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 'ethics'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:48:13 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5181749&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2Fyh6-lwDFZVQ%2F Treponema pallidum, the bacterium that causes syphilis. Last fall the heads of the CDC and NIH called freshly unearthed 1940s-era experiments that intentionally infected Guatemalan prisoners, military personnel and others with syphilis and other STDs “regrettable and deeply saddening.” Today members of a subcommittee of the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues presented recommendations for making sure current rules sufficiently protect research subjects. Among them: the U.S. should implement a system, perhaps based on the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, to compensate people who are injured during research. (The VICP is a no-fault alternative to the traditional court system.) University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann, who chairs the com... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5181749 Tue, 30 Aug 2011 20:22:19 +0100 5181749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169510&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Forlinst.puflet.info%2FDepeche%2520Mode%2520-%25202009%2520-%2520Sounds%2520of%2520the%2520Universe%2F03%2520Wrong.mp3 Meanwhile you might want to listen to “Wrong” (Depeche Mode) Yesterday I screened my spam-folder. Between all male enhancement and lottery winner announcements, and phishing mails for my bank account, there was an invitation to peer review a paper in “SCIENCE JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY”. Such an invitation doesn’t belong in the spam folder, doesn’t it? Thus [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169510 Sat, 27 Aug 2011 20:26:53 +0100 5169510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158989&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39182&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcovertrationingblog.com%2Fpodpress_trac%2Ffeed%2F1739%2F0%2Fright-to-healthcare.mp3 Podcast: If we are ever to gain control of our healthcare spending, which is a necessity if we are going to avoid an economic catastrophe during the next couple of decades, we have to come to some agreement, as a society, on a few essential questions.  Chief among these questions is whether healthcare is something we must consider to be a right for all Americans. The question of whether healthcare is a right has become a very contentious one. One side passionately declares that of course it is a right, as healthcare is so critically important that how could it be otherwise? And the other side, with equal conviction, asserts that nothing can be a right that creates an involuntary burden on another. That is, advocates on either side of the argument maintain their respective positions as be... The Covert Rationing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158989 Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:09:50 +0100 5158989 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5159866&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fuse-of-facebook-pages-by-big-pharma.html For some companies and hospitals, creating Facebook pages might seem too good to be true. This type of social media provides a soft-sell opportunity for products and services and also a means to create a closer relationship with customers and patients (see: Why and How Hospitals Should Market Themselves to Consumers on the Web; Should Hospitals Set Up Private Social Networks for Their Patients?). The appeal of Facebook has not been lost on Big Pharma companies that have been setting up their own pages. However, Facebook management is now forcing these companies to enable commenting and this is causing problems (see: Facebook Forces Pharma to Show Comments). Below is an excerpt from the article: Facebook [has] enabled commenting on some drug companies pages..., a move that is forcing some t... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5159866 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 15:56:23 +0100 5159866 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140123&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F08%2F2012-and-beyond-end-of-world-as-we-know.html We seem to think that mind and spirit are separate, that there is a spiritual realm and a practical realm and that they do not overlap at all - and that the one does not inform the other.But cause and effect still rules and amoral actions in the here and now lead to direct consquences that are suffered by our children and grandchildren. Indeed.. unto the seventh generation. (Source: Graphictruth) Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140123 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:02:00 +0100 5140123 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5125906&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fnymwars-content-is-king-and-king-is.html My patience has ended. I'm just about to pull the pin on Google+ so that I can take some time and think about my reliance on other Google services. The entire debate tells me that for whatever reason, google as a corporation has jumped the shark and I do not feel comfortable investing my social capital in it.And if that social capital were not valuable, they would not be locked in a death match with Facebook over data-mining futures, and governments would not be petitioning them for their databases.Oddly, my decision is not based on whether I have anything to hide. I have always made the point of never putting anything on the Internet that could put me at risk, and I make a point of distancing myself from those who do."Content is King, and King is Content." The reality of the Internet... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5125906 Sat, 13 Aug 2011 00:19:00 +0100 5125906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118639&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39182&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcovertrationingblog.com%2Fpodpress_trac%2Ffeed%2F1756%2F0%2Fethicist-argues-against-direct-pay.mp3 Podcast: DrRich, in his last post, attempted to show why a direct-pay medical practice is the only remaining pathway by which PCPs may preserve the classic doctor-patient relationship, and for patients to assure themselves that they are working with a doctor who at least has the prerogative to actually place their individual interests first, above all those other powerful, ruthless, contrary interests, which are striving to control the behaviors of their doctors. He attempted to show this by making an argument founded in the principles of medical ethics. As it happens, one of today’s best-known medical ethicists, at about the same time, was telling doctors just the opposite. Arthur Caplan, at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics, published this advice for doctors at M... The Covert Rationing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118639 Thu, 11 Aug 2011 21:30:33 +0100 5118639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118710&cid=t_93950_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F10%2Fretractions-of-scientific-research-papers-going-up%2F Ed Silverman over at Pharmalot reports on the media coverage of a new study published by the Journal of Medical Ethics which shows a disturbing trend — more and more journals are retracting journal articles they previously published. Worse yet, nearly 32 percent of the retracted papers are not noted as retracted. “Retracted” in scientific language means that the paper has been withdrawn and should be ignored — as though it never existed in the scientific literature. Retractions generally occur because of sloppy research and errors in the data calculations, collection or statistics, or because of fraud. Is this a trend pointing to lower quality research and sloppier methods being employed? Or perhaps that because more people than ever can read the scientific research... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118710 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 22:11:31 +0100 5118710 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107724&cid=t_93950_118_f&fid=34702&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fmspblog%2F%7E3%2FgVDUE-B6AIo%2F The frail, elderly patient was so pale as to be nearly invisible against the crisp white sheets.  Any ability to give voice to his thoughts had been taken away by the ventilator tubes in his throat.  The soft restraints on his wrists prevented him from dislodging those tubes, either in confusion or by design.  Other tubes silently pumped fluids in or drained them out.  During his lucid moments he wondered how it had come to this… I sit on the Ethics Committee at my hospital; it is a group that deals with complex, challenging and sometimes heartbreaking dilemmas. Participants need a knowledge of state and federal law, an understanding of the essential workings of the healthcare system, and perhaps most importantly, wisdom and compassion. We are fortunate to be led by a p... MSSPNexus Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107724 Mon, 08 Aug 2011 23:47:38 +0100 5107724 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103426&cid=t_93950_129_f&fid=36038&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.everydayhealth.com%2Fblog%2Ftrevis-life-with-multiple-sclerosis-ms%2Fuk-ms-patients-may-lose-one-medication-option%2F You know when the chief executive of the UK MS Society, Simon Gillespie, is quoted as saying “…people with MS would be better off living almost anywhere else in Europe…” in a press release, things are going terribly wrong for multiple sclerosis patients in that country. Mr. Gillespie’s remarks came on the heels of a decision by the British National Institutes for Health and Clinical Excellence, or NICE (the agency that recommends action to the National Health Service (NHS) as to what medication costs the NHS should cover for patients), that the oral MS med Gileyna (fingolimod) should not be paid for by NHS. NICE seems to have flat-out ignored science in their decision and focused instead on cost alone. Going so far as to compare the medication’s results to that of patients taki... Life with MS blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103426 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 19:37:35 +0100 5103426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103315&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F08%2F05%2Flatina-week-of-action-for-reproductive-justice%2F This week, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and other organizations have been observing the second annual Latina Week of Action for Reproductive Justice: This year’s theme is Caminamos: Justice for Immigrant Women. We’re inviting everyone to join us in moving toward a brighter future for immigrant women and their families. Mean-spirited enforcement, workplace exploitation, and the criminalization of basic rights like education and health care are just a few of the challenges that have forced immigrant women into the shadows and ignored the crucial, positive role we play in our communities. Action items for the week include calling for a review of the 287(g) program and online discussion on the theme, “what’s the real problem behind the targeting of ... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103315 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 17:27:53 +0100 5103315 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5097117&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F08%2Fhospitalists-add-to-the-cost-of-healthcare-according-to-recent-study.html This study should come as no surprise to anyone. Here's what I think may be occurring: Hospitalists work for health system CEOs who place a high value on a shorter length-of-stay (LOS) for patients. The will thus tend to discharge patients as soon as possible. CEOs have been conditioned over the past many years to relish shorter LOSs because the measure has attained the status of a quality indicator and also because shorter LOS patients are more profitable. I also assume that hospitalists tend to favor discharge of patients to rehabilitation or nursing facilities rather than to home because they do not know them well and also to ensure a speedier, medically supervised recovery. Almost everyone agrees about the solution to this problem. It is stated clearly in the excerpt above: &quot... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5097117 Thu, 04 Aug 2011 14:35:03 +0100 5097117 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5086114&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F31%2Fsunday-news-round-up-attack-kitty-edition%2F I haven’t done one of these in a while, having been distracted by the heat, the carless situation, dad’s cancer, mom’s hip replacement re-replacement, work, leveling my first character in Warcraft (now a level 71 undead frost mage – I don’t want to duel you!), and life in general. Tonight, though, I’m at my parents’ house (sitting with mom after said re-replacement), in a town with <30 thousand people that gets really, truly dark at night, World of Warcraft won't run on this computer, and I think I've reached the end of the internet. Might as well do something. The FDA has issued a warning not to use emergency contraception labeled as Evital. The agency says, These products may be counterfeit versions of the “morning after pill” ... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5086114 Mon, 01 Aug 2011 04:40:55 +0100 5086114 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5077943&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fironic-ethics-of-wernher-von-braun.html Air Force Cites New Testament, Ex-Nazi, to Train Officers on Ethics of Launching Nuclear Weapons | TruthoutThis story changed even before I got it published. Update below.There are certain levels of irony that tend to render the ordinary human speechless. There are ways of getting through, and Jason Leopold guts it out with his usual determined outrage and the aid of direct quotation.One of the most disturbing slides quotes Wernher Von Braun, a former member of the Nazi Party and SS officer. Von Braun is not being cited in the PowerPoint as an authority on a liquid hydrogen turbopumps or a launch vehicle's pogo oscillations, rather he's specifically being referenced as a moral authority, which is remarkable considering that the Nazi scientist used Jews imprisoned in concentration camp... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5077943 Fri, 29 Jul 2011 22:55:00 +0100 5077943 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069472&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmed-school-applicants-is-the-interview-becoming-as-influential-as-the-grades%2F2011.07.27 This week the Times ran a leading story on a new med school admission process, with multiple, mini-interviews, like speed dating. The idea is to assess applicants’ social, communication and ethical thinking (?) skills: …It is called the multiple mini interview, or M.M.I., and its use is spreading. At least eight medical schools in the United States — including those at Stanford, the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Cincinnati — and 13 in Canada are using it. At Virginia Tech Carilion, 26 candidates showed up on a Saturday in March and stood with their backs to the doors of 26 small rooms. When a bell sounded, the applicants spun around and read a sheet of paper taped to the door that described an ethical conundrum. Two minutes later, the bell sounded aga... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069472 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:00:31 +0100 5069472 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062218&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FO-b9eVJqNos%2F Tables are Turned: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries mostly makes generic drugs, but now finds itself acting like Big Pharma — defending the patent for a brand-name drug in order to stave off the threat of generic competition, the WSJ reports. Mylan and Momenta are challenging the validity of Teva’s patents for the multiple-sclerosis drug Copaxone, hoping to sell generic copies before the patents expire in 2014 and 2015, the paper says. So far, the FDA hasn’t granted Teva’s requests to require separate clinical trials of the proposed generic versions. Radiation Threat: The Japanese food supply is being threatened by radiation from the nuclear power-plant disaster earlier this year, with more than 2,600 cattle contaminated and some tainted meat put on sale, Bloomberg Ne... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062218 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:31:36 +0100 5062218 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050579&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fincreasing-government-oversight-of-irbs-could-help-prevent-seeding-trials%2F2011.07.21 I thought I read the final chapter in the tale of Pfizer’s shady marketing practices for Neurontin years ago. Sadly, there’s at least one more chapter to go. Recall that in 2008, leaked documents from a US District Court revealed that Pfizer had covered-up the results of a clinical trial which showed the drug didn’t work for chronic nerve pain, even as it promoted off-label use of the anti-seizure drug for that purpose. The next year, it was revealed that Parke-Davis (now a subsidiary of Pfizer) took advantage of lax disclosure policies by certain medical journals to publish 13 articles promoting off-label use of Neurontin that were ghostwritten and funded by the company without disclosing such arrangements. Now, it has come to light that Parke Davis’ marketing department sponsored... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050579 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 14:00:20 +0100 5050579 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028129&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FnHGEBS4alg8%2F Accepting Facebook friend requests from current or former patients is a lousy idea, the British Medical Association is telling physicians. The group’s new social media guidance notes that “because of the power imbalance that can exist in any doctor-patient relationship,” it’s important to establish a professional boundary. And that can be tough to do given all the personal information a Facebook status-update stream can deliver. The BMA writes: Given the greater accessibility of personal information, entering into informal relationships with patients on sites like Facebook can increase the likelihood of inappropriate boundary transgressions, particularly where previously there existed only a professional relationship between a doctor and patient. Difficult ethical i... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028129 Thu, 14 Jul 2011 13:29:06 +0100 5028129 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028133&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FEDwDeilG6YQ%2F When parents are physically harming their kids, the state can step in and remove them from the home. Should that happen if a child is severely obese? A commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association says it should be considered, but only “in carefully selected situations.” The two authors, Lindsey Murtagh of the Harvard School of Public Health and David S. Ludwig of Children’s Hospital Boston, say that in most cases, overweight and obese kids will have a chance to improve their health as adults. (About 16% of kids aged 10 to 16 were obese in 2007, according to government stats.) But, they write, the health consequences for the most severely obese children –defined as a body mass index at or above the 99th percentile, which includes about 2 million kid... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028133 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:55:23 +0100 5028133 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029243&cid=t_93950_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=5008120&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F2KlBS-xNuZs%2F Hip Suits: Artificial hips made by Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy Orthopaedics unit are the subject of about 1,000 lawsuits claiming J&J knew about problems with some of the metal-on-metal joint replacements before it ceased their production in 2009, the WSJ reports. A Wells Fargo analyst says J&J stands to lose more than $1 billion in liability and other costs; J&J says it boosted its product-liability reserves by $570 million last year and has also set aside $280 million to cover medical costs of people who received the joints and experienced problems. Last year the company recalled the joints that remained on the market. Privacy Penalty: UCLA is paying $865,000 and will tighten its internal controls as part of an agreement settling federal allegations that unauthorized ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008120 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:36:28 +0100 5008120 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008194&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-its-a-bad-idea-for-a-psychiatrist-to-serve-as-an-expert-witness-for-their-patient%2F2011.07.08 In Dinah’s post “The Chapter I Wish We Had Written” an anonymous commenter wrote about his problems finding an expert witness for his or her employment discrimination case (since I don’t know if Anonymous is male or female I’m going to use a standard male pronoun in this post—apologies if I got this wrong). Anonymous asked his doctor to help with the case, but he refused. He explained to Anonymous that he would be a biased witness and Anonymous also understood that the doctor’s involvement might affect the therapeutic relationship. Anonymous’s doctor gave her a number of referrals to forensic psychiatrists, but since he was not working with an attorney no expert would take the case. Anonymous was understandably frustrated by this situation. I... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008194 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:00:00 +0100 5008194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008269&cid=t_93950_107_f&fid=34860&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.corporeality.net%2Fmuseion%2F2011%2F07%2F05%2Fthe-role-of-medical-museums-in-contemporary-medical-education%2F We have just submitted an application for a major new gallery based on our anatomical and pathological specimen collections — and the in-house discussions are already becoming vigorous. How to find conceptually interesting ways to display cancer tumours, conjoined twins, and twisted torsos? What’s the balance between spectacular engagement and ethical concerns? How to make the historical collections of the macroanatomical past work together with the microanatomical and molecular collections of present biobanks? During the next couple of years we will embark on a more detailed planning process — we will engage medical experts, medical historians/sociologists, museum colleagues and the general public in a discussion about the best ways to build such a gallery and ho... Biomedicine on Display blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008269 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 08:00:46 +0100 5008269 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992742&cid=t_93950_107_f&fid=34860&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.corporeality.net%2Fmuseion%2F2011%2F07%2F02%2Frepresenting-the-contentious%2F I found this interesting – consider it in light of museum materialities and aestethics: “The symposium will also consider why academic and artistic projects are subject to different degrees of ethical oversight and how the final outputs of such projects are shaped by their prospective consumption in the public domain.” See below for the full call ——————————————————————————————————– Representing the Contentious:  A Symposium Dr Bronwyn Parry and Ania Dabrowska, Artist Mind Over Matter, Wellcome Trust People Award Call for papers. 14th October, 2011 10 am – 4 p... Biomedicine on Display blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992742 Sat, 02 Jul 2011 09:20:23 +0100 4992742 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992646&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FGBculZafxR8%2F The medical residents starting their training today belong to a generation that doesn’t think twice about broadcasting even intimate details of their lives via texts, Twitter and other social media. That can get tricky when those doctors’ lives begin to include patients. To help spark discussions of how residents can negotiate this new ground, the folks at the Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media have put together a video with advice from doctors who are active on Twitter, blogs, Facebook or other forms of social media. The project “was born from this idea that there are currently no well-defined guidelines about digital behavior” for physicians, says Bryan Vartabedian, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston who appears on the vi... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992646 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 16:28:09 +0100 4992646 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984393&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F29%2Fwho-knows-or-cares-how-planned-parenthood-cuts-affect-nashville-womens-health-care%2F Not the Governor who pushed for the move, apparently. Earlier this month, I wrote about how Republican-led efforts to defund Planned Parenthood in Tennessee will affect women in Nashville – one of two TN cities where the state usually gives federal family planning and cancer prevention money to Planned Parenthood. In Nashville, that money will now go to the local health department, which explicitly said that it doesn’t expect to serve the same number of women for the money. Planned Parenthood made up the gap between the federal funds and what it takes to actually serve Nashville’s women by raising funds from donations. The health department does not expect any additional funds to make the shortfall, and would need local tax increases to make up the difference. As at le... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984393 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:44:39 +0100 4984393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4960336&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F06%2Fpfizer-integrating-telemedicine-into-clinical-trials.html I have a special interest in clinical trials dating back to my five-year stint on the IRB (Institutional Review Board) at my hospital. I therefore read with some interest the news that Pfizer was integrating telemedicine (i.e., remote subject participation) into one of its clinical trials (see: Pfizer Integrating Telemedicine into Clinical Trials). Here is an excerpt from the article Pfizer is starting enrollment of its first ever investigational drug trial with remote patient participation. The trial, aptly named Research on Electronic Monitoring of OAB Treatment Experience (REMOTE), is a study to assess the safety and efficacy of Detrol LA (tolterodine tartrate), a treatment for overactive bladder. The main goal is to determine whether the results of the pilot REMOTE “virtual trial” ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4960336 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:59:22 +0100 4960336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4953242&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fquote-heard-round-world.html  Gay marriage now just one vote shy of becoming law in New York despite Archbishop Dolan's objections[NY] Sen. Roy McDonald (R-Saratoga) - in a dramatic reversal from his earlier opposition - became the second GOPer in as many days to give his blessing to same-sex nuptials, bringing Senate support to 31 votes."I'm tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I'm trying to do the right thing, and that's where I'm going with this."and in the same story, here's the quote that probably pissed him off enough to take such a stand.McDonald's change of heart came hours after Archbishop Timothy Dolan led a band of religious groups hustling to halt the momentum."The stampede is on," Dolan wrote in a blog post. "Our elected sena... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4953242 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 06:06:00 +0100 4953242 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911412&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=38272&url=http%3A%2F%2Flaikaspoetnik.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F06%2F07%2Fto-retract-or-not-to-retract-thats-the-question%2F In the previous post I discussed [1] that editors of Science asked for the retraction of a paper linking XMRV retrovirus to ME/CFS. The decision of the editors was based on the failure of at least 10 other studies to confirm these findings and on growing support that the results were caused by contamination. When the authors refused [...] (Source: Laika's MedLibLog) Laika's MedLibLog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911412 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 13:34:25 +0100 4911412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902422&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-young-person-refuses-life-saving-treatment-is-that-ok%2F2011.06.05 Discussion: (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Movin' Meat* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902422 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 19:00:00 +0100 4902422 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893507&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Famerican-medical-student-association.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893507 Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:53:00 +0100 4893507 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883657&cid=t_93950_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSutureForALiving%2F%7E3%2FsKxAoBt4zMc%2Fshout-outs_31.html Grand Rounds is  taking a break this week. If you would like to host a future edition of Grand Rounds send an email to Nick Genes (you can find his contact info at here).   The most recent edition can be found here at Medgadget.  Other editions can be found here on the Grand Rounds Facebook page. …………………………… @movinmeat  wrote a post recently, A case study in applied ethics, which lead @inwhiteink to write an educational post on decisional capacity ……. “Decisional capacity” refers to a person’s ability to make a decision for a specific clinical issue. This issue is usually related to treatment. After assessment, physicians can opine whether someone possesses or lacks decisional capacity for something specific: …… Appelbau... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883657 Tue, 31 May 2011 11:25:00 +0100 4883657 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883642&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fsociety-of-hospital-medicine-eyed-in.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883642 Mon, 30 May 2011 02:03:00 +0100 4883642 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883537&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2Findex.php%2F2011%2F05%2F31%2Fa-testy-issue%2F Recent articles in the Star about medical investigations: Many complain of having to pay for unnecessary tests Questioning doctor’s orders Insurers on the pulse of medical claims There is no doubt the cost of medical care is going up and no one wants to perform unnecessary tests. There are however quite a number of points the above articles miss and perhaps you should also read HMatter’s rebuttal in his blog post which was also submitted as a letter to the Star: Replying to the Star: Testing the Patient It is not uncommon to see people go for routine screening on their own by “diagnostic centres” offering “comprehensive packages” which can include the gamut of unnecessary “tumor markers” and scans. What is the wastage of performing unnecessary te... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883537 Sun, 29 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4883537 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862726&cid=t_93950_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FChannelN-PodcastsPoweredByOdiogo%2F%7E3%2F_jIaK1HAols%2F The Brain and the Law An overview of neuroethics and neurolaw that covers a lot of ground, from Phineas Gage to comas. Ways that the brain controls behaviour, issues of responsibility and accountability in the legal system, decision making, recidivism and rehabilitation, predicting violence, the hype and reality of fMRI lie detectors and the implicit association test (IAT), and more. Fast-paced and accessible talk, from the @RSAevents Vision lectures. (Source: Channel N) Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862726 Tue, 24 May 2011 21:25:36 +0100 4862726 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4852978&cid=t_93950_113_f&fid=34637&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgaggio.blogspirit.com%2Farchive%2F2011%2F05%2F21%2Fyou-are-not-a-gadget.html Recently, I came across an intriguing book that brings a new, thought-provoking perspective on how the Internet is shaping our lives and culture. The title of the book is You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto and the author is Jaron Lanier, a computer scientist and musician who is best known for his pioneering work in the field of virtual reality.The leitmotiv of the book can be summarized in a single question: are new technologies really playing an empowering role, by increasing people’s creativity, control, and freedom? As can be expected from the title, the author’s answer is more negative than positive. To construct his argument, Lanier starts from the observation that the evolution of computing is not as free of constraints as one might assume.As a key example, the author describes th... Positive Technology Journal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4852978 Sat, 21 May 2011 11:30:00 +0100 4852978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4848101&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fthats-just-so-takei.html BTW, the Gay Agenda is, and always has been, to join the United Federation of Planets to get access to all them hot Andorians. (Source: Graphictruth) Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4848101 Fri, 20 May 2011 19:36:00 +0100 4848101 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803527&cid=t_93950_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FHMjRUUaZf7s%2F As Joe Jimenez knows, no company is immune from ethical misconduct, including Novartis. And so the Novartis ceo has informed employees that “we have recently had to let some senior managers go for not upholding values,” according to an internal communication. We were unable to learn further details immediately, such as the number of people involved, the countries in which the terminations occurred or the circumstances, but Jimenez (pictured to the left) notes that the managers were let go made after he recently spent “more time in local markets.” “Although it was hard for everyone involved, we simply will not tolerate behavior that is inconsistent with our values and societal norms. We aspire to be the most respected and successful healthcare company in the wo... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803527 Mon, 09 May 2011 17:58:05 +0100 4803527 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803005&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F05%2F08%2Fsunday-news-round-up-car-freecarless-edition%2F This post is late because I was busy taking the bus to get here.* I wrote several times in 2008 about the case of Juana Villegas, an immigrant in Nashville who was arrested as the result of a traffic stop and ultimately ended up shackled to a hospital bed during labor, separated from her newborn for two days without seeing him, and denied a breast pump or cream for lactating women. This past week, a federal judge ruled in her favor that the shackling during labor and after delivery violated her civil rights. I have a full post up at Our Bodies Our Blog on this topic. I also have a full post up at the OBOS blog on the Skin Deep database, which provides info on the safety and ingredients of skin care and cosmetic products. I spent the last few days at the IHA Health Literacy conference. I... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803005 Sun, 08 May 2011 17:00:17 +0100 4803005 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4795066&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F05%2Fmarketing.html In previous notes, I argued that it was largely useless to complain about the loss of privacy and confidentiality in this digital era because the horse was already out of the barn (see: On the Privacy of Health Information: The Horse Is Already Out of the Barn; Despite HIPAA, the Privacy of Our Health Records Is Largely a Myth). Instead, one needs to help prevent further erosion of our rights. A recent article reinforced this idea. It showed how life insurance companies are now using readily available marketing data about individuals to assess their health status and therefore risk (see: Insurers Test Data Profiles to Identify Risky Clients). This approach will be in lieu of, or in addition to, the lab testing and health questionnaire that the companies have used for many years. Below is a... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4795066 Fri, 06 May 2011 14:41:00 +0100 4795066 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789169&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=34935&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmedicine.com.my%2Fwp%2Findex.php%2F2011%2F05%2F05%2Fcharging-patients-referred-from-private-centres-differently-not-exactly-fair%2F A recent experience prompts me to write this post. Some (possibly all) major referral/tertiary public hospitals charge patients referred from private centres extra or at a “private rate” no matter what. While it is true that some patients coming from private hospitals can afford to pay, more often than not, the reason for referring them to public medical centres is because they are not adequately covered by insurance or unable to self-pay for medical care in private centres in the first place. What the registration counter then tells these unfortunate patients is that they have to go get a referral letter from another public hospital/clinic if they want to have this waivered. I can’t understand this ridiculous red-tape the public hospitals have to put these patients thro... Malaysian Medical Resources blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789169 Tue, 03 May 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4789169 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780311&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhand-transplantation-is-it-worth-a-lifetime-of-immunosuppression%2F2011.05.03 There was a lovely news article on the first California hand transplant patient in the LA Times earlier this week:  Hand transplant patient speaks (bold emphasis is mine) Emily Fennell, 26, last month became the first person in California to have the revolutionary surgery. Six weeks and many hours of therapy later, she has no regrets. ….. On March 5, Fennell became the first person to undergo a hand transplant in California and the 13th nationwide to have the revolutionary surgery. . …. “It’s crazy how good it looks,” she said at her occupational therapy session one morning last week at UCLA, where she spends about eight hours a day working on learning how to move her new hand and fingers. “I knew the match wouldn’t be perfect, but if you didn’t kno... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780311 Tue, 03 May 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4780311 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775393&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnew-alzheimer%25e2%2580%2599s-guidelines-emphasize-early-detection-frighten-some%2F2011.05.02 For the first time in 30 years, an expert panel has updated guidelines for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. The long overdue facelift should favorably impact care for millions and accelerate badly needed research on the disease. The guidelines were produced by representatives from the National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association. They portray Alzheimer’s for the first time as a three-stage disease. In addition to ‘Stage 3,’—the full-blown clinical syndrome that had been described in earlier versions of the guidelines—the new guidelines describe an earlier ‘Stage 2,’ of mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer’s, and a ‘Stage 1, or preclinical’ phase of the disease. The latter can only be detected with biochemical marker tests and brain scans.Th... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775393 Mon, 02 May 2011 11:00:06 +0100 4775393 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4768025&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fmore-on-fake-note-real-docs-in.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4768025 Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:59:00 +0100 4768025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4758708&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F27%2Fjournal-of-the-american-medical-association-2011-vol-305-no-6%2F This article evaluates and examines the eligibility of live kidney donors and their short- and long-term risks are discussed. An NHS Athens password is required to access this article online, alternatively contact the Library for a copy. Filed under: Athens Password, E-Journals, Journals Tagged: Donor Selection, Ethics, Informed Consent, Kidney Failure, Organ Donation, Organ Transplantation, Patient Safety, Surgical Procedures (Source: Fade Library) Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4758708 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:43:11 +0100 4758708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723803&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fevidence-that-doctors-make-bad-patients%2F2011.04.18 Physicians recommend treatments with higher survival rates for their patients, but they make more mental mistakes when they are the patient and have to choose for themselves. Psychologists know that when people make decisions for others, they are dispassionate enough to be less swayed by extraneous factors. Even toddlers make less impulsive decisions for others than they do for themselves. Researchers surveyed general internists and family medicine specialists about two scenarios, each with two treatment alternatives. Both outcomes involved a choice between surviving a fatal illness but with sometimes crippling outcomes. Physicians were randomized to groups in which they imagined themselves as the patient facing the decision, or in which they were recommending an option to a patient. (more... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723803 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:00:00 +0100 4723803 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723806&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fonline-health-information-can-be-more-trustworthy-than-printed-texts%2F2011.04.17 Recently Ed Silverman of Pharmalot considers the case of a ghost-written medical text’s mysterious disappearance. The 1999 book, “Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care,” (reviewed in a psychiatry journal here) came under scrutiny last fall when it became evident that the physician “authors” didn’t just receive money from a relevant drug maker, SmithKline Beecham; they received an outline and text for the book from pharmaceutical company-hired writers. poster for the X-Files Now the book’s listing is gone from the website of STI (Scientific Therapeutic Information), the company that provided the authorship “help.” I tried to get a copy of the handbook on Amazon.com, where it’s currently out-of-stock. The book ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723806 Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:00:58 +0100 4723806 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723755&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F16%2Fnotes-from-a-lecture-hormone-therapy-for-transgender-adolescents%2F I have several sets of lecture notes to write up from talks given at the larger workplace’s LGBT health week in March of this year. Yes, it has taken me forever to get to this – March and April have sort of gotten away from me somehow. As a result, some of my notes may not be as rich as I’d like, as they would be if I had converted them to posts right away, but I hope they’ll still be interesting and useful to readers. The followin is built from my notes on a presentation on Friday March 18, “Case Presentations in Adolescent Hormonal Therapy,” by Dr. Jennifer Najjar and Dr. Lisa Beavers. Before we get into the lecture notes, I’d like to introduce the basic concept, although I am by no means an expert. One thing the speakers didn’t really get ... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723755 Sat, 16 Apr 2011 20:07:29 +0100 4723755 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4720029&cid=t_93950_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F1016-How-scientists-helped-usher-in-the-Holocaust.html This video from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum about their exhibit "Deadly Medicine: Creating the Master Race" is a reminder that doctors and scientists helped implement the genocide of the Holocaust.  Nowadays it seems that science and scientists can do no wrong.  If a scientist says he needs to create and destroy human life for research, we barely bat an eye.  Most people think, "Well a scientist would know better than I would what is ethical, right?"  And scientists often bristle at any suggestion of restrictions on their research for ethical reasons.  Combine this worship of all things science with society's acceptance of death as a legitimate medical treatment and a perfect storm is created.  A storm where 90% of Down Syndrome children are aborte... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4720029 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 20:40:42 +0100 4720029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4714740&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-doing-fine-is-relative%2F2011.04.14 It was 11:00 pm when the pager vibrated, then beeped: it was the ER, Hospital #3. “This is Dr. Fisher returning your page?” “Thank you Dr. Fisher, just a moment for Dr. Frigamafratz.” A brief pause, then: “Wes, I think we’ll need your services. Old guy, found down at the nursing home, brought in unconscious, pulse 25 – hooked him up to an external pacer, he’s back with us now.” “I’m on my way.” When I arrived, there was the usual cacophony of activity in the Emergency Room. Someone screaming in one corner. Intercom sounding. Ambulance en route to our location. Breathing treatments underway in Bay 5. Room 10 headed to the CT scanner. Has room 12 got a bed? By comparison my patient was easy: his disposition in the eyes o... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4714740 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 23:00:00 +0100 4714740 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709335&cid=t_93950_131_f&fid=34999&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marymeetsdolly.com%2Fblog%2Findex.php%3F%2Farchives%2F1015-Outright-lies-and-distortions-in-science.html I have to admit nothing gets my dander up like a debate on human cloning.  The reason is not the cloning part (as bad as that is), it is the lies and distortions by scientists and the media surrounding the issue.  It seems impossible for anyone to tell the truth. Namely that SCNT, the scientific name for cloning, creates cloned embryos, indistinguishable from IVF embryos.  Or that SCNT is cloning and is NOT synonymous with stem cell research.  Or that SCNT requires so many eggs that most of the women of child bearing age in this country would have to donate their eggs for SCNT to actually treat patients.When I point out these facts with references from the American Medical Association, Our Bodies, Ourselves or the National Academy of Sciences, even from James Thomson, embryonic stem ce... Mary Meets Dolly blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709335 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 18:39:57 +0100 4709335 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704733&cid=t_93950_112_f&fid=34971&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.drmalpani.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fwhy-its-unethical-for-doctors-not-to.html Many doctors are still worried that it's unethical to have a personal website.They feel that this amounts to advertising, and that a website is a way of soliciting patients.I strongly disagree. In fact, I feel it's unethical for a doctor not to have their own website ! The word doctor is derived from the word, " docere", which means to teach. This clearly means that one of the key responsibilities of a doctor is to teach their patients. While many doctors do this face to face, the amount of teaching which can be done this way is very limited - and a conversation is not the best way of transmitting information.Doctors who publish their own websites communicate with their patients online - and a website is a much more powerful tool of reaching out to thousands of people who are looking for i... The Patient's Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704733 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:38:00 +0100 4704733 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704581&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F04%2F11%2Ftennessee-job-training-rvs-who-could-have-done-it-better-public-libraries%2F Last week it was announced by Tennessee’s new Republican Governor, Bill Haslam, that three RVs have been bought to address joblessness in this state. From the announcement: Governor Haslam and the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development today unveiled three vehicles designed to improve outcomes for those looking for work. Three “Career Coaches” were customized with 10 computer workstations with Internet access, printers, fax machines, and flat screen TV’s with SMART Board overlays to facilitate classroom instruction. The intent of these roving offices is to bring job matching and training to rural communities that have limited access to a Tennessee Career Center. The vehicles will be based in Huntingdon, Nashville and Knoxville in order to cover all areas of the... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704581 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:21:10 +0100 4704581 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4677020&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fyet-one-more-reason-to-love-canada.html (Source: Graphictruth) Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4677020 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 01:09:00 +0100 4677020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4658345&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F30%2Fat-obos-growing-objections-to-makena-price-hike%2F Over at Our Bodies Our Blog, I have a post on the FDA’s approval of Makena (17-Hydroxyprogesterone or 17OHP) for prevention of preterm birth and the huge price hike that followed, with links to commentaries on the controversy, including calls for boycotts, questions about the March of Dimes’s role in supporting the approval, lots of good posts from The Preemie Primer blog, and a New England Journal of Medicine perspective piece decrying the potential impact on Medicaid and decrease in access to the drug as a result of the price hike. Filed under: Access, Rights, & Choice, Drugs, Ethics, Pregnancy (Source: Women's Health News) Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4658345 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 14:26:25 +0100 4658345 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653494&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fwhy-im-not-voting-for-harpers.html The G20 summit caused chaos in Canada’s largest city and accomplished nothing other than a $1-billion photo-op for Stephen Harper, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff said Monday during a campaign stop in Toronto"The Harper Government," illustrated above, is not Conservative, save in the depressingly Neoconservative (Neoliberal) sense. And that is to say, not at all. Ignatieff is wrong; that billion dollars was well spent, if you understand what Harper's Government was trying to achieve; what he was trying to communicate to ordinary citizens and the world.[N]ot only is the Conservative vision of an executive based, uniform and militaristic nation-state a coherent and substantive vision, but the Harper government has taken concrete and bold steps during a short minority government to make th... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4653494 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:30:00 +0100 4653494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642685&cid=t_93950_109_f&fid=34958&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.counsellingresource.com%2F%7Er%2Fpsychology-philosophy%2F%7E3%2FoagBDxs-UGo%2F Quite apart from the question of whether human beings in a deterministic world can be said to be free -- and what that means for moral responsibility -- the idea remains that we all have it within us to be more than just a slave to our fears and desires.Tags: ethics, in practice, mind-body, responsibility (Source: Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life) Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642685 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:22:12 +0100 4642685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642547&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F03%2F27%2Fsunday-news-round-up-5%2F Assorted items of interest collected over the last week or so; as usual, the Sunday round-up is more socially than medically oriented, this week with several items on transgender women and related rights, issues, and prejudices as I’ve been trying to read more about these topics. Scientific American has an excerpt from a new book, Demand Better! Revive Our Broken Health Care System. It’s a pretty clear explanation of how little doctors apply the best, most current evidence to medical treatment, and might be pretty shocking for folks who are not involved in evidence-based medicine issues. For example: Even though clinical guidelines exist…physicians get it right about 55 percent of the time across all medical conditions. In other words, patients receive recommended care ... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642547 Sun, 27 Mar 2011 16:25:47 +0100 4642547 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636601&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fnewt-rules-bill-maher-cant-make-sense.html (Source: Graphictruth) Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636601 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 20:58:00 +0100 4636601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631611&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F03%2Ffuck-off.html (Source: Graphictruth) Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631611 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:02:00 +0100 4631611 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615334&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fand-now-brief-word-from-history.html Context, you might ask?It's not just old hippies who have acid flashbacks. Considering some of the reactions to the peaceful protests in the US against various authoritarian government agendas.Discredit to the commentators from Freeperville (Welcome to Free Republic! America's exclusive site for God, Family, Country, Life & Liberty constitutional conservative activists! ) in a thread titled Wisconsin Teachers Lead Students in Anti-Walker Chants (thugs instruct children in the capitol)To: Libloather > Are they indoctrinating their pupils? You bet your @$$ that's exactly what they've been doing since the 1960s. > Where are the decent people of Wisconsin? Working to support these slugs. Or cleaning and oiling their rifles. 8 posted on March-19-11 10:11:34 AM by Flatus I. Maximus (... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615334 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 02:42:00 +0100 4615334 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592612&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fbachmann-vs-reality.html It should not be possible - ever - for an elective official - of ANY party - to be made to look THIS stupid in public without lying.My question is NOT how stupid the voters are. How stupid are the people that let her EVER get traction in the first place? (Source: Graphictruth) Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592612 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 01:10:00 +0100 4592612 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592704&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F03%2Ffcreating-the-i-patient-bedside-diagnostic-skills-continue-to-deteriorate.html According to one prominent physician, Dr. Abraham Verghese, electronic records and our sophisticated diagnostic tools are causing physicians to increasingly focus on the electronic records and diagnostic images (i.e., the iPatient) and ignoring their flesh-and-blood patients (see: Treat the Patient, Not the CT Scan). Put another way, we are treating the iPatients rather than the physical patient. Below is an excerpt from the article: [The expanding reliance on electronic medical records] creates what I call an “iPatient” — and this iPatient threatens to become the real focus of our attention, while the real patient in the bed often feels neglected, a mere placeholder for the virtual record. Imaging the body has become so easy (and profitable, too, if you own the machine). When I was ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592704 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:19:45 +0100 4592704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4577917&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Ffake-notes-real-docs-update.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4577917 Sun, 13 Mar 2011 04:09:00 +0100 4577917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4575072&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fis-cam-fraudulent.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4575072 Fri, 11 Mar 2011 13:16:00 +0100 4575072 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560498&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fsolving-budget-crisis-anywhere.html The first rule of budgeting is to look at your costs and priorities. It's as true for governments as it is for people. You look at the various things you spend time and money on and you decide if they actually bring the benefit you once thought. This is one very dramatic example.Watch the whole thing, and then realize the overwhelming truth. A positive budget shift of more than 2 billion dollars more or less immediately upon stopping the drug war. In California. Alone. 2 BILLION dollars.I don't have to be an advocate of recreational drug use or medical marijuana to make that argument. I just have to point out that flushing two billion bucks down the crapper in return for no good outcome, much less anything like the intended outcomes (other than getting politicians elected) is really very s... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560498 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:38:00 +0100 4560498 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560304&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fwhats-university-of-wisconsin.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560304 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:14:00 +0100 4560304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560276&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-ethics-and-the-r-word%2F2011.03.07 [Recently] a short article in the New York Times, New Kidney Transplant Policy Would Favor Younger Patients, [drew] my attention to a very basic problem in medical ethics: Rationing. According to the Washington Post coverage, the proposal comes from the United Network for Organ Sharing, a Richmond-based private non-profit group the federal government contracts for allocation of donated organs. From the Times piece: Under the proposal, patients and kidneys would each be graded, and the healthiest and youngest 20 percent of patients and kidneys would be segregated into a separate pool so that the best kidneys would be given to patients with the longest life expectancies. This all follows [the recent] front-page business story on the monetary value of life. I have to admit, I’m glad to s... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560276 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:00:35 +0100 4560276 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4549730&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FFiHKdbrsCVo%2F The Health Blog has written a lot about conflicts of interest. At the TED2011 conference,  Dan Ariely, a behavioral economics professor at MIT, talked about how hard it is to detect our own subtle biases. Ariely, a burn victim, recounted how one of his doctors called him into the office and announced he was going to improve Ariely’s life. The doc was going to make Ariely’s face more symmetrical by tattooing little black marks on the side of this face that no longer had hair growth so it would look like the stubble on the other side. The head of the Center for Advanced Hindsight (motto: “Research into what might have been”), Ariely was skeptical and asked many questions, including what would happen when he aged and his stubble became white. Ultimately, he decided not to ... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4549730 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 18:26:37 +0100 4549730 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536494&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F03%2Fpathologist-making-cameos-in-patient-units-and-surgeons-lounge.html A common criticism of some hospital pathologists is that they hole-up in their offices to diagnose the day's pathology slides and sometimes fail to develop meaningful relationships with hospital physicians and nurses. As an antidote to this problem, they are sometimes urged to visit the surgeon's lounge and make clinical "lab rounds" to correlate test results with clinical data. One clever pathology trainee has come up with a name for this phenomenon -- cameo appearances. I learned about this in a note posted on the Student Doctor Network (see: Pathology is the Future?). Below is the key passage: [S]uggesting we round or otherwise make [pathologist] cameos on the floors is ridiculous. Perhaps the surgeons should spend half of their days double scoping with us too. I'm... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536494 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:11:17 +0100 4536494 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536247&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F03%2Ffox-doesnt-even-try-any-more.html My takeway: If you are stupid enough or ignorant enough to think there could be palm trees in Madison Wisconsin, you might still be watching Fox News. Or at least, that's likely the calculus over at Faux, so why put any effort into that Journalism stuff? It's not like the core audience cares...For the rest of humanity, let the mockery commence. Oh, as for CNN, and other "Liberal Media," - maybe it might be time to spend more time on the real issues of the day, and less time on Charlie Sheen. (Source: Graphictruth) Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536247 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 04:43:00 +0100 4536247 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536248&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fdefeat-stupidity-now.html The epidemic of stupidity has placed western culture at grave risk; it threatens our health, our future, our survival as a species. So it's time to wake up and respect the intelligence. If you are not willing to do the heavy lifting required to form an informed and intelligent opinion, you don't get the right to have your stupidity respected. Conventional wisdom is under fire from every direction,  and it does not turn out to be particularly bulletproof.Matt Blum writes in WiredBill Gates Says Anti-Vaccine Autism Groups “Kill Children” — And He’s RightI get a ton of press releases every day in my inbox every day; most of them I just ignore, but yesterday I got one whose subject, in all-caps and bold, read:OUTRAGED AUTISM GROUPS AND LEADERS TO ANNOUNCE 50,000-PARENT PROTEST IN ... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536248 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:29:00 +0100 4536248 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532206&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39182&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcovertrationingblog.com%2Fpodpress_trac%2Ffeed%2F1421%2F0%2Flying-doctors.mp3 Podcast: In his last post, DrRich analyzed whether the young Wisconsin doctors who stood out on street corners proudly offering fake “sick excuses” to protesting teachers were engaging in an act of civil disobedience. DrRich respectfully kept an open mind on this question, but after careful deliberation concluded that it is very unlikely that their actions constituted classic civil disobedience as espoused by Thoreau or Gandhi. Instead, these doctors were, in a professional capacity, lying. They did not lie in any truly malicious way, however. They lied because they have been trained to believe in a higher cause than mere professional ethics, namely, the cause of social justice. They lied in full confidence that telling lies to advance such a noble cause is a natural duty of t... The Covert Rationing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532206 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:26:13 +0100 4532206 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532572&cid=t_93950_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FJhdgNC8Xh6E%2F The European Medicines Agency is being criticized for not objecting to a pharma industry consulting gig taken by its former executive director, Thomas Lonngren, who left at the end of the December. However, he only told the EMA board of his intention to pursue consulting in a December 28 letter - and his new consulting job was to begin on January 1. Instead of asking questions, the EMA chair, Pat O’Mahony, responded that the agency had no objections to Lonngren’s new position, according to consumer advocacy groups, which wrote a letter to the EMA to complain about its decision (here are the letters between Lonngren and O’Mahony, although the Lonngren letter is misdated). The groups charge in their own letter that the EMA board did not request details from Lönngren about his cons... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532572 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:43:18 +0100 4532572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4525136&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fwisconsen-cops-call-for-fresh-deck-and.html <p><p><p><br><br><br>but</p></p></p>I wonder if Walker truly comprehends what sort of situation he could be in. The entire public service infrastructure wants to see him dangling from a light-pole, but will no doubt se... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4525136 Sat, 26 Feb 2011 21:54:00 +0100 4525136 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4522128&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Ffake-notes-real-docs-was-it-civil.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4522128 Sat, 26 Feb 2011 03:09:00 +0100 4522128 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4522105&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwere-the-wisconsin-doctors-practicing-civil-disobedience%2F2011.02.25 A minor firestorm has erupted regarding those doctors in Wisconsin this week who were handing out fake “sick excuses” to demonstrating teachers, Fox news producers, Andrew Breitbart, and, apparently, anyone else who had some use for one. Indeed, there has been more outrage about this episode than DrRich would have thought. Conservative commentators, of course, were predictably apoplectic about the sight of these callow youths, preening in their white coats, abusing and debasing the sacred trust which has been granted to them by virtue of their profession. There’s nothing surprising about that. But even most of the more mainstream commentators expressed at least a slight bit of discomfort about the actions these doctors were taking, even if they were doing it for a very good and noble... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4522105 Fri, 25 Feb 2011 20:00:27 +0100 4522105 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4517165&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39182&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcovertrationingblog.com%2Fpodpress_trac%2Ffeed%2F1414%2F0%2FWisconsin-doctors-civil-disobedience.mp3 Podcast: A minor firestorm has erupted regarding those doctors in Wisconsin this week who were handing out fake “sick excuses” to demonstrating teachers, Fox news producers, Andrew Breitbart, and, apparently, anyone else who had some use for one. Indeed, there has been more outrage about this episode than DrRich would have thought. Conservative commentators, of course, were predictably apoplectic about the sight of these callow youths, preening in their white coats, abusing and debasing the sacred trust which has been granted to them by virtue of their profession. There’s nothing surprising about that. But even most of the more mainstream commentators expressed at least a slight bit of discomfort about the actions these doctors were taking, even if they were doing it for... The Covert Rationing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4517165 Thu, 24 Feb 2011 15:57:27 +0100 4517165 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4512415&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fhow-can-teachers-go-to-school-and-tell.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4512415 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 21:46:00 +0100 4512415 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4512416&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Ffake-notes-by-real-docs-its-about-our.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4512416 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 18:04:00 +0100 4512416 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507305&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fintroducing-university-of-wisconsin.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507305 Wed, 23 Feb 2011 01:41:00 +0100 4507305 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507255&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2F5uzVL_Hh5Xo%2F Teachers weren’t home sick, despite their excuse notes. Senior year of high school we once convinced our parents to get us out of school for a day under the pretense that we were sick. Actually we went to Dodger Stadium. But the next day we came down with chicken pox, and that karmic twist pretty much cured us of the urge to prevaricate via an excuse note. The same can’t be said for some Wisconsin teachers, who reportedly have been relying on excuse notes cranked out by sympathetic doctors to justify their failure to go to work. But instead of being sick in bed, of course, they were protesting at the state Capitol. Whatever you think of the bill the teachers are protesting — which would eliminate most of their collective bargaining rights — the doctor’s note... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507255 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:37:20 +0100 4507255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507306&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fand-you-thought-medicine-was-about.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507306 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:38:00 +0100 4507306 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507307&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fethicist-stunned-absolutely-stunned.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507307 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:23:00 +0100 4507307 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507310&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Funiversity-of-wisconsin-announces.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507310 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 01:03:00 +0100 4507310 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507311&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fscrupulous-ebm-superb-clinical-skills.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507311 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:34:00 +0100 4507311 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501600&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Ffake-notes-by-fake-docs-or-fake-notes.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501600 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 16:34:00 +0100 4501600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501601&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Ffake-notes-by-real-docs-may-not-be-so.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501601 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:43:00 +0100 4501601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501602&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fis-fake-doctor-note-story-fake.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501602 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:23:00 +0100 4501602 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501606&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fhappy-hospitalist-weighs-in-on-fake.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501606 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 05:19:00 +0100 4501606 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501607&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fmedicalization-of-social-ills-walker.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501607 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 04:57:00 +0100 4501607 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501608&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fmore-on-real-docs-writing-fake-excuses.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501608 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 04:16:00 +0100 4501608 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501609&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Flocal-media-coverage-of-wisconsin-docs.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501609 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 02:55:00 +0100 4501609 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501610&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fso-its-real-docs-handing-out-fake.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501610 Mon, 21 Feb 2011 01:39:00 +0100 4501610 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501611&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fsick-of-wisconsin-governor-whats-icd-9.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501611 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 18:55:00 +0100 4501611 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501612&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Finstapundit-on-fake-doctor-notes-in.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501612 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 15:26:00 +0100 4501612 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501613&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fanother-wisconsin-patient-gets-fake.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501613 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 15:14:00 +0100 4501613 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4501614&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fdoctors-show-their-professionalism-in.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4501614 Sun, 20 Feb 2011 14:41:00 +0100 4501614 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489735&cid=t_93950_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F18%2Fmemory-and-morality%2F Francesca Gino and Sreedhari Desai recently posted their paper, “Memory Lane and Morality: How Childhood Memories Promote Prosocial Behavior” on SSRN.  Here’s the abstract. * * * Four experiments demonstrated that recalling memories from one’s own childhood lead people to experience feelings of moral purity and to behave prosocially. In Experiment 1, participants instructed to recall memories from their childhood were more likely to help the experimenter with a supplementary task than were participants in a control condition, and this effect was mediated by self-reported feelings of moral purity. In Experiment 2, the same manipulation increased the amount of money participants donated to a good cause, and self-reported feelings of moral purity mediated this relationshi... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489735 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 04:01:23 +0100 4489735 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4498266&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=36224&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.wsjonline.com%2F%7Er%2Fwsj%2Fhealth%2Ffeed%2F%7E3%2FD9z8OZA26rs%2F How’s this for a mash-up of much-debated Health Blog topics: “Advanced practice nurses are performing tasks once reserved for physicians” plus “Is it ethically acceptable for a doctor to take a free restaurant meal from a pharma company?” Those contentious strands come together in a paper published in December in the American Journal of Managed Care that looks at how nurse practitioners interact with and view the pharma industry. They, like doctors, have prescribing power, though it’s limited in some states. “Nurse practitioners have been “operating ‘under the radar’ regarding research and policy on the influences of pharmaceutical marketing,” write researchers from Boston’s MGH Institute of Health Professions and Brig... WSJ.com: Health Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4498266 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:44:42 +0100 4498266 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482802&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Femr-facilitates-higher-coding-what-does.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482802 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 13:03:00 +0100 4482802 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4482721&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Funiversity-of-minnesota-where-nothing.html As noted on the Periodic Table blog, the administration of the University of Minnesota continues to believe all is well with its clinical research activities.  A recent internal review said there was nothing more to investigate about the unfortunate death of a psychiatric patient years before. So should we all be relieved? It will take an extensive review of the case to ultimately suggest we should not at all be relieved.  The case raised important concerns about the validity of clinical research, and whether it violates the trust of its patient-subjects.  These concerns had not been addressed before the university's most recent review, and thus seem even more pointed after its recent non-investigation.Background: the Untimely Death of Dan Marki... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4482721 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 18:01:00 +0100 4482721 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4477666&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=36669&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffadelibrary.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F15%2Fcare-and-compassion-report-of-the-health-service-ombudsman-on-ten-investigations-into-nhs-care-of-older-people%2F Title: Care and compassion?: Report of the Health Service Ombudsman on ten investigations into NHS care of older people Skinny:Report into poor service delivered to elderly people by the NHS, it uses the media of ten case reports to highlight the issue. Mr and Mrs J’s story: Hospital staff at Ealing Hospital NHS Trust left Mr J forgotten in a waiting room, denying him the chance to be with his wife as she died. Mr D’s story: Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust discharged Mr D with inadequate pain relief, leaving his family to find someone to dispense and administer morphine over a bank holiday weekend. Mrs R’s story: Mrs R’s family were concerned that she would not receive food and drink while in Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust unless they themselves helped her t... Fade Library blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4477666 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 15:47:45 +0100 4477666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4477781&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fpalliative-care-and-advance-care.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4477781 Tue, 15 Feb 2011 13:05:00 +0100 4477781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4472937&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F13%2Fsunday-news-round-up-attacks-on-reproductive-rights-edition%2F Three things this week that I think are important to focus on for advocates of reproductive rights and justice: HR3, HR358, and proposed cuts to Title X family planning funding and other women’s health services. I wrote about HR3 and HR358 at Our Bodies Our Blog this week. There, I note that I particularly appreciated the succinct explanations provided by Jennifer Steinhauer in the New York Times, excerpted below. 1) On HR3: One bill, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” would eliminate tax breaks for private employers who provide health coverage if their plans offer abortion services, and would forbid women who use a flexible spending plan to use pre-tax dollars for abortions. Those restrictions would go well beyond current law prohibiting the use of federal money for ab... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4472937 Sun, 13 Feb 2011 17:36:07 +0100 4472937 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4464495&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fselling-human-organs-for-transplantation-medical-ethics-in-handcuffs%2F2011.02.11 I have previously posted on the ethics of paying for organ donation. I find this notion to be ethically troubling, but I believe the issue deserves fair debate. In general, my belief is that a personal anecdote should not drive policy in medical ethics. There are many individual vignettes that are poignant and heartbreaking that tempt us to relax our ethical boundaries. For example, permitting us to harvest organs from folks who are “not quite dead,” would save lives, but society’s rights outweigh this benefit, in my view. For similar reasons, I resist efforts to relax the definition of death in order to increase the reservoir of available organs. If death is redefined as a result of a search for truth, then the process is ethically permissible. Participants in these discussi... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4464495 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:00:00 +0100 4464495 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4464515&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fbecome-professional-whistleblower.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4464515 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 11:11:00 +0100 4464515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4459955&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39182&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcovertrationingblog.com%2Fpodpress_trac%2Ffeed%2F1343%2F0%2Fethicist-assisted-suicide.mp3 Podcast: ____ This is the third in a series of articles on End-of-Life Care and Covert Rationing.  The first two articles can be found here and here. ____ In his previous post, DrRich attempted to satirize the lame attempts of certain payers to “inform” certain of their “covered lives” that, among all the wonderful options available to them under their truly comprehensive health plans, the medical service of physician-assisted suicide would be compassionately offered and cheerfully paid for. DrRich even offered, thoughtfully as usual, some free though invaluable advice to payers on how they ought to go about marketing assisted suicide as a cost-saving strategy, and to do so in a far more sensitive and less ham-fisted way than they have managed so far. If the mark ... The Covert Rationing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4459955 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:36:02 +0100 4459955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4460010&cid=t_93950_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F10%2Fdivided-loyalties-symposium%2F Situationist Contributor Jon Hanson will give the keynote at an interdisciplinary symposium:“Divided Loyalties: Professional Standards and Military Duty“ Hanson’s talk is titled “Shock Therapy: Changing Unethical Behavior by Understanding its Sources.” The symposium is being held at Case Western University Law School, and is funded in part by the Arthur W. Fiske Memorial Lectureship Fund. It it co-sponsored by: Center for Professional Ethics, Frederick K. Cox International Law Center, Institute for Global Security Law & Policy, Law-Medicine Center, and Center for Social Justice. The symposium website summarizes the focus of the conference this way: There has always been some tension between the ethical, legal, and professional obligations of professionals and the ... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4460010 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:29:26 +0100 4460010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455492&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F02%2Fidentifying-impaired-physicians.html We need a more efficient and comprehensive method for identifying "impaired" physicians. It has become apparent to me that our dependence on the reporting of these problems by other physicians is not effective (see: Reporting of Impaired Physicians by Their Colleagues). For various reasons, many physicians are not inclined to point fingers at their colleagues. A recent article highlighted for me another aspect of this problem: the high proportion of older physicians who are still practicing and sometimes performing complex surgical procedures (see: As Doctors Age, Worries About Their Ability Grow). Here's an excerpt from the article:   One-third of the nation’s physicians are over 65, and that proportion is expected to rise. As doctors in the baby boom generatio... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455492 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 15:04:02 +0100 4455492 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450518&cid=t_93950_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FSxHKLul2w-s%2F Nearly seven years ago, 26-year-old Dan Markingson killed himself while participating in a clinical trial at the University of Minnesota, where researchers were studying the Seroquel antipsychotic. And the circumstances surrounding his participation and subsequent death led to widely publicized allegations that the university put its own interests ahead of the patient. How so? One reason - an academic researcher also consulted for AstraZeneca, which markets the pill and sponsored the study. And the researchers were allegedly under pressure to bolster enrollment. These details emerged following a lawsuit filed by Markingson’s mother, who objected to her son’s participation because he was already mentally ill and possibly incompetent, but was enrolled anyway (background here). H... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450518 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:21:42 +0100 4450518 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445799&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39182&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcovertrationingblog.com%2Fpodpress_trac%2Ffeed%2F1326%2F0%2Fselling-assisted-suicide.mp3 Podcast: ____ This is the second in a series of articles on End-of-Life Care and Covert Rationing.  The first article can be found here. ____ In the summer of 2008, the Oregon Health Plan (the Medicaid plan in Oregon) injudiciously sent a letter to lung-cancer patient Barbara Wagner denying coverage for the expensive chemotherapy her doctor had recommended, and offering instead to cover palliative care “including doctor-assisted suicide.” Despite the fact that there were plenty of distractions at the time (including a presidential election and the world’s economy on the brink of Armageddon), that letter unleashed a firestorm of public outrage. (If you have forgotten the outrage, simply Google the search terms “Barbara Wagner” and “suicide.”) Indeed, the outrage was suf... The Covert Rationing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445799 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:51:03 +0100 4445799 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445834&cid=t_93950_106_f&fid=36682&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FSutureForALiving%2F%7E3%2FTbbe9Xs_hPg%2Fadvertising.html I am old school and find it difficult to advertise. I don’t begrudge others who do so ethically and in good taste. There is a local cosmetic surgeon who is running a special via TV ads and on his website (the photo is a screensaver shot of the website cropped to remove his name) that for me is unethical. For me the ad “entices” potential patients into surgery without giving them information about potential risk.   Hopefully that information is given in detail when the patient is seen in the office consultation. …… This was not an issue when I was in medical school (graduated in 1982).  I trained under surgeons who had never been allowed to advertised and frankly did not think doctors should.  Deborah Sullivan, PhD has written a nice piece on the history of... Suture for a Living blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445834 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:15:02 +0100 4445834 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445825&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fwhy-is-it-so-difficult-for-doctors-to.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445825 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:35:00 +0100 4445825 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433099&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39182&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcovertrationingblog.com%2Fpodpress_trac%2Ffeed%2F1292%2F0%2Fadvance-directives.mp3 Podcast: It is easy to have missed it, because it went by so quickly. On January 1, the White House announced a new policy that would have paid doctors for discussing end-of-life planning during their Medicare patients’ annual “wellness visit.” Under this policy, physicians would be paid to encourage their patients to establish an advance directive, which would guide medical care if the patient became incapacitated from illness, and could no longer make medical decisions for him/herself. But on January 5, the new policy was suddenly revoked. It was revoked, CMS lamely explained, because it had not been implemented using the correct process. But, as anyone would know who watched Congress make Obamacare the law of the land, this could not possibly have been the real reason... The Covert Rationing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433099 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:29:44 +0100 4433099 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419067&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F30%2Fsunday-news-round-up-still-here-edition%2F Some things that caught my eye this week; for new folks, the Sunday news round-up tends to focus more on social issues than research or resources, including whatever I’ve noted for later reading from my RSS feeds or Twitter. First, the English-language site for Al Jazeera has the most complete coverage I’ve seen of what’s going on in Egypt for those who need it in the English language. I’m woefully behind on the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” proposed by House Republicans, so this first chunk is catching up. It seems to me to be completely unnecessary political posturing on the backs of women (and especially rape victims, as we’ll see), given that there are existing restrictions preventing federal funding for abortion. I know it includes... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419067 Sun, 30 Jan 2011 17:31:37 +0100 4419067 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4414514&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F29%2Fmayor-dean-this-is-an-insult-to-libraries-and-health%2F I don’t often blog about hyper-local issues that aren’t completely focused on health or reproductive rights, but this story brought to my attention via B’s blog is an important one, I think, for people who care about how government is run and appropriate funding of important and necessary services. The Nashville City Paper reports that a former government employee has essentially been asked to work a part-time, made-up position in the Nashville’s Department of Finance, for an estimated $60,000 a year. The Finance Director is quoted in the article saying things that make it explicitly clear that this was not an existing job opening, one with clearly defined responsibilities and needed qualifications, that other people were able to compete for. “We’ll assign... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4414514 Sat, 29 Jan 2011 16:21:57 +0100 4414514 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399553&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fmoney-and-medicine-lecture-by-thomas.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399553 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 18:19:00 +0100 4399553 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394446&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-ethics-why-they-should-matter-to-patients%2F2011.01.24 Medical ethics has properly gained a foothold in the public square. There is a national conversation about euthanasia, stem cell research, fertilization and embryo implantation techniques, end-of-life care, prenatal diagnosis of serious diseases, defining death to facilitate organ donation, cloning and financial conflicts of interest. Nearly every day, we read (or click) on a headline highlighting one of these or similar ethical controversies. These great issues hover over us. We physicians face ethical dilemmas every day in the mundane world of our medical practices. They won’t appear in your newspapers or pop up on your smartphones, but they are real and they are important. Here is a sampling from the everyday ethical smorgasbord that your doctor faces. How would you act under the fol... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394446 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:00:00 +0100 4394446 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394757&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F01%2Fmthe-overdiagnosis-problem-in-our-health-system.html One of the "hazards" in our country with its sophisticated healthcare delivery system and well trained physicians is overdiagnosis. This is a logical consequence of broad health insurance coverage, a multitude of physicians (particularly in urban areas), and physician training oriented to the identification of disease. I have previously referred to this latter phenomenon as the disease model (see: Wellness, Preventive Medicine, and the Classic Disease Model; Predisposition to Disease and Pre-Disease on the Health Continuum). It turns out that one physician-author has studied this problem (see: Health Blog Q&A: H. Gilbert Welch, Author of ‘Overdiagnosed’). Below is an excerpt from a blog note about him and his ideas: At the beginning of his new book, “Overdiagnosed,” D... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394757 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:16:18 +0100 4394757 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4377605&cid=t_93950_109_f&fid=34504&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blacktriangle.org%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D2174 Over the past three weeks the BMJ has been publishing Brian Deer‘s investigation of Wakefield’s fraudulent attempt to make money out of manufactured safety concerns about MMR. The first BMJ article dealt with the fixing of the data, the second dealt with plans to reap financial rewards from Wakefield’s deliberate stoking of fears over MMR [...] (Source: Black Triangle) Black Triangle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4377605 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 01:51:20 +0100 4377605 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399836&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F01%2Fdsmb.html I served for a number of years on an IRB at a teaching and research hospital. A recent note about the discontinuance of a clinical trial (see: Merck Shares Drop After Anti-Clotting Drug Trials Curtailed) called attention to the work of a Data Monitoring and Safety Board (DMSB) (see: What’s a Data and Safety Monitoring Board, Anyway?). Below is an excerpt from the note: Merck’s recent announcement that it halted one study of an experimental anti-clotting drug and reduced the number of patients in another has highlighted the role of data and safety monitoring boards, which keep tabs on the progress of clinical trials to watch for safety issues and effectiveness. For now, it appears members of the DSMB, ...overseeing the trials of vorapaxar, are the only people who know what happened with... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399836 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:29:42 +0100 4399836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4377796&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F01%2Fdsmb.html I served for a number of years on an IRB at a teaching and research hospital. A recent note about the discontinuance of a clinical trial (see: Merck Shares Drop After Anti-Clotting Drug Trials Curtailed) called attention to the work of a Data Monitoring and Safety Board (DMSB) (see: What’s a Data and Safety Monitoring Board, Anyway?). Below is an excerpt from the note: Merck’s recent announcement that it halted one study of an experimental anti-clotting drug and reduced the number of patients in another has highlighted the role of data and safety monitoring boards, which keep tabs on the progress of clinical trials to watch for safety issues and effectiveness. For now, it appears members of the DSMB, ...overseeing the trials of vorapaxar, are the only people who know what happened with... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4377796 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 13:29:42 +0100 4377796 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4372253&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F01%2Fus-supreme-court-to-review-prescription-privacy-laws.html The days of the "detailing" of physicians by sales personnel from the pharmacy companies are numbered (see: How E-Detailing May Lead to Greater Knowledge by Physicians about Drugs; E-Sampling: Another Blow to the Future of Pharma Sales Reps). Nevertheless, an important case is now before the U.S. Supreme Court relating to access by pharmacy reps of the prescribing history of the physicians whom they call on (see: Prescription Privacy Laws Get U.S. High Court Scrutiny). Below is an excerpt from the story: The U.S. Supreme Court accepted a case that pits medical privacy interests against speech rights, agreeing to consider whether states can limit how drugmakers use data about the prescription-writing practices of doctors. The justices ...will review a Vermont law being challenged ... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4372253 Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:20:18 +0100 4372253 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4361314&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F01%2Fhealthy-days-per-month-as-a-measure.html A recent article about racial health disparities in the New York Times using CDC data was fascinating and I recommend it for anyone interested in general health issues (see: Broad Racial Disparities Seen in Americans’ Ills). To whet your interest, here are three short statements extracted from it: Babies born to black women are up to three times as likely to die in infancy as those born to women of other races. American Indians and Alaska Natives are twice as likely to die in car crashes as any other group. More than 80 percent of all suicides are committed by whites, but young American Indian adults have the highest suicide rates by far — 25 per 100,000 population at age 21, compared with 14 for whites, 10 for blacks and 8 for Asians and Hispanics. Compared with whites, blacks have d... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4361314 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:35:11 +0100 4361314 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4361034&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fwhos-your-employer.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4361034 Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:15:00 +0100 4361034 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4355717&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-errors-should-doctors-always-fess-up%2F2011.01.16 From the Medscape Medical Ethics article entitled “‘Some Worms Are Best Left In The Can’: Should You Hide Medical Errors?“: Consequences aside, from a strictly ethical perspective, if a patient doesn’t realize that his physician made a mistake, should the physician fess up? Before you jump to conclusions (as I did), look at the article’s three parts. It’s about a survey. The title is on the inflammatory side; the article is a window into physicians’ views. The introduction continues: Evidence of the complex prisms through which physicians view these issues was apparent in the replies to four questions asked in Medscape’s exclusive ethics survey. More than 10,000 physicians responded to the survey in 2010. Subheads: – Mistakes that don’t harm p... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4355717 Sun, 16 Jan 2011 20:00:12 +0100 4355717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4355702&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F01%2F16%2Fweekly-news-round-up-two-day-weekend-edition%2F A few stories that have caught my attention over the last week: Unlike many people, the larger workplace does not have MLK Day tomorrow as a holiday. I’m going to two lectures at work, though – the first is from Robert L. Satcher, Jr., physician and astronaut, on “Fulfilling the Dream: Minorities in Biosciences.” The second will be Julian Bond, civil rights activist, on “The Road to Freedom: From Alabama to Obama.” The Julian Bond talk is free and open to the public but tickets are required; on Friday the Sarratt box office still had tickets. The CDC released their first report on health disparities and inequalities. It provides data on a number of issues and disparities, including exposure to air pollution, health insurance coverage, infant deaths, inadequate... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4355702 Sun, 16 Jan 2011 19:37:25 +0100 4355702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4349514&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-the-term-patient-is-so-important-in-healthcare%2F2011.01.14 An online friend, col­league, and out­spoken patient advocate, Trisha Torrey, has an ongoing e-vote about whether people prefer to be called a “patient,” a “con­sumer,” a “cus­tomer,” or some other noun to describe a person who receives healthcare. My vote is: PATIENT. Here’s why: Providing medical care is or should be unlike other com­mercial trans­ac­tions. The doctor, or other person who gives medical treatment, has a special pro­fes­sional and moral oblig­ation to help the person who’s receiving his or her treatment. This respon­si­bility — to heal, hon­estly and to the best of one’s ability — over­rides any other com­mit­ments, or con­flicts, between the two. The term “patient” con­stantly reminds the doctor of the spe­cialness of... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4349514 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 21:00:02 +0100 4349514 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4327011&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fif-this-is-not-terrorism-word-has-lost.html Let's just come out and say it:The "War On Terror is not." Because if it actually were, social conservatives, talibancials and right-wing freakout artists who gin up this sort of violence would be IN Gitmo, worksopping the question as to whether or not waterboarding is, in fact, torture.So, "Terrorism" is in fact anything that threatens the continued dominance of the talibancial, theocratic right wing and their desire to run everyinting for the benefit of the war and oil lobby.By the way, I have nothing against waging war or drilling for oil. I just want responsible and competant people doing both. And of course, the War On Terror means that if you queation the competaince, intelligence or motives of either group.. welcome to the No Fly List, you International Terrorist Conspiritor, you. (... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4327011 Sat, 08 Jan 2011 23:42:00 +0100 4327011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4322644&cid=t_93950_133_f&fid=35452&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.graphictruth.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fcrappy-metaphor-indeed.html In some ways, this is a belated New Year's resolution, and it's also a new decade's resolution.I'm not going to be bothering to comment on blatant idiocies. I'm going to trust that you are smart enough to see blatant idiocy when you see it. But you should not assume that there's a "side" or an "ideology" that is somehow immune to such shrill, self-righteous public stupidity. The "Left" is just as capable of f.ing up as is the "Right," and as often as not, for the very best of intentions.As human beings, we tend to make assumptions about reality that are more abut what we want to believe than what actually is. Reality is complicated and messy; we'd prefer it to be simplified. People are complex and multifaceted, we'd prefer that the vast majority could be summed up and dismissed in one para... Graphictruth blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4322644 Sat, 08 Jan 2011 03:19:00 +0100 4322644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4309862&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2011%2F01%2Fwho-among-older-patients-thrives-after-surgery.html As our population ages, a question that arises more frequently is whether to perform surgery on octogenarians and nonagenarians.Which among them are robust enough to withstand the stress of the procedure? I found that a recent article offered practical advice about this issue. (see: Who Thrives After Surgery?). Below is an excerpt from it: Martin A. Makary, a surgeon and public health researcher at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, had a long talk with a patient last week. The man had a tumor in his pancreas that was probably benign but might not be. Should Dr. Makary remove it? Or should the man have regular scans to see whether it grew?....[T]his patient was 89....Surgeons eyeball their patients all the time to try to evaluate whether they can recover well from the stress of an operat... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4309862 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:15:12 +0100 4309862 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4309731&cid=t_93950_122_f&fid=34736&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FChannelN-PodcastsPoweredByOdiogo%2F%7E3%2F0jsuLEOeh8g%2F Big Think Interview with Nora Volkow The Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse is interviewed about the scientific and social causes and courses of substance use disorders, and why they shouldn’t be criminalized. Includes transcript. See also: Volkow and others give lectures on addiction neurobiology at a 2006 symposium at the Picower Institute. (Source: Channel N) Channel N blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4309731 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:30:18 +0100 4309731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4304874&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39182&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcovertrationingblog.com%2Fpodpress_trac%2Ffeed%2F1205%2F0%2Fbusted-by-pacemaker.mp3 Podcast: In Durango, Florida the week before Christmas, the FBI arrested fugitives Roger Gamlin, 62, and his wife Peggy, 54, at Mercy Regional Medical Center after a doctor determined their real identities through Roger’s pacemaker. Wanted by the feds for 2 1/2 years on suspicion of embezzling millions of dollars from their south Florida title company, Roger and Peggy had been living quiet and unassuming lives as Ron and Nancy Jenner in Durango. Then Peggy brought Roger to Mercy Medical Center after he developed a nose bleed that would not stop. The hospital (in accordance with the sage advice of its attorneys) is not saying exactly what happened next. But we know that Roger’s true identity was determined through his pacemaker, and the FBI quickly showed up to arrest him and h... The Covert Rationing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4304874 Mon, 03 Jan 2011 11:35:06 +0100 4304874 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4304918&cid=t_93950_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F02%2Fwisdom-quotes-for-2011%2F Before I met Ronald Pies, M.D., professor of psychiatry and lecturer on bioethics and humanities at SUNY Upstate Medical University and professor of psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, I did not know what a mensch was. I figured it has something to do with a short person. However, for Christmas this year I received a signed copy of Pies’s newest book, “Becoming a Mensch: Timeless Talmudic Ethics for Everyone,” and I decided that I would like to become a mensch, much like Dr. Pies, for whom I have the utmost respect. The American Heritage Dictionary defines mensch as “a person having admirable characteristics, such as fortitude and firmness of purpose.” His book is a fascinating collection of personal case histories, often based on composites of ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4304918 Sun, 02 Jan 2011 13:22:12 +0100 4304918 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4300573&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fpartial-dnr-orders-always-patient.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4300573 Thu, 30 Dec 2010 11:48:00 +0100 4300573 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4294672&cid=t_93950_105_f&fid=34896&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdoctorrw.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fend-of-life-counseling-debate-its.html (Source: Notes from Dr. RW) Notes from Dr. RW blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4294672 Wed, 29 Dec 2010 01:45:00 +0100 4294672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4275342&cid=t_93950_94_f&fid=36906&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDoctorDavidsBlog%2F%7E3%2F1xVxcj2v3KE%2Fdavids-first-book-review-immortal-life.html I've discovered reading again.  Or maybe what I've done is made a conscious decision to set aside time to read.  Some books I've recently read have nothing to do with cancer, like Cloud Atlas.  Then there's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Rebecca Skloot did a marvelous job telling the story of Henrietta Lacks, a woman from Baltimore whose cervical cancer cells became the very first immortalized cell line.  I think this book is a "must read" for anyone engaged in cancer research, if for no other reason than it reminds us that every cell line we work with was once a tumor growing in an individual... a person who had a family and friends, a person who suffered and probably died of cancer.  Each of these people has a story, and knowing that story can inspire us... Doctor David's Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4275342 Tue, 21 Dec 2010 03:14:00 +0100 4275342 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4272286&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fmedical-ethics-does-context-matter-or-is-wrong-always-wrong%2F2010.12.20 I have always felt that issues should be judged by the context of their times. For some issues, however, context provides no justification. Thankfully, the field of medical ethics has evolved into a robust discipline, and there is an enormous need for it. I have read defenses of prior ethical lapses, and even some recent ones, suggesting that context matters. If a three-month, placebo-controlled study is conducted in the developing world testing a medicine that was highly effective against a serious illness, are the ethical dimensions considered and respected? Were the pharma companies choosing this study locale as a cheap test run for their drug, which will ultimately be marketed in the west? Is it ethically problematic not to provide additional medications to ill subjects after the 3 mon... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4272286 Mon, 20 Dec 2010 16:00:00 +0100 4272286 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4272260&cid=t_93950_86_f&fid=34445&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwomenshealthnews.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2F19%2Fsunday-news-round-up-4%2F First things first: the Senate voted on Saturday to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. Hurray! The roll call vote for all of the Senators is here, reflecting the 65 votes for repeal and 35 votes against. The votes for repeal came almost exclusively from Democrats, with just eight Republicans voting yes. My own Senators, Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander, were unsurprisingly among the Republicans who voted against repeal; I’m disappointed in them for voting their party and their prejudice to be on the wrong side of history, the wrong side of human rights and dignity. The repeal will not become active for at least 60 days; HRC has a Pathway to Final Repeal document [PDF] that explains the necessary next steps, and warns service members about the interim: The Human Rights Campaign i... Women's Health News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4272260 Sun, 19 Dec 2010 18:00:59 +0100 4272260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4233431&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F12%2Flapband-surgery-proposed-for-the-less-obese.html I have a serious concern that bariatric surgery, particularly the use of the Lap-Band, is becoming the preferred alternative to gradual weight loss programs for the obese. Many patients prefer this quick-fix surgical approach as do hospital execs because of its revenue-generating potential. Allergan, the manufacturer of the device, recently proposed to the FDA that the use of the device be allowed for the less obese. Here is an excerpt from the first article about this topic (see: Obesity Surgery May Become Option for Many More): An advisory committee to the Food and Drug Administration will consider...a request by Allergan, the pharmaceutical company, to significantly lower how obese someone must be to qualify for surgery using the company’s Lap-Band device, which restricts intake to th... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4233431 Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:03:33 +0100 4233431 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4230146&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007717.html In situations where people were given awards they did nothing to earn the sense of getting an unjustified advantage caused people to act more altruistic. They probably wanted to dampen down the feeling of malicious envy in others. “In anthropology, they say if you are envied, you might act more socially afterward because you try to appease those envious people,” van de Ven says—by sharing your big catch of fish, for example. They wanted to know if these observations from anthropology held up in the psychology lab.  In experiments, he and his colleagues made some people feel like they would be maliciously envied, by telling them they would receive an award of five euros—sometimes deserved based on the score they... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4230146 Sat, 04 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4230146 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214185&cid=t_93950_109_f&fid=34504&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blacktriangle.org%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D2163 The safety of newly marketed drugs is always provisional, based on the relatively limited population the drugs are used in prior to marketing. The number of subjects who take a drug in clinical trials is large enough to detect efficacy, but too small to detect rare, but serious, adverse events. In addition, the patients are [...] (Source: Black Triangle) Black Triangle blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214185 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 09:43:21 +0100 4214185 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214048&cid=t_93950_87_f&fid=34902&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.futurepundit.com%2Farchives%2F007704.html College students with narcissistic traits are more likely to cheat. COLUMBUS, Ohio – College students who exhibit narcissistic tendencies are more likely than fellow students to cheat on exams and assignments, a new study shows. The results suggested that narcissists were motivated to cheat because their academic performance functions as an opportunity to show off to others, and they didn't feel particularly guilty about their actions. "Narcissists really want to be admired by others, and you look good in college if you're getting good grades," said Amy Brunell, lead author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University at Newark. "They also tend to feel less guilt, so they don't mind cheating their way to the... (Source: FuturePundit) FuturePundit blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214048 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:00:00 +0100 4214048 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4200623&cid=t_93950_114_f&fid=34648&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHealthBlawg%2F%7E3%2FpWWfBHMiss0%2Fengage-with-grace.html As patients, as family members, as friends, as health care providers, we have all faced end-of-life issues at one time or another, and we will face them again.  And again.  This weekend, the "Engage With Grace" message is being broadcast virally, through a "blog rally," at a time when many people are with family and friends over the long weekend.  The point is: we all need to have the potentially uncomfortable conversation with people close to us about what kind of treatment we would want, and they would want, if incapable of making or communicating health care decisions.  CNN ran a story on Engage With Grace yesterday. End-of-life decision-making has long been an issue of great personal and professional interest to me, and I am proud to have played a role in having out-of-hospital D... HealthBlawg :: David Harlow's Health Care Law Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4200623 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 21:00:00 +0100 4200623 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4229209&cid=t_93950_115_f&fid=34678&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.catscanman.net%2Fblog%2F2010%2F11%2Ftop-ima-officers-suspended%2F … via DNA - Centre cracks the whip on Indian Medical Association for endorsing products. Sending a strong signal to doctors endorsing products for private companies, Medical Council of India (MCI) has banned top office-bearers of Indian Medical Association (IMA) from practising medicine for six months. IMA’s national president Goparaju Samaram and secretary Dharam Prakash have been removed from the Indian medical register for six months, which means they cannot practise as doctors in this period. The action was taken following a complaint that IMA was endorsing products for private companies. Earlier, MCI had issued warnings to IMA and affiliated associations to refrain from endorsing such products. This is probably the first time IMA office-bearers have been punished, though MCI ha... scan man's notes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4229209 Sat, 20 Nov 2010 03:21:11 +0100 4229209 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4179355&cid=t_93950_107_f&fid=38268&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.hippokranet.eu%2F%3Fp%3D454 “First I will define what I conceive medicine to be. In general terms, it is to do away with the sufferings of the sick, to lessen the violence of their diseases, and to refuse to treat those who are overmastered by their disease, realizing that in such cases medicine is powerless.” - The Hippocratic Corpus Read the whole article at: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1006331#t=articl (Source: blog.hippokranet.eu) blog.hippokranet.eu blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4179355 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 12:48:28 +0100 4179355 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4159523&cid=t_93950_155_f&fid=34629&url=http%3A%2F%2Flabsoftnews.typepad.com%2Flab_soft_news%2F2010%2F11%2Fmblood-doping-and-entry-into-clinical-trials.html A number of initiatives are underway by insurance companies to limit the type of chemotherapy that is delivered to patients to "standard" protocols. This should be interpreted to mean the use of chemotherapy that has been proven to be effective (see: The Oncology Concession Under Attack by Health Insurance Companies). Appropriately, experimental drugs and combinations or drugs are best administered during clinical trials that are managed with research protocols. These always incorporate the clinical criteria for the admission of subjects to the study in order to create a homogeneous pool of subjects. Some patients (and/or their physicians) appear to be so anxious to participate in these trials that the patients are being administered blood and blood component transfusions for the... Lab Soft News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4159523 Fri, 12 Nov 2010 13:00:00 +0100 4159523