181 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:07:56 +0100 5140181 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139624&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F18%2Fsarcoma-measures-for-the-manual-for-cancer-services%2F Title: Sarcoma: Measures for the Manual for Cancer Services Scan or click to download ‘Sarcoma Measures for the Manual for Cancer Services’ The Skinny: Dear collegue letter announcing that Sarcoma Measures are being issued today as part of the Manual for Cancer Services. A copy of the measures can be found in the Cancer Section on the Department of Health web-site or the CQuINS web-site www.cquins.nhs.uk. Publisher: DH Published: 09/08/11 Size: 2p Filed under: Ooops Missed Category! Tagged: Cancer, Clinical Governance, Commissioning, Grey Literature, Health Outcomes, Management control, Monitoring of standards, Neoplasms, NHS Circulars, Outcomes, Patient outcomes, Performance monitoring, Quality, Quality Assurance, Quality assurance in health services, Quality control, Sarc... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139624 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:42:35 +0100 5139624 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139626&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F18%2Fsafe-and-sustainable-review-of-childrens-congenital-heart-services-in-england-interim-health-impact-assessment%2F Title: Safe and sustainable: Review of Children’s Congenital Heart Services in England Interim Health Impact Assessment Scan or click to download ‘Safe and sustainable: Safe and sustainable: Review of Children’s Congenital Heart Services in England Interim Health Impact Assessment’ The Skinny: Looks at the impact of moving to Congenital heart networks as the new model of care to ensure that in future care for children and young people with congenital heart disease are better coordinated. Within the new model of care, each network would include a Specialist Surgical Centre, a Children’s Cardiology Centre and District Children’s Cardiology Services. It states that concentrating surgical expertise onto fewer sites and bringing non-surgical care closer to home wi... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139626 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:38:06 +0100 5139626 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140316&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fturning-a-static-print-ad-into-a-video-lessons-for-the-clinical-lab-industry.html A recent full-page advertisement in the New York Times by Goldman Sachs reminded me how an embedded QR code can greatly enhance its value. Adjacent to the QR code at the bottom of the page was the following caption: Watch the story on your smartphone. To interpret a QR code that appears in a print print ad such as this one on my smartphone, I launch Google Goggles and snap an image of the barcode. The app then interprets the QR bar code, displays the URL for the web site, and then navigates, at my command, to the on-line video. You get the basic idea. Here's a short explanation of QR codes (see: QR code): A QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code) is a specific matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) that is readable by dedicated QR readers, smartphones, and, to a less common ex... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140316 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 12:30:21 +0100 5140316 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139934&cid=t_91127_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FMRIneOML2vQ%2F As I heard at AHIMA’s Legal EHR Summit earlier this week, clinical decision support isn’t a perfect science. (Check InformationWeek Healthcare for coverage on Thursday or Friday.) This is especially true when doctors rely too much on Google and don’t actually verify what they find on the Internet. This may sound hard to believe, but not everything posted online is true. Now, the notion that doctors guess with Google has made its way onto the funny pages, specifically in the cartoon Sherman’s Lagoon. To wit:     Hopefully, your own doctor is more qualified than Hawthorne. Related posts:Tasteless joke, but kind of on the mark How doctors use Twitter RIP, Google Health, doomed to fail from the start (Source: Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog) Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139934 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 05:41:54 +0100 5139934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140334&cid=t_91127_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F18%2Feducation-or-a-cognitive-behavioural-approach%2F In this study by Day, Thorn & Kapoor, the two approaches were used with a group of people from a rural area, with relatively low socio-economic status, and a reading grade level of about 8.  Both groups received a group-based programme of 10 sessions of 90 minutes.  They both received a workbook and additional reading material.  The CBT group had home-learning and also participated in behavioural activities such as relaxation in-session, while the education group did not. Interestingly, this study presents qualitative information on how participants experienced the sessions, rather than outcomes measures, so it’s difficult to establish whether pain, disability, mood or acceptance were influenced.  Instead it presents thematic analysis from in-depth interviews of the participa... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140334 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:35:42 +0100 5140334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139627&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F17%2Flocal-square-table-learning-and-evaluation-report%2F Title: Local square table learning and evaluation report Scan or click to download 'Local square table learning and evaluation report' The Skinny: Reports on the findings of open and honest discussion and increased understanding between those who provide children’s palliative care, those who experience it and those that play a wider part in supporting children, young people and families in a particular community. Finds that: Awareness and language is seen as a barrier to service access Parents say they struggle with the current assessment process Partnership working is seen as key to ensuring the best outcomes for lifelimited and life-threatened children and young people Workforce training and development is considered a priority by parents and professionals Parents f... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139627 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:43:14 +0100 5139627 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140317&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fthe-most-important-iphone-app-for-pathologists.html In response to a blog note about iPhone ecosystems (see: The iPhone Effect: Smartphones and Their App Ecosystems Have Changed Everything), a reader, Christopher Metts, asked the following question as a comment: If [you] wanted to create an app for a practicing pathologist, what do you think it should do? It's an interesting question and, for me, the answer seems to be obvious.  However, I need to qualify my answer. First, it will encompass all smart phones and not just the iPhone as well as tablets such as the iPad. Secondly. my response will include two broad functions rather than specific app products. Various apps with these functionalities do exist but I don't want to single out any of them. The two functional categories that come to mind for smartphone/tablets that will ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140317 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:42:01 +0100 5140317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139633&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F17%2Fdiagnostic-tool-for-emerging-clinical-commissioning-groups%2F Title: Diagnostic tool for emerging clinical commissioning groups Scan or click to download ‘Diagnostic tool for emerging clinical commissioning groups’ The Skinny: A developmental, self-assessment tool to enable emerging clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to understand and reflect upon their values, culture, behaviours and wider organisational health has been issued as an Excel spreadsheet. It allows CCG leadership teams to assess the capability of their emerging CCG across six domains, identify their development needs and access further resources and examples of good practice. The tool is intended to encourage conversations about the roles and responsibilities that will be expected of CCGs as statutory bodies and their readiness to take these on. It includes some of the ... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139633 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:35:50 +0100 5139633 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139747&cid=t_91127_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2Fa1y67ymUsQ4%2F A review of the literature on the assessment and management of the patient suffering from cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139747 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:00:35 +0100 5139747 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130645&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F15%2Fnhs-outcomes-framework-innovation-in-outcomes-competition%2F Scan or click to download 'NHS Outcomes Framework: Innovation in Outcomes competition' Title: NHS Outcomes Framework: Innovation in Outcomes competition The Skinny: Details of a competition the Department of Health are running to invite people to suggest new, innovative indicators for the NHS Outcomes Framework, both where gaps exist in the current framework and in broader areas for future frameworks. Online Entry at http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/entercomp/ Publisher: DH Size: 23p. Published: 09/02/11 Filed under: Ooops Missed Category! Tagged: Audit, Clinical Audit, Grey Literature, Health Outcomes, Management operations, Monitoring, Monitoring of standards, Outcomes, Patient outcomes, Performance monitoring, Service monitoring (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130645 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:27:13 +0100 5130645 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130646&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F15%2Fsafe-effective-service-improvement-delivering-the-safety-and-productivity-agenda-in-healthcare-using-a-lean-approach%2F Title: Safe & Effective Service Improvement: Delivering the safety and productivity agenda in healthcare using a Lean approach Scan to download Safe and Effective Service Improvement: Delivering the safety and productivity agenda in healthcare using a Lean approach. The Skinny: Guide for those with a responsibility for safety and productivity working in healthcare organisations, introducing the concept that Lean can, and already is, being used to tackle both of these important agendas. Aims to show that an absence of “Lean Thinking” inside healthcare organisations can lead to increased patient safety risks. Tackling patient safety incidents in all their many forms, from near misses through to events that cause severe harm or even death, is a priority for healthcare organisations. I... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130646 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:21:41 +0100 5130646 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130647&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F15%2Fthe-functions-of-gp-commissioning-consortia-a-working-document%2F Scan to download 'The functions of GP commissioning consortia: a working document' Title: The functions of GP commissioning consortia: a working document The Skinny: Document that describes the proposed statutory functions of GP consortia to support GPs in establishing consortia (as a summary of the content of the Health and Social Care Bill 2011and providing illustrative examples), it identifies: the proposed key statutory duties of consortia (the ‘must dos’) the proposed key statutory powers (the things consortia have the freedom to do, if they wish, to help meet these duties) illustrative examples of what this could look like in the future Filed under: Ooops Missed Category! Tagged: Audit, Clinical Audit, Commissioning, Grey Literature, Health care, Health servic... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130647 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:16:35 +0100 5130647 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130648&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F15%2Fevaluation-of-nurse-and-pharmacist-independent-prescribing-executive-summary%2F Title: Evaluation of nurse and pharmacist independent prescribing Scan or click to download this document The Skinny: Study carried out in England by the Universities of Southampton and Keele evaluates nurse and pharmacist independent prescribing in order to inform planning for current and future prescribers. The report concludes that nurse and pharmacist independent prescribing is becoming a well-integrated and established means of managing patients’ conditions and providing them with the medicines they need. The research also reports that Nurse and Pharmacist Independent Prescribers are operating safely and prescribing appropriately and that there are high levels of satisfaction among patients being treated by them. Publisher: DH Size: 7p. Published: 11th May 2011 Additional Documents:... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130648 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:08:48 +0100 5130648 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130649&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F15%2Fpeeling-the-onion-learning-tips-and-tools-from-the-health-inequalities-scrutiny-programme%2F Title: Peeling the onion: Learning, tips and tools from the Health Inequalities Scrutiny Programme Click or scan to download 'Peeling the onion: Learning, tips and tools from the Health Inequalities Scrutiny Programme' The Skinny: Report from the Centre for Public Scrutiny considering best practice in scrutiny of health inequalities by offering tips and tools from the Health Inequalities Scrutiny Programme. Topics covered are: Scrutiny and health inequalities The health inequalities challenge – and scrutiny Scrutiny and health inequalities – a public health perspective A benchmark for effective scrutiny of health inequalities Key attributes Vision, leadership and drive Community & stakeholder engagement Partnership working Local understanding Being systematic Mon... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130649 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:00:54 +0100 5130649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130653&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F15%2Facute-care-toolkit-for-handover%2F Scan or click to download Title: Acute Medicine Toolkit May 2011 The Skinny: Royal College of Physicians toolkit on handover in acute settings which includes concise practical guidance to enhance patient safety, medical effectiveness and high quality service and training within current working patterns. Publisher: RCP Published: 11/07/11 Size: 4p. Additional Documents Handover Proceedings Sheet Out of Hours Handover Filed under: Ooops Missed Category! Tagged: Clinical Governance, Communication, Grey Literature, Information exchange, Information management, Information transfer, Management, Medical communication, Medical information exchange, Medical Staff, Patient Safety, Quality, Quality control, Quality Improvement, Safety (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130653 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:36:35 +0100 5130653 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130657&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F15%2Fpiloting-payment-by-results-for-drugs-recovery-%25e2%2580%2593-draft-outcome-definitions%2F Title: Piloting Payment by Results for Drugs Recovery – draft outcome definitions Scan or click to download 'Piloting Payment by Results for Drugs Recovery – draft outcome definitions' The Skinny: The Government has set the following high-level outcomes: Free from drug(s) of dependence Offending Employment Health and well-being A Co-design Group has developed proposals to measure these outcomes and set eligibility criteria and now invites comments from the sector on draft proposals. Publisher: DH Published: 13/07/11 Size: 13p. Filed under: Ooops Missed Category! Tagged: Addiction, Addiction units, Alcohol Abuse, Alcohol abuse services, Alcohol and drug consumption, Clinical Governance, Drug Abuse, Drugs of Abuse, Grey Literature, Health Outcomes, Health Services, Outcomes, ... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130657 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:04:28 +0100 5130657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130660&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F15%2Fkeeping-patients-safe-when-they-transfer-between-care-providers-%25e2%2580%2593-getting-the-medicines-right-good-practice-guidance-for-healthcare-professions%2F Title: Keeping patients safe when they transfer between care providers – getting the medicines right: Good practice guidance for healthcare professions Scan or Click to download 'Keeping patients safe when they transfer between care providers – getting the medicines right: Good practice guidance for healthcare professions' The Skinny: Guidance from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on the safe and effective transfer of information about patients’ medicines. The guidance contains high level core principles and responsibilities that underpin the safe transfer of information about medicines whenever a patient transfers care providers both internally within an organisation or externally, at any point in the care pathway. Publisher: Royal Pharmaceutical Society Published: 13/07/1... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130660 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 13:53:30 +0100 5130660 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139644&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F14%2Frip-statistician-paul-meier-foster-parent-not-father-of-the-rct%2F This headline in Boing Boing caught my eye today:  RIP Paul Meier, father of the randomized trial Not surprisingly, I knew that Paul Meier (with Kaplan) introduced the Kaplan-Meier estimator (1958), a very important tool for measuring how many patients survive a medical treatment. But I didn’t know he was “father of the randomized trial”…. But is he really?: [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139644 Sun, 14 Aug 2011 21:55:48 +0100 5139644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130671&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F14%2Frip-statistician-paul-meier-foster-parent-not-father-of-the-rct%2F This headline in Boing Boing caught my eye today:  RIP Paul Meier, father of the randomized trial Not surprisingly, I knew that Paul Meier (with Kaplan) introduced the Kaplan-Meier estimator (1958), a very important tool for measuring how many patients survive a medical treatment. But I didn’t know he was “father of the randomized trial”…. But is he really?: [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130671 Sun, 14 Aug 2011 21:55:48 +0100 5130671 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125923&cid=t_91127_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F12%2Ffda-approves-clinical-protocol-for-additional-phase-1-study-of-tkm-plk1-in-primary-liver-cancer-or-liver-metastases%2F The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the clinical protocol for an additional Phase 1 study of TKM-PLK1 in patients with either primary liver cancer or liver metastases associated with select cancers including ovarian. RNA Interference Nucleic acids are molecules that carry genetic information and include DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid). Together these [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125923 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 19:03:27 +0100 5125923 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107524&cid=t_91127_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FICAkkGS28sM%2F Blitter is a clinical search engine with content highlighted by clinicians who blog or tweet. If they think it's important enough to comment on, we consider it great content. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107524 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 07:22:41 +0100 5107524 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097116&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fgenes-and-not-lifestyle-major-contributor-to-long-life.html All of your have certainly seen articles in which a centenarian is interviewed by a reporter, usually on his or her birthday, and asked for the secret elixir of long life. The usual response is something like "a shot of whiskey a day" or even vigorous daily walks. I have always had a hunch that the secret to long life was mainly in the genes. A recent article addressed the topic of longevity and genes (see: Genes, Not Healthy Living, Get Most to Age 100) New research suggests that your life choices might not be the crucial factor in determining whether you make it to 95 or beyond; it finds that many extremely old people appear to have been as bad as everyone else at indulging in poor health habits during their younger years. Of course, don't take this as an excuse to blow off... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097116 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 14:14:00 +0100 5097116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096204&cid=t_91127_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-perspective-of-the-clinical-trial-that-you-need-to-know%2F2011.08.04 There are big companies like Quintiles that run clinical trials around the world. There are local clinics that specialize in clinical trials and make a lot of money at it. There are, of course, pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers who depend upon the results to gain marketing approval for new products. People in all those groups know a lot about trials. But the perspective that counts is the view from you and me – patients. Most of us do not enroll in clinical trials. We don’t want to get too up close and personal with anything “experimental.” And often our doctors never tell us about available trials anyway since it can be a lot of paperwork for them. Given that most people don’t enroll in trials and new science is delayed because of it and also because most people ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096204 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 18:00:38 +0100 5096204 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096342&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F03%2Fintroducing-the-private-practice-toolbox%2F Running a successful private practice can be increasing difficult in today’s competitive environment, especially as some practitioners begin to embrace technology and social media. Should therapists tweet? How can therapists manage their professional persona on Facebook or other social networks? What should you do if a client contacts you through Facebook or email? In short, how can you stay on top of all of these practice trends? Well, good news — that’s what the Private Practice Toolbox is intended to help with. Led by one of our Ask the Therapists, Julie Hanks, MSW, LCSW, BCD. Julie is a graduate from the University of Utah’s Master of Social Work program in 1995, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work (BCD), and is Board Certi... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096342 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:10:10 +0100 5096342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097118&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fmara-aspinall-appointed-president-of-roches-ventana-medical-systems.html An important new executive appointment has recently occurred -- Mara Aspinall, a well-known expert in the diagnostics industry, has been appointed president of Roche's Ventana Medical Systems (see: Roche Appoints Mara G. Aspinall President of Ventana Medical Systems), Below is an excerpt from the press release: Ventana Medical Systems..., a member of the Roche Group, announced...the appointment of Mara Aspinall to the role of President, Ventana Medical Systems.  Aspinall was most recently Founder, President, and CEO of On-Q-ity, a start-up diagnostics company focused on circulating tumor cell technology. Prior to this, Aspinall spent twelve years with Genzyme Corporation where she held senior leadership roles such as President of Genzyme Genetics and President of Pharmaceuticals.... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097118 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:46:12 +0100 5097118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125920&cid=t_91127_136_f&fid=35300&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmetastatic-liver-cancer%2F%7E3%2FCPR6Bu2CaKM%2F The clinical trial to treat primary and secondary liver cancer with the drug ALN-VSP from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals is ready to start phase 2 using its highest dose. ALN-VSP is a drug that limits the ability of cancer cells to make proteins used to form their blood vessels. This will lead to less blood flow to [...] (Source: Metastatic liver cancer) Metastatic liver cancer blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125920 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 13:11:26 +0100 5125920 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097140&cid=t_91127_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F02%2Fmore-managing-migraines-without-medication%2F Anyone familiar with migraine will know the first signs of an impending attack. What might be a little less familiar is the precursor to the “first signs”, and what may also be unfamiliar is the thoughts that accompany those first symptoms. Today I want to talk about ways to manage this phase of a migraine – without medication. As an aside, some people have suggested that there are ways to completely get rid of migraine, often suggesting that one of the problems could be around the numerous nerves that innervate the face, neck and scalp. One of the common suggestions is to have chiropractic or osteopathic treatment to “do something” to the nerves in this area. I put the “do something” in quotation marks because I really don’t know what the so... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097140 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 18:30:04 +0100 5097140 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077773&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2F6sS4sxfqvDo%2F URL: http://www.jeffstanden.net/Jeff Standen is a psychology professor. His website is chock full of useful bits of psychology information. Listed on the Jeff Standen website are: links to web resources and other websites that you will find useful, as well as links to recent items of topical interest Links to interactive pages with quizzes, challenges and revision pointers. For: Anyone, StudentsTopics: Academia, Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Educational Psychology, General Psychology, Health Psychology, Life, Mental Health, OCR Level-A Psychology, Social Psychology, Teaching PsychologyFeatures: Articles, File Sharing, Information, Links, Resources, e-learning Jeff Standen is a psychology professor.  His website is chock full of useful bits of psychology information. Listed... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077773 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:00:53 +0100 5077773 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077768&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F29%2Fdbs-for-depression-still-mixed-results%2F Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a treatment long used for Parkinson’s disease. But in the past decade, some researchers have also examined its use for the treatment of severe clinical depression. Severe major depression is a serious problem in society, because some studies estimate that up to 30 percent of those who attempt to be treated for it find they have “treatment resistant” depression — that is, traditional treatments simply don’t work very well. Deep brain stimulation has mixed results. As we reported on back in February, a long-term followup of 20 patients found an average response rate to DBS of 64 percent. Not shabby, but also not the hopeful, guaranteed cure it was once held out to be. Maiken Scott, the behavioral health reporter for Philadelphia... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077768 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:39:07 +0100 5077768 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069534&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FsjrXBlug4Do%2F URL: http://www.psychdomain.com/Welcome to PsychDomain! The goal of this website is to provide psychology students and faculty with up-to-date, relevant, and informative psychology related links, videos, interactions and images. Use the Content by Area navigation on the left to search for content by psychology area. Alternatively, use the the Tag Cloud below to browse the content. For: Anyone, Consumers, ResearchersTopics: Abnormal, Academia, Attachment, Behaviour Management, Clinical Decision Making, Clinical Psychology, Common Factors, Depression, Life, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Mental Health Promotion, Social SupportFeatures: Articles, Collaborative News, Community and Social Networking, Information, Links, e-learningWelcome to PsychDomain! The goal of this website is to provide psychol... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069534 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 17:00:38 +0100 5069534 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069821&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FixYMOtPCKNc%2F THIS POST RAN LAST NIGHT, BUT FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT KNOW… This is every drugmaker’s nightmare. The pharmaceutical industry has been put on alert by the FDA that any clinical tests conducted between April 2005 and June 2010 by a contract research organization called Cetero Research may have to be reevaluated because two FDA inspections and an outside audit found falsified data and manipulated samples. There were “significant instances” of misconduct, the FDA says. “This misconduct appears to be significant enough to cast doubt on the data generated…If the foundation of the laboratory is corrupt, then the data generated will be also,” according to the auditor. The FDA adds that Cetero also failed to conduct an adequate internal investigation to determine the... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069821 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:42:35 +0100 5069821 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069825&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FRqwvmj9MSCs%2F As drugmakers scramble to replenish their pipelines, they are encountering all sorts of difficulties, including rising costs for clinical trials. And this is happening across all phases. Why? There is increasing competition for trial sites and clinical research organizations that can yield reliable, high quality data, according to a recent survey. And so, 32 percent of those surveyed pointed to higher costs for enrolling patients and 25 percent cited vendor fees. Expenses for recruiting trial sites was named by 14 percent, followed by 12 percent who fingered technology costs, according to Cutting Edge Information, which surveyed 21 drugmakers, 12 biotechs, nine device makers and 23 contract research organizations. Meanwhile, staffing for drug development is rising. For instance, Phase IV ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069825 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:39:41 +0100 5069825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069843&cid=t_91127_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F26%2Fmanaging-migraines-without-medication%2F Ahhh, migraine – psychedelia without the high… nausea without the alcohol… The diagnostic criteria: A) At least 5 attacks fulfilling B-D; B) lasting untreated 4-74 hours; C) two of the following: unilateral, pulsating, moderate or severe pain intensity, worsening with physical activity; D) one of the following: nausea and/or vomiting, photophobia or phonophobia; E) not attributed to another disorder. (International Classification of headache disorders, 2004) (go here for one of the most comprehensive sites on migraine) The main treatment for migraine is to use medication – best evidence to date suggests:  “Only two pharmacological treatments have been shown to be effective in placebo-controlled randomized trials: topiramate and local injection of botulinum to... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069843 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 01:42:59 +0100 5069843 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062240&cid=t_91127_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhich-generation-of-physicians-uses-the-most-mobile-technology%2F2011.07.25 Smartphones and tablets have reached 80% of physicians across all practice types, locations and years in practice, and 25% of users are “Super Mobile” physicians who use both types of mobile devices. This is far beyond the general population’s 50% adoption of smartphones and 5% adoption of tablets. QuantiaMd, a free, online learning collaborative, released survey results that showed 44% of physicians who do not yet have a mobile device intend to buy one this year. While younger physicians have higher adoption rates than older ones, current use of mobile devices by physicians longest in practice is above 60%, the survey showed. Among physicians with 30 years or more of practice, almost 20% already use a tablet device for work, and another 25% say they are extremely likely ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062240 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:00:00 +0100 5062240 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062500&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FdI34cgVq2EI%2F After two decades during which complaints have mounted over various aspects of clinical trials, the US Department of Health & Human Services has issued a proposal that would, presumably, better protect clinical trial subjects. There are various suggestions, but include improving consent forms for participants and mandating the use of a single institutional review board for multi-study sites. “The current regulations governing human subjects research were developed years ago when research was predominantly conducted at universities, colleges, and medical institutions, and each study generally took place at only a single site,” the HHS states in its proposal, which indicates comments can be submitted for 60 days as of July 25 - which is today - according to an HHS spokeswoma... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062500 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 14:16:58 +0100 5062500 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062501&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FBxxWwaHNRcQ%2F Hello, everyone. How was your weekend? We apologize for the delay this morning but the Pharmalot corporate campus was without juice, so we have had to switch to our Red Alert mode. We trust you understand. To cope, we are downing unusually large cups of stimulation. Meanwhile, here are some tidbits. And the usual flow of interesting items will soon appear. Have a great day… Bayer’s Xarelto Bloodthinner Matched Warfarin In Safety Study (Bloomberg News) FDA Rejects J&J’s Simponi For Additional Use (Associated Press) Prescription Drug Prices To Plunge As Patents Expire (Associated Press) Medicis CEO In The Spotlight After Deaths At His Mansion (Los Angeles Times) Express Scripts Deal With Medco Could Pressure Pharma (Dow Jones) Lupin And Medicis Sign R&D Agreement ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062501 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:48:52 +0100 5062501 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062293&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F25%2Fchange-in-relationships-what-to-do-when-your-partner-changes%2F Your once sort of neat partner becomes a sloppy mess. Or they start spending more time on the golf course. Or worse, when you first met they wanted to have children, but now say they’re not interested. What do you do when your partner changes in small or big ways? Here, Terri Orbuch, Ph.D, clinical psychologist and author of 5 Simple Steps to Take Your Marriage from Good to Great, offers her insight on change in relationships. Myths about Change It’s a myth that people or relationships don’t change, Orbuch said. In fact, it’s inevitable. Relationships go through different developmental stages and situations, such as job loss, health problems, financial issues and family conflict. So it’s natural for changes to occur. Another myth, according to Orbuch, is that change is bad. So m... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062293 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 11:48:21 +0100 5062293 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062246&cid=t_91127_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhow-effective-are-antidepressants%2F2011.07.24 Antidepressant drugs have been getting a bad rap in the media. I’ll just give 3 examples: On the Today show, prominent medical expert Tom Cruise told us Brooke Shields shouldn’t have taken these drugs for her postpartum depression. In Natural News, “Health Ranger” Mike Adams accused pharmaceutical companies and the FDA of covering up negative information about antidepressants, saying it would be considered criminal activity in any other industry. And an article in Newsweek said  “Studies suggest that the popular drugs are no more effective than a placebo. In fact, they may be worse.” Yet psychiatrists are convinced that antidepressants work and are still routinely prescribing them for their patients. Is it all a Big Pharma plot? Who ya gonna believe? Inquiring minds want ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062246 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 16:00:36 +0100 5062246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057722&cid=t_91127_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-new-details-about-the-fda-regulation-of-mhealth-apps%2F2011.07.23 Since the beginning of this year, there have been clues that the FDA will be heading toward clarification of the complex regulatory issues posed by mobile health devices and software. We have previously reported on testimony and public comments by Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the  FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) alluding to coming guidelines. Today, the FDA finally released a detailed draft guidance of how it intends to regulate this rapidly exploding sector of mobile medical devices and software. This is what the Emergo group, regulatory compliance consultants, has gleaned from today’s FDA press release: (more…) *This blog post was originally published at iMedicalApps* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057722 Sat, 23 Jul 2011 16:00:04 +0100 5057722 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5057936&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fascp-job-market-in-pathology.html A recent article on fellowship training in pathology got me thinking about the number of years of postgraduate training that is required for training in pathology and also the job market (see: 2011 Fellowship & Job Market Surveys), Below is an excerpt from the article: Each year the ASCP Resident Council directs [a] survey on fellowships and the job market for pathologists in training, both residents and fellows....This year, 2,591 residents participated in the survey. Competition is tight for fellowships. Similar to both the 2009 and 2010 results, slightly more than half of residents (54 percent) received one fellowship offer; 21 percent received two fellowship offers. But 12 percent of applicants received no offers (up from 10 percent last year). While 59 percent of residents intend ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5057936 Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:00:51 +0100 5057936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051260&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fclinical-trials-for-early-detection-of-alzheimers-disease-planned.html From a diagnostic perspective, one of the hottest current issues is the early detection of Alzheimer's disease. The volume of testing for Alzheimer's will undoubtedly be large so that the commercial market for a lab test will be attractive (see: Diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease with Imaging and Biomarkers). Also, obtaining a population of patients with documented early disease is critical in the development of clinical trials for early drug treatment. Below is an excerpt from an article about early testing for three gene mutations (see: Clinical trials to detect Alzheimer’s 20 years before dementia onset planned): Inherited forms of Alzheimer’s disease may be detectable as many as 20 years before problems with memory and thinking develop....Identifying Alzheimer’s in its ea... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051260 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:51:44 +0100 5051260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050715&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F07%2F21%2Ftaking-your-teen-to-a-therapist%2F It’s hard enough knowing when you need to see a therapist and navigating the entire process from picking a professional to making the most of your time once you do. (Here are some tips, by the way.) But doing this for your teen can seem outright overwhelming. Educating yourself on the process, however, helps immensely. Below, clinical psychologist John Duffy, Psy.D, who works with teens and authored the book The Available Parent: Radical Optimism for Raising Teens and Tweens, discusses everything from telltale signs to see a therapist to talking to your child to making the most of therapy. When Your Teen Needs Therapy According to Duffy, the time to take your teen to a therapist is “when you note a marked change in either her affect, her behavior, or both,” especially “if the chan... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050715 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 12:06:53 +0100 5050715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050931&cid=t_91127_125_f&fid=34820&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dentalblogs.com%2Farchives%2Fadministrator-2%2Fmastering-the-bite-doctoring-the-patient%2F Do you consider “neuromuscular dentistry” a bad word, but you’re not exactly sure why? The truth of the matter is that neuromuscular principles, e.g. a comfortable bite, can help you deliver longer-lasting results and contribute to happier, healthier patients. After all, who wants to live with headaches, bruxism, and chronic tooth wear? The Academy of Comprehensive Esthetics understands that dentists are sometimes hesitant about all the neuromuscular bruhaha. At their upcoming conference “ACE Bite Camp,” they’ll dispel common myths about neuromuscular dentistry, explain the theories and principles, and most importantly, show how you can market TMD treatment to your patients in an easy-to-understand fashion. Conference goals include: Delivering a new set of clinical skills for ... dental blog for dentists about dentistry blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050931 Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:55:56 +0100 5050931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5051262&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Forchard-integrated-diagnostics.html Integrated diagnostics can be achieved by breaking down the sub-specialty silos in the diagnostic specialties like pathology, laboratory medicine, and radiology. The current standard of practice is to present the procedure and test-ordering clinicians with individualized reports from the various specialty labs (e.g., surgical pathology, immunology, microbiology) and radiology units like MRI and CT. This approach results from the super-specialization and subdivision of the diagnostics specialties. Under the integrated diagnostics mantra, the goal of integrating the diverse diagnostic reports is moved upstream and becomes the responsibility of the diagnosticians themselves rather than the clinicians. In my mind, the first major movement toward integrated diagnostics on the manufacturing side... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5051262 Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:38:01 +0100 5051262 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036280&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FILnQI1hFutw%2F URL: http://www.synergyservices.org/Ending violence in our community requires a comprehensive approach of efforts to provide safe places for victims of violence, to empower survivors to rise above their circumstances and to educate the entire community. Through integrated programs in the areas of residential services, clinical services and community education, Synergy touched more than 40,000 people last year. For: Anyone, ConsumersTopics: Anger, Anxiety, Behaviour Management, Child and Adolescent, Clinical Psychology, Depression, Emotional Health, Insomnia, Life, Lifestyle, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Quality of Life, Self-help, Solution Focused, StressFeatures: Collaborative News, Information Ending violence in our community requires a comprehensive approach of efforts to provide... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036280 Sat, 16 Jul 2011 17:00:23 +0100 5036280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029205&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fm__LsA3oi6M%2F In the latest move by the Republican-dominated legislature in Maine to undo laws that have made the pharmaceutical industry uncomfortable, three bills were repealed this week that required drugmakers to report three things: marketing costs, prices subject to the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program and negative findings in clinical trials. The action follows an effort last month to repeal a 2003 law that was created to prevent pharmacy benefit managers from switching patients to more expensive drugs and protect consumers from co-payments when actual drug prices are cheaper (back story). Taken together, Maine Democrats say the various repeals will roll back important patient safety protections. “It’s part of the pro-pharma agenda being pushed in Maine these days,” says Sharon Trea... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029205 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:08:47 +0100 5029205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036281&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2F6atk8blu67A%2F URL: http://eprints.utas.edu.au/287/The aim of this ‘download’ is to present the basics of mental disorders. The target population is medical students, but general public readers may also find it useful. The mental disorders form a huge, mysterious and problematic body of knowledge. For: Anyone, Consumers, Clinicians, ResearchersTopics: Anger, Anxiety, Behaviour Management, Child and Adolescent, Clinical Psychology, Depression, Emotional Health, Insomnia, Life, Lifestyle, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Quality of Life, Self-help, Solution Focused, Stress, Abnormal, Behaviour Management, Forensic, General Psychology, Mental Health, PsychiatryFeatures: Collaborative News, Information, Clinical Tools, Databases, Information, e-learning, ebook The aim of this ‘download&#... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036281 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:00:37 +0100 5036281 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029209&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FIeHKxZD7Sj0%2F And so another working week is about to draw to a close. This is, of course, our signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda includes another installment in the ‘Let’s-See-Them-Before-They-Die‘ concert series, hanging with the short people and catching up on some sleep. And you? Perhaps this is a chance to mow the lawn or read an e-Book? Maybe you want to ponder the future without a debt deal in Washington? Whatever you do, have a great time and be safe. Catch you soon… Valeant Pharma To Buy Janssen Dermatology Portfolio (Associated Press) FDA Questions Safety of Experimental Bristol & Astra Diabetes Drug (Reuters) Eric Cantor And PhRMA Fight Drug Discounts In Debt Deal (Politico) Novartis To Cut 550 Manufacturing Jobs In The UK (The Argus) Obama Camp M... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029209 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 12:16:02 +0100 5029209 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028464&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FfuZ8T941wuc%2F URL: http://www.safersociety.org/Safer Society Foundation is dedicated to ending sexual abuse so that we all can enjoy safer communities, healthier families and happier lives. For: Anyone, ConsumersTopics: Clinical Psychology, Depression, Emotional Health, Family Therapy, Mental Health, Personality, Personality disorders, Physical Health, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Sexual Assault, Social SupportFeatures: Articles, Information, Links, e-learningSafer Society Foundation is dedicated to ending sexual abuse so that we all can enjoy safer communities, healthier families and happier lives. Our work focuses on providing information and resources to help create safer communities through prevention and effective public policy, to provide victims with healing and restitution, and to provide off... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028464 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:00:27 +0100 5028464 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028517&cid=t_91127_111_f&fid=39123&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fnursingcomments%2Ftdtc%2F%7E3%2FTIy93UnlV6M%2F I was doing some research on clinical trials and it is much more complex than I dreamed!  First of all, any new treatment must go through numerous stages of testing before its benefits and risks can completely be known.  New treatments are discovered in the laboratory and it can take many years of research before they are given to patients.  Why?  Because it is essential to identify that the new treatment is actually better than what is already available.  These research studies are also called clinical trials.  If a treatment has definite potential in the final stages of development, then research is carried out in patients with the particular type of illness that the treatment aims to help.  Furthermore, I always believed that clinical trials were only regarding drugs, and that is... Nursing Comments blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028517 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:37:10 +0100 5028517 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029241&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fcontinuing-discussion-and-clarification-of-the-topic-of-ivdmias-and-ldts-1.html In response to my note yesterday (see: Cancer Diagnostic Scandal at Duke; More Regulation of Multiplexed LDTs in the Future?), two comments were submitted. The first, from molecular pathologist and informaticist Federico Monzon, serves to clarify some of the confusion that I have introduced into the discussion of IVDMIAs and LDTs: You need to make a distinction between multiplexed biomarker tests and LDTs. Your article appears to equate the two. Laboratory developed tests (LDTs) are commonplace in diagnostic laboratories (most molecular tests, HLA, flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry assays are LDTs). LDTs can be developed for a single analyte (such as KRAS, Ki67, etc.) or can be multianalyte (a.k.a. IVDMIAs, such as the Duke example). Some multianalyte tests are commercially offered a... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029241 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 11:56:40 +0100 5029241 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028490&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=38950&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.shockmd.com%2F2011%2F07%2F13%2Fearly-clinical-experience-for-med-students%2F Buffer In The Netherlands most medical schools have voluntary first clinical experiences for first year medical students. Recent Dutch research looked at the learning goals and learning outcome of a 4 week nursing attachment in Year 1 of medical school. The students actively participate in patient care by working as assistant nurse in a hospital or a nursing home. The students take part in reflection meetings after two weeks and at the end of the attachment. Several learning goals are formulated for these attachments The main educational goal set by the medical school is learning to empathise with patients. Other formal educational goals are entering into conversation with patients, acquiring some practical skills, such as washing and dressing patients, and reflecting on feelings that acc... Dr Shock MD PhD blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028490 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 06:17:29 +0100 5028490 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029273&cid=t_91127_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F12%2Fself-efficacy-and-fear-of-movement-mediate-pain-intensity-and-disability-in-acute-pain%2F Most clinicians working in chronic pain management are well aware that the time it takes for people to finally be referred for management of their pain is far too long and some of the readers of this blog who work with people who have acute pain may wonder whether anything I write about applies to them and the people they treat.  To both groups of readers – today’s post should apply! Arguably the most common reason for people seeing a doctor is because of a musculoskeletal pain.  Treatment is usually quite simple: diagnosis, pain relief, anti-inflammatories and gradual return to function.  It’s this last part of treatment that seems to cause the most trouble for people - what if the pain doesn’t settle, what if I’m damaging my body, how long should I &#8220... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029273 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:29:01 +0100 5029273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029243&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F07%2Fcancer-diagnostic-scandal-at-duke-more-regulation-of-ldts-1.html I have posted a number of previous notes about those diagnostic tests consisting of a set of biomarkers plus an computer algorithm used to interpret the results. This type of lab test was previously referred to as in-vitro diagnostic multivariate indexed assays (IVDMIAs) by the FDA. More recently, they have been called laboratory developed tests (LDTs). Historically, this type of test was also referred to informally in the industry as home-brew. A simple definition for an LDT is that the test reagents are developed by a single lab and all of the testing is performed by that lab. IVDMIAs/LDTs can be used for various purposes including the detection of the presence of a neoplasm in a diagnostic workup using serum. A second purpose has been to analyze the antigens present on a patient's t... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029243 Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:57:43 +0100 5029243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028237&cid=t_91127_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FWyjziQ_V90I%2F We review another misdirected and underdone 'research' article from the most recent issue of Emergency Medicine Australasia... (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028237 Sun, 10 Jul 2011 16:21:53 +0100 5028237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028071&cid=t_91127_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fguest-blog-health-care-in-dangerous.html Health Care Renewal presents another guest blog by Steve Lucas, a retired businessman who formerly worked in real estate and construction who has a long standing interest in business ethics, and has long observed the health care scene.Health Care Renewal has often covered the disconnect between the stated goals of companies and the realities of their day to day operations. This raised the following question: Has medicine moved from being dysfunctional to being dangerous?There is certainly no lack of material to support this question as in the last two weeks we can find examples of pharma/biotech/device companies all engaged in questionable behavior. Medtronic and Manipulation of Study DataIn the print media, The Wall Street Journal, a pro-business newspaper regularly highlights storie... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028071 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 20:02:00 +0100 5028071 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008663&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FAh9019sQsPk%2F Call it a sad irony. Sanofi has discontinued a Phase IIIb trial in patients who were being treated with its Multaq heart med and suffer from permanent atrial fibrillation. Why? There was a significant increase in cardiovascular events. And so the study’s operations committee and a data monitoring committee recommended ending the trial, known as Pallas. This is only the latest setback for Sanofi and its Multaq heart med, which is supposed to bolster flagging fortunes. Last month, French regulators reevaluated the effectiveness of the drug after two patients developed severe liver damage and decided Multaq is “insufficient,” which means French authorities could withdraw reimbursement (see this). Sanofi says the decision to end the trial was not related to kidney damage (read here)... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008663 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:49:23 +0100 5008663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028239&cid=t_91127_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FJzcJ0iXgn6M%2F A real case highlighting the challenges of managing the critically ill obstetric patient in remote regions of Australia. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028239 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 07:00:23 +0100 5028239 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997843&cid=t_91127_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F04%2F%25e2%2580%259coh-wad-some-power-the-giftie-gie-us-to-see-oursels-as-others-see-us-it-wad-frae-monie-a-blunder-free-us-and-foolish-notion%25e2%2580%259d%2F That quote from Robbie Burns. For such a long time it seems that pain research has focused only on the person having pain and less on the social context where the person is experiencing it. Pain is subjective, personal and private, and the only way I can determine whether someone is in pain is if they’re exhibiting pain behaviours. Some of these behaviours, it’s true, are automatic reflex-driven responses (nocifensive, to be pedantic) – but usually only once the brain determines that the input received is a threat.  And what the brain determines to be threatening depends on a whole lot of things, including what else is going on in the environment. We have numerous pen and paper measures of pain behaviour, but far fewer tools to capture what is one of the most important e... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997843 Mon, 04 Jul 2011 04:41:12 +0100 4997843 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997532&cid=t_91127_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FeGWyjEbJ2TY%2F We have just started the long process of cataloguing the LITFL image collection - currently standing at 120,000 prospectively consented images from the last 15 years. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997532 Sun, 03 Jul 2011 07:28:58 +0100 4997532 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4993017&cid=t_91127_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F01%2Fwhat-is-this-thing-called-pain%2F As I’m busy writing up research papers for publications to “count” towards my research productivity, I’m reminded of one reason I keep on blogging – and it’s this: blogs are open to anyone.  People can comment on what I write.  When someone comments, whether they agree, disagree, or simply pose a question, it’s an opportunity for dialogue and reflection. That’s not nearly as easy to do in a peer-reviewed journal! As a result of comments from my post yesterday, I’m musing on ways to explain the distinction between acute and chronic pain that will make sense to someone who experiences fluctuations in pain intensity. I think I’m clear in my own mind between the two, but perhaps things are not as distinct as I’ve made them &#8... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4993017 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 21:04:56 +0100 4993017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984501&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FbjbrRmU_AUk%2F URL: http://psychology.vanguard.edu/amoebaweb/Outstanding resource maintained by Douglas Degelman, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology at Vanguard University of Southern California. Features over 2000 categorized links to quality psychology content. For: Anyone, Researchers, StudentsTopics: ADHD, Abnormal, Academia, Addiction, Anxiety, Behaviour Management, Bipolar, Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Depression, Eating Disorders, General Psychology, Mental HealthFeatures: Articles, Databases, Information, Links Outstanding resource maintained by Douglas Degelman, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology at Vanguard University of Southern California. Features over 2000 categorized links to quality psychology content. Also, lists monthly featured websites, psychologically related, of cours... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984501 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:00:13 +0100 4984501 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984704&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Flower-blood-tranfusion-rates-as-a-metric-for-high-quality-care.html Generally speaking, I think that the amount of blood transfused to a patient can and should be used as a metric for the quality of care delivered by physicians, particularly surgeons. I have long been aware of differences in transfusion rates by hospitals or by regions of the country. Much of this can be explained by local customs and norms rather than well defined standards of care. When I was a blood banker back in the 1970's, one of the hospital cardiac surgeons would frequently transfuse six units of blood for a CABG when type-and-screen was the common blood order for the same procedure at the Cleveland Clinic. Once again, or perhaps still, the amount of blood being transfused is in the news. (see: Too many blood transfusions? New standards urged). Below is an excerpt from a recent... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984704 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:03:47 +0100 4984704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984502&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FkcfYVk6uQLw%2F URL: http://watchingthemsurvive.com/This website was compiled by a Partner of a survivor. When she revealed the source of the pain, hurt, confusion and trials, suddenly it became clear to that these episodes of abuse were a tremendously defining event in her life. It had altered her personality, growth and joy for the rest of her life. Our marriage and family was in shambles now, by and large, as the result of the snowballing of twisted reality that she lived with everyday. But now it was time… She could not fight it alone. Each time she tried she was swallowed more and more. So it was time for me to fight. So began another long and hard road, but this time it had purpose, focus and guidance. No longer would she go quietly into the night! Now she would walk in the Light of Truth&#823... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984502 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:00:15 +0100 4984502 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984452&cid=t_91127_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbending-the-cost-curve-in-cancer-care-reduce-excessive-testing-for-reassurance-purposes%2F2011.06.29 This is the second in a series of posts on Bending the Cost Curve in Cancer Care. We should consider the proposal, published in the NEJM, gradually over the course of this summer, starting with “suggested changes in oncologists’ behavior,” #1: 1. Target surveillance testing or imaging to situations in which a benefit has been shown. This point concerns the costs of doctors routinely ordering CTs, MRIs and other imaging exams, besides blood tests, for patients who’ve completed a course of cancer treatment and are thought to be in remission. The NEJM authors consider that after a cancer diagnosis many patients, understandably, seek reassurance that any recurrence will be detected early, if it happens. Doctors, for their part, may not fully appreciate the lack of benefit of detecting ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984452 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:00:37 +0100 4984452 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984694&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FBsXbRjQLOOo%2F Last year, the pharmaceutical industry spent about $2 billion on assorted R&D activities in India, but that figure is expected to reach a whopping $25 billion by 2025. The reasons are varied, but can be traced to expanding activities by Indian companies, additional government investment and a growing pool of qualified researchers, according to a new report by the Boston Consulting Group. The optimistic forecast reflects declining R&D productivity in regions where such work has traditionally been conducted, notably the US and Western Europe. Already, the picture is changing. In 2002, pharma spent $25.3 billion in the US, which accounted for 83 percent of the worldwide total. By 2009, that grew to $35.4 million, but represented 76 percent of the total. There were also percentage de... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984694 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 13:00:28 +0100 4984694 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984500&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F29%2Fan-epidemic-of-bad-infographics-depression%2F In an effort to keep trying to get people’s attention in an increasingly attention-deficit world, we get a lot of inquiries for links to websites promoting education programs and other affiliate websites. The latest effort is focused around “infographics,” those graphics made popular by the USA Today newspaper that combines an interesting graphical element with hard data. A well done infographic ostensibly makes data more engaging. A fantastic infographic puts data into proper perspective and gives it valuable context. What these marketing firms send me, however, are not fantastic or even well-done. So in the interests of demonstrating that any infographic can be worse than no infographic, I’m going to critique one of the latest ones to have come across my desk. It&... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984500 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:34:42 +0100 4984500 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976238&cid=t_91127_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F29%2Fblack-and-white-thinking-must-be-abolished%2F Black and white thinking, for those readers unfamiliar with cognitive distortions, refers to the tendency to reduce complex ideas and situations into simple, dichotomous, and mutually exclusive categories. Think of good or bad, yes or no, all correct or all wrong, acute pain or chronic pain, neuromatrix or peripheral mechanisms, cure the pain or manage the pain. It’s a way of simplifying arguments or decisions that can work well when the situation requires very fast decision-making, or where the options are very limited. It doesn’t work at all in the messy and complicated worlds of clinical reasoning, theory development, or in discussions to broaden understanding. I’m pondering this because of the way various aspects of pain management and the science of pain are misrepre... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976238 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 19:15:22 +0100 4976238 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975945&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FwH1yAANehcM%2F URL: http://www.iamat.org/editorials.cfmOur mission is to provide impartial and accurate travel health advice and to coordinate an international network of qualified medical practitioners to assist travelers in need of emergency medical care during their trip. For: Anyone, ConsumersTopics: Clinical Psychology, Emotional Health, Health Promotion, Health Psychology, Health and Social Services, Mental Health, Mental Health Promotion, Self-help, Varied TreatmentsFeatures: Articles, Commentary and Blogs, Information, e-learningOur mission is to provide impartial and accurate travel health advice and to coordinate an international network of qualified medical practitioners to assist travellers in need of emergency medical care during their trip. Our goal is to prevent the spread of infectious di... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975945 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:00:15 +0100 4975945 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976202&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FoTKlwddQleA%2F Recruiting patients for clinical trials is increasingly tricky, especially in the US, where many people remain uninterested in participation. In many cases, drugmakers are also hard-pressed to find ‘treatment naive’ patients - those who are not on other meds. The Internet, however, has opened up a new source of potentially willing participants, since so many seek health info online. But how likely are they to enroll and what might prompt them to do so? A recent survey of 179 adults, who were queried through postings in online health communities, finds that 84 percent have never participated in a trial. But of those, four of five would do so. And the reasons cited most often: 22 percent would enroll if a drug offered a cure and 21 percent if they could help find a cure. Online o... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976202 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:22:57 +0100 4976202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976206&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FvinqO6QozGE%2F Hello, again. And how are you this morning? A beautiful day is unfolding here on the Pharmalot corporate campus - the birds are chirping, the official mascots are lounging about and the cup of stimulation is brewing. Meanwhile, we are looking forward to another day of R&D. We know you can relate. To help you along, here are some tidbits. Hope your day goes well and stay in touch… Vertex Tops Merck In Hep C Drug Launch (The Street) Glaxo R&D Chief Says Advair Is Safe From Generics (Reuters) J&J Plans To Market More Products Under The Janssen Name (Financial Times) New Prostate Cancer Drugs Are Expensive (New York Times) Amgen Sells $3 Billion In Bonds To Pay For Dividends (Bloomberg News) Diabetes Cases In Adults Worldwide Has Doubled In 30 Years (Reuters) India Suspend... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976206 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:45:08 +0100 4976206 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975984&cid=t_91127_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FjneuVa-B1fM%2F Meaningful Use Core Measure: Provide clinical summaries to patients for more than 50% of all office visits within 3 business days. Exclusion: Any EP who has no office visits during the reporting period. The clinical summary provides clinical information associated with a specific recent visit. (It does not encompass the entire patient chart.) This measure may appear daunting upon first reading of the requirements, but the guidance below should make it achievable.  The clinical summary can be delivered by one of two means: electronic media, (e.g., patient portal, secure e-mail, CD or USB fob), or a printed copy. According to advice received from CMS, the easiest way for a physician to meet this measure is to employ a patient portal as the default option. Following each office visit, the EP... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975984 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:21:40 +0100 4975984 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4976192&cid=t_91127_149_f&fid=35776&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpipeline.corante.com%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F27%2Fmaking_the_numbers_confess.php Adam Feuerstein calls this not just "post hoc data mining", but "extreme post hoc data mining". Take a look and see what you think. (Source: In the Pipeline) In the Pipeline blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4976192 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:20:14 +0100 4976192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968488&cid=t_91127_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnew-nasal-spray-is-the-first-of-its-kind%2F2011.06.26 Meda Pharmaceuticals has announced a new nasal spray “Dymista” that contains both a steroid and an anti-histamine active ingredient. Why is this significant? It’s because it’s the first and only one to do so. Of course, it’s not available yet until the FDA approves it, but at least it has shown effectiveness in Phase 3 clinical trials. At this time, nasal sprays as it relates to nasal allergies come in two separate flavors: 1) Steroid Nasal Spray (flonase, nasonex, nasacort, rhinocort, veramyst, omnaris, etc, etc) 2) Anti-Histamine Nasal Spray (patanase, astepro, astelin) This new combo nasal spray “Dymista” contains (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Fauquier ENT Blog* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968488 Sun, 26 Jun 2011 12:00:00 +0100 4968488 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968905&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FkCs8X6zlPB8%2F Earlier this week, Medco Health Solutions, the big pharmacy benefits manager, struck an unusual deal with Sanofi to help the drugmaker navigate the path from laboratory to formulary placement. Specifically, Medco will provide input on clinical trial design, help develop comparative effectiveness data and review usage of existing medications to improve patient adherence. The move reflects a growing awareness among drugmakers that designing and testing a compound for FDA approval is no longer the only key hurdle to winning sales and market share. We spoke with Robert Epstein, Medco’s clinical research and development officer, about the deal… Pharmalot: You’re saying this is the first deal of this sort. But the problems you hope to address aren’t new, right? Epstein: It’s been very ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968905 Fri, 24 Jun 2011 17:25:12 +0100 4968905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968921&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fpathology-resident-travel-awards-available-for-pathology-informatics-2011-conference.html The Association for Pathology Informatics is awarding a limited number of stipends of $1,500 to attend the Pathology Informatics 2011 Conference at the Pittsburgh Wyndham Grand hotel in Pittsburgh. The conference will take place on October 4-7, 2011. Awardees must be residents, post-doctoral students, or fellows in accredited teaching programs. This is the premier pathology informatics conference in the country with three workshops, three discipline tracks, multiple keynote plenary lectures, 44 participating faculty members, and more than 40 exhibitors. Last year's PI-2010 presentation marked the first of these events. The conference represents a merger of two long-standing pathology informatics meetings, APIII and Lab InfoTech Summit. The application deadline for awards is August 1, 2... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968921 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 12:55:56 +0100 4968921 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960273&cid=t_91127_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F22%2Fampligen%25c2%25ae-to-be-tested-in-phase-iii-study-in-tandem-with-upenn-ovarian-cancer-vaccine%2F Hemispherx Biopharma’s Ampligen® is being tested in combination with an experimental ovarian cancer vaccine developed by the Penn Ovarian Cancer Research Center. Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. (“Hemispherx”) announced yesterday that it entered into a Material Transfer and Research Agreement with the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine to provide Ampligen® [rintatolimod; poly(I)•poly(C12,U)], an experimental therapeutic, for [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960273 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:36:50 +0100 4960273 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997537&cid=t_91127_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FFLVaN6eQC5w%2F At LITFL we are constantly trying to find interesting and enigmatic individuals with a passion for emergency medicine to share their experiences. We have a particular passion of International Emergency Medicine and are proud to introduce Dr Bishan Rajapakse. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997537 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:03:33 +0100 4997537 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952845&cid=t_91127_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-school-to-require-incoming-students-to-purchase-ipads%2F2011.06.20 In a little seen nugget published in an article of the Chronicle, the Ivy League medical school, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, will be requiring their incoming medical students to use the Inkling e-book app for key medical textbooks in their first year of medical school. They will be requiring their incoming first year class to purchase iPads as well. We have been the first to report how and why Inkling is a game changer in the arena of medical e-books when we reviewed Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology: Ganong’s Review of Medical Physiology for the iPad allows you to highlight, write notes, view innovative multimedia modules, and easily search for content — taking what you can do on a paper based textbook to a higher level — and taking e-learning to a comple... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952845 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 21:00:38 +0100 4952845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945195&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F-kPWew1MnL8%2F Two people working as brokers for an unnamed Indian drugmaker were arrested for allegedly recruiting poor and illiterate women from a rural section of India as guinea pigs in unauthorized clinical trials for a breast cancer drug. As many as 20 women, who are mostly farm workers and daily wagers, have developed acute joint pains, swelling in arms and throat infections. The brokers hired the women and took them to a lab in Miyapur, Hyderabad, where blood samples were taken and they were given injections and tablets, according to reports. For their trouble, the women were paid around 3,000 to 10,000 Rupees, or roughly $65 to $220, to participate in the trials that were conducted during last three months. “Though the pharma company promised to pay us huge amounts before conducting the te... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945195 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:28:48 +0100 4945195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945196&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FJchz9jURj0s%2F Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us and we’ll share with it others. That’s right. Send us your announcements and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is coming and going, especially with all the layoffs. Despite the downsizing, there is movement. Here are some of the latest changes. Recognize anyone? And here is our regular feature. Send us a photo and we will spotlight a different person each week. This time around, we note that ABC Laboratories hired Brad Benson as a senior consulting scientist in its CMC Development Services team. In his new role, he will work in program design and technical consultation for both large and small molecule drugs. Most recently, he was ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945196 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:15:28 +0100 4945196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945248&cid=t_91127_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F17%2Fwhat-to-do-about-catastrophising-even-when-youre-not-a-psychologist%2F In this study, 25.9% of those reporting acute pain, and 51.3% of those reporting chronic pain endorsed catastrophising beliefs.  And this group of people were not seeking treatment (as an aside, this is one of few studies to look at non-treatment-seeking people)!  The study also found that in those with high levels of catastrophising, mental health problems were more prevalent, and that catastrophising explained a good proportion of work disability.  In other words, even in this very healthy group of people, catastrophising was associated with greater vulnerability to having difficult managing pain and keeping mentally healthy.  If this finding is identified in other non-treatment-seeking people, I think we can confidently draw the conclusion that catastrophising may be one of the more... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945248 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 23:24:01 +0100 4945248 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953046&cid=t_91127_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2F3WSCeHECGNo%2F Two articles I’ve written in the last 24 hours have gotten me thinking that we’ve already entered the post-implementation era of EMRs, even as implementation remains in progress at so many healthcare organizations. While the vast majority of hospitals and physician practices in the U.S. still don’t have full-featured EMRs in place, many are already looking well into the future. As you may already know, HIMSS on Tuesday released its first-ever survey on “clinical transformation.” According to HIMSS and survey sponsor McKesson, “Clinical transformation involves assessing and continually improving the way patient care is delivered at all levels in a care delivery organization. It occurs when an organization rejects existing practice patterns that deliver in... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953046 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 20:59:25 +0100 4953046 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4945221&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Falgorithms-as-the-next-generation-of-innovative-laboratory-and-clinical-tests.html I was somewhat surprised by a recent article suggesting that algorithms themselves will constitute a new type of medical test. The short article cited the work of Predictive Medical Technologies as a basis for this claim. The company software generates health predictions based on previous clinical data for ICU patients (see: Algorithms are the new medical tests; How data and algorithms help doctors make use of real-time data). Below is an excerpt from the article: Predictive Medical Technologies claims that it can use real-time, intensive care unit (ICU) monitoring data to predict clinical events like cardiac arrest up to 24 hours ahead of time. Effectively, the startup's algorithms are new types of medical tests that an ICU doctor can take into consideration when deciding on a course ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4945221 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:05:24 +0100 4945221 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934018&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F14%2Fthe-second-twitjc-twitter-journal-club%2F In the previous post I wrote about  a new initiative on Twitter, the Twitter Journal Club (hashtag #TwitJC). Here, I shared some constructive criticism. The Twitter Journal Club is clearly an original and admirable initiative, that gained a lot of interest. But there is some room for improvement. I raised two issues: 1. discussions with 100 [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934018 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:28:31 +0100 4934018 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934377&cid=t_91127_111_f&fid=34715&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.impactednurse.com%2F%3Fp%3D2956 Once you go hardcore, you may (or may not) get a lot of push-back. You know…flack. Bullying. Backstabbing. Gossiping. Put-downs. Excommunication from the nursing cliques. These are bad things. No doubt. A fart upon them all. They are also assuredly signs you are exerting some influence on others around you. For hardcore nurses, this is a good thing (although it can be very threatening to some of those around you). To paraphrase Colin Powell: if you are really effective at what you do, 95% of the things said about you will be negative. Keep your head on straight, don’t get emotional, take the heat, and stay true to your path. Well, I don’t know if I agree with the 95% bit.  But it is more than likely in our profession that you will be poked in the heart with at least a few large ... impactEDnurse blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934377 Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:44:38 +0100 4934377 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934740&cid=t_91127_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F11%2F2011-asco-exelixis-reports-expanded-cabozantinib-xl184-phase-ii-data-for-advanced-ovarian-cancer-six-deaths-reported%2F Exelixis, Inc. reported expanded Phase 2 study data with respect to cabozantinib (XL184) use in advanced ovarian cancer patients at the recent 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting. The overall solid tumor Phase 2 safety and tolerability data reference six deaths, including two ovarian cancer patients. Exelixis, Inc. reported expanded Phase 2 study [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934740 Sat, 11 Jun 2011 16:10:03 +0100 4934740 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921731&cid=t_91127_147_f&fid=39273&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FePharmaSummit%2F%7E3%2FJaHatnEnfUE%2Fpfizer-looks-to-mobile-to-help-with.html Pfizer is one of the first companies to look to mobile tools to help recruit and run a clinical trial that will not need their participants to step foot in a clinic. In the new trial for Detrol, Pfizer will compare the data collection and value to the traditional methods of collecting clinical trail data. According to Mobi Health News, This allows any one in the nation to participate in the trial. Pfizer sees this as one way to potentially cut costs off of the rising price to bring drugs to market. Janet Woodcock, MD, director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research at FDA recently stated, “Modernization of clinical trials is a key initiative of FDA. We commend Pfizer’s progress on the REMOTE pilot and encourage all manufacturers considering other novel ideas in advancing clinical tr... ePharma Summit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921731 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:16:00 +0100 4921731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921752&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fvk3dB2JiRJE%2F Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us and we’ll share with it others. That’s right. Send us your announcements and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is coming and going, especially with all the layoffs. Despite the downsizing, there is movement. Here are some of the latest changes. Recognize anyone? And here is our regular feature. Send us a photo and we will spotlight a different person each week. This time around, we note that Cerulean Pharma hired Edward Garmey as chief medical officer. Previously, he was vp for clinical development at ArQule, where he developed and oversaw overseas clinical trials of its lead product types. Before ArQule, Garmey was medical directo... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921752 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:02:49 +0100 4921752 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921345&cid=t_91127_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F10%2Fthe-twitjc-twitter-journal-club-a-new-initiative-on-twitter-some-initial-thoughts%2F There is a new initiative on Twitter: The Twitter Journal Club. It is initiated by Fi Douglas (@fidouglas) a medical student at Cambridge,  and Natalie Silvey (@silv24)  a junior doctor in the West Midlands. Fi and Natalie have set up a blog for this event: http://twitjc.wordpress.com/ A Twitter Journal Club operates in the same way as any other journal club, [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921345 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:15:35 +0100 4921345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921689&cid=t_91127_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F09%2F2011-asco-additional-phase-iii-study-data-support-the-potential-role-of-avastin-in-newly-diagnosed-recurrent-ovarian-cancer%2F Positive results from two bevacizumab (Avastin®) phase III clinical studies were presented at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting on June 4. The data reported add to the growing body of evidence in support of bevacizumab use to treat recurrent and newly-diagnosed ovarian cancer. Positive results from two bevacizumab (Avastin®) phase III [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921689 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:15:13 +0100 4921689 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921765&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fa-new-take-on-personalized-medicine.html The overarching definition for personalized medicine has always been the following: the right drug for the right patient at the right time (see: Further Consideration of the Definition for Personalized Medicine; Term "Personalized Medicine" More About Business than Healthcare Delivery). Implicit in this definition has been the idea that the "right drug" will exploit the biologic weaknesses of a patient's tumor. The classic example has been the use of the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab, marketed as Herceptin, for breast tumors that overexpress the HER2/neu protein. A recent article discusses a subtle but interesting paradigm shift relating to personalised medicine and the workflow of cancer care (see: Personalized Medicine Redefines How Docs Treat Cancer). Below is ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921765 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:17:43 +0100 4921765 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911833&cid=t_91127_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F05%2Ffda-gearing-up-to-regulate-apps-and-social-media-or-not-2.html I have gotten used to a degree of vacillation from the FDA regarding various lab regulatory issues. A  recent chapter in this drama was the agency's ambiguity about lab tests originally called IVDMIAs and subsequently referred to as laboratory developed tests (LDTs). Now comes news that the agency may, or may not, regulate medical smartphone/tablet (i.e., mobile) apps and the use of social media by pharmaceutical companies (see: FDA Reportedly Gearing Up to Regulate Apps). Below is an excerpt from the article: From a no less august source than American Medical News comes a report that the FDA is considering the regulation of medical apps.  See “FDA Signals it Will Regulate Medical Apps“.   The article quotes a source who relayed that at a town hall meeting h... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911833 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:03:11 +0100 4911833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911844&cid=t_91127_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F08%2Fa-brief-review-of-cognitive-behavioural-approaches-for-pain-management%2F Cognitive behavioural approaches for pain management are not exactly the same as cognitive behavioural therapy for mental health problems.  While there are some underlying concepts that are the same, cognitive behavioural approaches for pain management include a wider range of strategies, and are far less readily defined than the very structured approach used in mental health.  In fact it has only been in the last few years that research into the process of change in pain management have been conducted. What defines a cognitive behavioural approach? The assumption that people can learn to accept their chronic pain That people can broaden their self-concept beyond being “a patient” into being “a person with pain” That people can learn or re-explore skills to deal ... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911844 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:39:00 +0100 4911844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911620&cid=t_91127_113_f&fid=38236&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.healthcareitnews.com%2Fblog%2Flost-translation-clinical-decision-making-and-need-lab-data-standards The HITECH initiative and the promise of effectively coordinated care are fundamentally based on the adoption of standards as an integral part of the larger adoption of healthcare information technology. Numerous types of standards are being promoted, including messaging standards, secure communication standards and data standards. But perhaps, some of the most important standards are those that are not being enforced. No sticky read more (Source: Healthcare IT News Blog) Healthcare IT News Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911620 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:35:04 +0100 4911620 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911822&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FYT45fKpAr0s%2F In a bid to broaden use of social media, Pfizer is planning to run what will be the first clinical trial to allow patients to participate from home by using computers and smartphones instead of schlepping to a clinic or doctor’s office. By doing so, the drugmaker hopes to create a model for saving money that will rely on personal technology to more easily recruit patients and monitor their progress. The trial will test the Detrol overactive bladder drug in 10 states and results will be compared with the outcome from a conventional, 600-patient study that took place in 2007 that compared the med to a placebo over four months. The FDA has already agreed to the effort, which will be announced today at a conference on clinical trials at the National Library of Medicine. The “clinical t... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911822 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:21:37 +0100 4911822 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921557&cid=t_91127_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Femr-and-hipaa%2F2011%2F06%2F05%2Femr-and-hipaa-quote-of-the-sunday%2F Lately I’ve been posting a number of tweets in a sort of Sunday Tweet roundup. I think it’s been fun to highlight some short Healthcare IT and EMR related tweets that people might find interesting. With a little bit of commentary of my own (let me know if you disagree). Today, I decided I’d just go with a small quote from a comment that Chris Paton made over on Neil Versel’s Meaningful Healthcare IT News. Here it is: We’re a long way from getting rid of doctors but they might find their role changes from being repository of all knowledge to being a trusted communicator and carer. I’d been trying to summarize this position in a coherent way and I think Chris hit it on the head. Not only the part about being a long way from getting rid of doctors, but his desc... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921557 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 06:59:22 +0100 4921557 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902643&cid=t_91127_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F05%2F2011-asco-ec145-demonstrates-85-percent-improvement-in-progression-free-survival-for-treatment-of-platinum-resistant-ovarian-cancer%2F EC145, in combination with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil®/Caelyx®) in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer, met its primary endpoint by showing an 85 percent (2.3 month) improvement in median progression-free survival in the intent-to-treat population, and a 260 percent (4.0 month) improvement in a subset of folate receptor positive patients. The final EC145 phase 2 clinical study data were presented [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902643 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 05:08:29 +0100 4902643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893809&cid=t_91127_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F03%2F2011-asco-entremed%25e2%2580%2599s-enmd-2076-demonstrates-clinical-activity-in-recurrent-platinum-resistant-ovarian-cancer-patients%2F EntreMed, Inc. announced that ENMD-2076 demonstrated clinical activity — a six-month progression free survival rate of 19% – when administered as a single agent to platinum drug-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer patients. The announcement is based upon interim phase 2 data presented today at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.  EntreMed, Inc., a clinical-stage [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893809 Sat, 04 Jun 2011 05:10:24 +0100 4893809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893810&cid=t_91127_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F03%2F2011-asco-matching-targeted-therapies-to-specific-tumor-gene-mutations-key-to-personalized-cancer-treatment%2F Customizing targeted therapies to each tumor’s molecular characteristics, instead of a “one-size-fits-all” approach by tumor type, may be more effective for some types of cancer, according to research presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting by the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. In patients with end-stage disease, matched patients achieved a 27% [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893810 Sat, 04 Jun 2011 03:36:14 +0100 4893810 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893605&cid=t_91127_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2F0g_GyIRAV-M%2F In just the last few hours, I’ve seen a huge wave of pushback and doubt about Watson, the IBM supercomputer, being used for clinical decision support. Yesterday, I covered a “healthcare leadership exchange” at IBM’s new Healthcare Innovation Lab in downtown Chicago. I posted some of my observations on the EMR and HIPAA blog, and made the case for diagnostic decision support. I also wrote a story for InformationWeek, but that hasn’t run. Instead of posting my story, InformationWeek healthcare editor Paul Cerrato wrote a column about Watson already being “beaten in the medical diagnostics race” by Isabel Healthcare, a diagnostic decision support tool that’s been available for years. I have to admit, he’s right. I first interviewed Isabel ... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893605 Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:37:50 +0100 4893605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893914&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FS1JlIDgJ9No%2F File this under failing the test. A doctor and a clinical research coordinator working for a contract research organization hired by the former Schering-Plough were indicted by the feds for falsifying study data. The clinical trial was designed to test a tablet the drugmaker was developing to treat allergies. Wayne Spencer, 73, a licensed physician and the principal investigator, and Lisa Sharp, 48, the clinical director of clinical trials at Lee Research Institute, were charged with one count of conspiracy, three counts of mail fraud, and one count of falsifying information required by the FDA. The crimes are alleged to have occurred from January 2010 to May 2010. The study was to have enrolled patients at least 50 years who suffer from ragweed-induced allergy symptoms. Employees at the C... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893914 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:34:02 +0100 4893914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893915&cid=t_91127_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F4kemhBVPFZI%2F Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us and we’ll share with it others. That’s right. Send us your announcements and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is coming and going, especially with all the layoffs. Despite the downsizing, there is movement. Here are some of the latest changes. Recognize anyone? And here is our regular feature. Send us a photo and we will spotlight a different person each week. This time around, we note that VeraxisHealth promoted Anthony Durso to senior director for strategic planning and client services. A 16-year marketing and sales veteran, he joined the medical education and communications firm in 2010 after running Elemental Consulting, a str... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893915 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 12:05:51 +0100 4893915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4921559&cid=t_91127_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.emrandhipaa.com%2Fneil%2F2011%2F06%2F02%2F4742%2F I’m beginning to see a pattern here. Two weeks ago, I wrote about clinical decision support in context of Dr. Larry Weed’s new book. Two weeks before that, I commented about physicians worrying that patients would perceive them as being incompetent if they relied on CDS. Today, I’m back to the same topic. Deny the obvious all you want, physicians, but clinical decision support is coming, and once it’s here, it’s not going away. I just got back back from the new IBM Healthcare Innovation Lab in downtown Chicago, the company’s third such center in the U.S. and eighth worldwide. While kickoff included a “healthcare leadership exchange” with such thought leaders as HIMSS CEO Steve Lieber and Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Chief Innovation Office... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921559 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 21:10:40 +0100 4921559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893506&cid=t_91127_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fherb-fred-master-clinician-and-teacher.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893506 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:51:00 +0100 4893506 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893948&cid=t_91127_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F02%2Fcatastrophising-and-pain-ii%2F What are some of the indications that someone tends to catastrophise about their pain? How do we know? Do we have to use a questionnaire? Is it really my job to know about this if I’m not a psychologist – and what do I do about it? These are the kinds of questions that have been posed to me as I’ve explored the topic of catastrophising, and I propose to answer the last question in my next post (sorry to keep stringing you along like this – I think many may know my take on that already!). I work in a wonderful interdisciplinary team setting, in a centre where everyone who attends the Centre gets to complete a set of psychometrically sound questionnaires that all of the team are encouraged to use and interpret, so any of the team can be confident about identifying and... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893948 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 08:26:50 +0100 4893948 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893891&cid=t_91127_147_f&fid=39273&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FePharmaSummit%2F%7E3%2Ft7wH1M2yXiY%2Fmedical-apps-have-fda-regulation-on-way.html Medical apps are slated to get FDA guidance later this year through the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. The majority of apps being used by the medical world today are information based and are therefore not required to be FDA approved, but next generation apps will be instrumental in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, making it more important to regulate them. According to American Medical News, the FDA has recently indicated that it will begin to regulate these, and could provide a guidance later this year. The Center for Devices and Radiological Health will be the ones regulating and issuing guidance for these apps. Some companies have gone ahead and applied for approval on an ad hoc basis, but it is likely that this will get tougher to do in the coming year. ePharma... ePharma Summit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893891 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:29:00 +0100 4893891 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893949&cid=t_91127_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F01%2Fpain-behaviours-persist%2F In this study by Martel, Thibault and Sullivan (2010), people with back pain were recorded on two separate occasions (on averge 22 days apart) while carrying out two lifting tasks designed to elicit pain behaviours.  These recordings were reviewed by trained observers who recorded the number of pain behaviours in each segment of film using a standardised coding scheme (developed by Keefe and Block, 1982).  Participants in the lifting tasks also completed a range of questionnaires – the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia, the McGill Pain Questionnaire, and the Pain Catastrophising Scale. Before I describe the findings, in this study two different forms of pain behaviour were identified – communicative behaviours are things like grimacing, speaking, sighing, moaning and so on; while... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893949 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 05:26:00 +0100 4893949 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883925&cid=t_91127_165_f&fid=37959&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthskills.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F31%2Fcatastrophising-and-pain-i%2F One reason I love blogging is the discussion between me and readers. I wrote about the language of pain recently, and out of that discussion I’ve spent a few days digging around the literature to look at what is known about the relationship between language, pain and catastrophising. I’d argued in my post that metaphoric language can reflect distress both in the communicator and the listener, and that this is supported by fMRI studies in which various parts of the brain are activated when emotion-laden communication about pain is being carried out, while one of my readers thought I might be taking this interpretation too far. Pain behaviour My reason for being interested in how we communicate about pain is that talking about pain (including describing it) is a pain behaviour. P... HealthSkills Weblog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883925 Mon, 30 May 2011 19:15:07 +0100 4883925 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872258&cid=t_91127_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Falzheimers-and-bapineuzumab-j-will-seek.html J&J Will Seek FDA Approval by 2013 for Alzheimer’s DrugBloomberg NewsBy Alex NussbaumMay 26, 2011 10:38 AM CTRead the news article (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872258 Thu, 26 May 2011 17:09:00 +0100 4872258 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862634&cid=t_91127_109_f&fid=34752&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPsychsplash%2F%7E3%2FovqaR0_pg1c%2F URL: http://www.mincava.umn.edu/The Minnesota Center against Violence and Abuse (MinCAVA) has information on these subjects: child abuse, domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, trafficking, workplace violence, youth violence and more. Most information is in PDF form, but some are in regular text or web pages. For: AnyoneTopics: Abnormal, Academia, Addiction, Anger, Behaviour Management, Child and Adolescent, Clinical Psychology, Common Factors, Depression, Emotional Health, Family Therapy, General Psychology, Life, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Mental Health Promotion, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Quality of Life, RelationshipsFeatures: Articles, Grants & Funding, Information, Links, Multimedia, Resources We are an online resource community only.  Our services are limited t... PsychSplash blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862634 Wed, 25 May 2011 17:00:13 +0100 4862634 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862665&cid=t_91127_113_f&fid=34634&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FEmrAndHipaa%2F%7E3%2FJa0I4VDCMDE%2F I’m sure like many of you, I was completely intrigued by the demonstration of the Watson computer competing against the best Jeopardy! stars. It was amazing to watch not only how Watson was able to come up with the answer, but also how quickly it was able to reach the correct answer. The hype at the IBM booth at HIMSS was really strong since it had been announced that healthcare was one of the first places that IBM wanted to work on implementing the “Watson” technology (read more about the Watson Technology in Healthcare in this AP article). Although, I found the most interesting conversation about Watson in the Nuance booth when I was talking to Dr. Nick Van Terheyden. The idea of combining the Watson technology with the voice recognition and natural language processing ... EMR and HIPAA blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862665 Wed, 25 May 2011 15:59:50 +0100 4862665 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862735&cid=t_91127_123_f&fid=39036&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpediatricinc.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F25%2Fhow-your-medical-practice-can-hedge-against-loss-of-visits%2F One of the numbers that I check regularly month after month is number of patients seen. One of the advantages of tracking these numbers is that they are a good forecasting tool. Studying the numbers and anticipating things like the flu season gave me a real good idea of how many patients to expect in the coming months. For example, the numbers tell me when traditionally we don’t see that many patients. Then, instead of freaking out why our office is seeing fewer patients during July, I remain calm knowing that historically July is generally slow. Over the years, I became in-tuned with our practice’s patients seasonality trends. If we were less busy, I wouldn’t worry because I knew things would eventually pick up. In fact, I knew to the month when things would start moving. And over t... Pediatric Inc blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862735 Wed, 25 May 2011 15:36:46 +0100 4862735 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862589&cid=t_91127_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fdiagnostic-error-sleeping-dog-of.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862589 Wed, 25 May 2011 10:49:00 +0100 4862589