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 'gap'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:04:20 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139876&cid=t_157632_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F08%2F18%2Fwhy-you-cant-make-a-good-decision-at-500-pm-decision-fatigue%2F We live in the most prosperous society on Earth at this moment. You can walk into any Gap or Target store and choose from more than 2 dozen different types of jeans (and in some cases, more than 3 dozen). All of that choice comes at a price, however. It’s called “decision fatigue” and its full impact is only starting to be fully understood by psychologists and researchers. Our brains can suffer from “mental fatigue,” just as our bodies can become physically fatigued after a long workout. What is so surprising about this phenomenon is just how little people appreciate the importance of mental fatigue and its resulting decision fatigue — even when making decisions that can be life-changing. John Tierney in The New York Times has the lengthy story (5,350 w... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139876 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 13:17:30 +0100 5139876 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062304&cid=t_157632_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F07%2F25%2Fthe-situation-of-the-energy-efficiency-gap%2F Brandon Hofmeister just posted his fascinating paper, “Bridging the Gap: Using Social Psychology to Design Market Interventions to Overcome the Energy Efficiency Gap in Residential Energy Markets” (forthcoming  19 Southeastern Environmental Law Journal 1 (2010) on SSRN.  Here’s the abstract. * * * For decades, economists and energy policy analysts have noticed the existence of an “energy efficiency gap” – a significant underinvestment in energy efficiency measures whose benefits outweigh their costs – among residential consumers. Promoting energy efficiency is generally the most cost-effective manner to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to meet future energy demand, while simultaneously promoting economic growth and reducing poverty. Economists have attempted... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062304 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 21:20:28 +0100 5062304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5029035&cid=t_157632_136_f&fid=38061&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBreastCancerReconstructionBlog%2F%7E3%2FAQO_1GKh8VE%2Fbreast-reconstruction-makes-breast.html Alarmingly, 70% of American women facing surgery for breast cancer are not told about the option of breast reconstruction. Perhaps one of the best things about breast reconstruction is that it can be performed at any time….  you can never “miss the boat” so to speak. Regardless of the timing of the procedure, breast reconstruction enables women to feel whole again, not just physically but also emotionally. There are several reconstructive options ranging from breast implants to using the patient’s own tissue. Tissue (or “flap”) procedures recreate a “natural”, warm, soft breast and are associated with fewer complications than breast implants. Breast reconstruction can be performed at the same time as the mastectomy ("immediate reconstruction") or any time after mast... Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5029035 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:13:22 +0100 5029035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902484&cid=t_157632_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F06%2F06%2Fidentifying-and-avoiding-contaminated-mindware%2F Broadly speaking, there are two key problems that contribute to irrational thoughts and behaviors: processing problems and content problems. The processing problem is reflected in our tendencies to be cognitive misers.  We naturally engage in thinking that is rapid and computationally inexpensive.  This cognitive thriftiness often serves us well, but at other times it can lead to less than optimal decisions.  Content problems include- mindware gaps, and mindware contamination. Mindware (a term invented by cognitive scientist David Perkins) is defined as rules, procedures and other forms of knowledge that are stored in memory and can be retrieved in order to make decisions and solve problems (Stanovich, 2009). A mindware gap occurs when the tools of rationality — scientific think... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902484 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:08:04 +0100 4902484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704715&cid=t_157632_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F04%2F12%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-april-12-2011%2F In a writing class recently, my teacher said, “Don’t rush the process.” It made me think of a falling feather. I thought of the way a feather floats down gracefully, floating back and forth, slowly like a dance. There is no rushing a feather. Throwing it down forcefully will not make it get to the ground faster. And there would be something heartbreaking if we tried. We would be missing out out on its beautiful, unpredictable path. It’s also a way to think about healing. It’s frustrating to not be there yet. It’s normal to want to be 100% over whatever it is that is ailing you. It’s normal to want to be successful without going through the challenges and obstacles it takes to get there. But remember. No matter how much you want it, forcing it won&#... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704715 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 11:02:06 +0100 4704715 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560523&cid=t_157632_136_f&fid=38061&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBreastCancerReconstructionBlog%2F%7E3%2FUHYPvf6umVY%2Fquestions-to-ask-your-diep-flap-surgeon.html If you are considering DIEP flap breast reconstruction finding the right surgical team is key. Before choosing a DIEP flap surgeon be sure to ask the following questions: Are you certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery? Your surgeon should be a board certified plastic surgeon. Do you have extensive experience with this type of surgery - How many have you performed? Preferably your surgeon will have performed over 100 DIEP flap procedures. What's your success rate? Top specialist centers boast a success rate of at least 98%. How long does the surgery take? This will vary between institutions based on experience. The most experienced surgeons typically take between 3-6 hours depending on whether one or both breast are being reconstructed (not including the mastectomies). How often... Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560523 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:23:58 +0100 4560523 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455263&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fartificial-sweeteners-and-telling-pregnant-women-in-moderation%2F2011.02.09 I can already tell that this pregnancy is different from my first. When I was pregnant with Little Isis, I drank no caffeine and took no over-the-counter medication. I remember having a few headaches and Mr. Isis fighting with me to take a headache pill. I would then proclaim dramatically, “But I can’t! What if it hurts the baby?!” This morning, now pregnant with my second, I washed down a Zyrtec and two Tylenol with a cup of coffee. The little bugger is going to have to grow up with Little Isis. He might as well start building up his tolerance to exogenous substances at some point. I figure, now that its got a closed neural tube and a beating heart, we might as well begin. Still, you can’t blame a pregnant woman for being a bit neurotic. The feeling that one is solely res... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455263 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:00:01 +0100 4455263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450272&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNTXDwT1ezW0%2F By Chris EdwardsIn Hollywood, there is a genre called "slasher movies." In the media, there is a genre of "slasher stories" on state government budgets. A piece in the WaPo today is classic: Democratic and Republican governors alike are sounding similar themes, as they slash once sacrosanct programs...In California, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has proposed closing a $25 billion budget gap by...slashing funding for higher education...Sen. Dean A. Rhoads, the chamber's senior Republican, said Nevada should be raising taxes as well as slashing programs. Wow, it sounds brutal doesn't it? For a different perspective on state budgets, see my testimony last week to the Senate Budget Committee. Slasher Stories is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450272 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 22:02:57 +0100 4450272 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4438885&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-female-physicians-make-less-money%2F2011.02.05 Female doctors make less than male physicians. That conclusion gained major media traction recently. A recent post on KevinMD.com by medical student Emily Lu had some great conversation discussing reasons why women make less money in medicine. To recap, the study from Health Affairs concluded that, newly-trained physicians who are women are being paid significantly lower salaries than their male counterparts according to a new study. The authors identify an unexplained gender gap in starting salaries for physicians that has been growing steadily since 1999, increasing from a difference of $3,600 in 1999 to $16,819 in 2008. This gap exists even after accounting for gender differences in determinants of salary including medical specialty, hours worked, and practice type, say the authors. Eve... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4438885 Sat, 05 Feb 2011 20:00:52 +0100 4438885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433039&cid=t_157632_83_f&fid=34856&url=http%3A%2F%2Finsidesurgery.com%2F2011%2F02%2Fgender-salary-gap-medicine-increasing-trainees%2F The gender salary gap for new doctors starting fresh out of residency is increasing and is 17% larger than in 1999. It can not be attributed to the choice of specialty as it cuts across all specialties. (Source: Inside Surgery) Inside Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433039 Fri, 04 Feb 2011 03:44:28 +0100 4433039 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4349515&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Freferral-communication-what-happens-to-handoffs-between-primary-care-physicians-and-specialists%2F2011.01.14 Far more primary care doctors report detailed referrals than do specialists report receiving them. The same applies in reverse. Specialists report returning quality consultations, while primary care physicians report receiving them far less often. Researchers reported in Archives of Internal Medicine that perceptions of communication regarding referrals and consultations differed widely. While 69.3 percent of primary care physicians reported “always” or “most of the time” sending a patient’s history and the reason for the consultation to specialists, only 34.8 percent of specialists said they “always” or “most of the time” received the information. And, while 80.6 percent of specialists said they “always” or “most o... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4349515 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 18:00:00 +0100 4349515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4343110&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1n2Mnzis_NA%2F By Mark A. CalabriaA common rationale for federal policies to expand homeownership is the desire to reduce observed racial differences in homeownership.  Receiving the most attention has been the gap in homeownership rates between white households and African-American.  The current homeownership rate for whites is 76.5%  (2007), while that for African-Americans is 54%, leaving a gap of 22.5%. Limitations on available data have made observations prior to 1940 difficult (1940 was the first “Census of Housing”).  A new working paper adds to our understanding by constructing a time series back to 1870, using previous Census data.  The findings are quite surprising. In 1870 the gap between white and African-American homeownership rates stood at an astonishing 48.8 percent.  ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4343110 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 02:38:27 +0100 4343110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337935&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhat-if-all-patients-were-this-engaged-in-their-health%2F2011.01.12 This video is an excellent testimony of what a truly engaged and knowledgable patient with diabetes looks and sounds like. Kudos to the Mayo Clinic for sharing this wonderful piece about shared decision making. Pay particular attention to the fact that the patient in the video was treated for diabetes by her primary care physician for eight years before being referred to a clearly “patient-centered” endocrinologist. Also note her belief that a patient-centered approach to chronic disease management probably results in shorter, more productive visits in the long run. *This blog post was originally published at Mind The Gap* (Source: Better Health) Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337935 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 20:00:14 +0100 4337935 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4309666&cid=t_157632_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F01%2F04%2Fwhy-doctors-oversell-benefits-undersell-risks-and-side-effects%2F Virtually across the board of medicine and psychiatry, doctors will constantly and consistently oversell the benefits of a given treatment, and undersell the risks and side effects of it. This may not be as surprising when you look at some of the key factors into how medical and psychiatric treatment is learned and then conducted on patients. Why do doctors often oversell the benefits of a given treatment, and minimize the risks and side effects of it? 1. Treatment is rarely experienced first-hand. While you don’t need to undergo surgery to understand the benefits of surgery or how to do surgery, you will surely have a great appreciation to the patient’s perspective if every surgeon was required to get an appendectomy before being allowed to practice. Surgeons know, in most ca... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4309666 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 20:24:09 +0100 4309666 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4272291&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fis-it-bad-patient-behavior-or-poor-doctor-patient-communication%2F2010.12.19 It seem like everyone these days is focused on changing some aspect of patient health behavior. You know — getting patients to get a mammogram or PSA test, exercise more, take medications as prescribed, or simply becoming more engaged in their healthcare. If only we could change unhealthy patient health behaviors, the world would be a better place.   I agree with the sentiment, but I think that patients and their health behavior often get a “bad rap” from healthcare professionals. I would even go so far as to say that much (not all) of what we attribute to poor patient behavior is more correctly attributable to ineffective doctor communications with patients. In my last post I talked about the link between strong physician advocacy, e.g., I recommend, and desirable health outcom... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4272291 Sun, 19 Dec 2010 14:00:18 +0100 4272291 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4251108&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fvideo-the-too-informed-patient%2F2010.12.11 This video, “The Too-Informed Patient,” came my way lately. It’s featured on NPR’s Mar­ket­place website: The Too Informed Patient from Marketplace on Vimeo. —– The pup­peteer skit fea­tures the inter­ac­tion between a young man with a rash and his older physi­cian. The patient is an informed kind of guy: He’s checked his own med­ical record on the doctor’s web­site, read up on rashes in the Boston Globe, checked pix on WebMD, seen an episode of “Gray’s Anatomy” about a rash and, most inven­tively, checked iDiagnose, a hypo­thet­i­cal app (I hope) that led him to the con­clu­sion that he might have epi­der­mal necro­sis. “Not to worry,” the patient informs Dr. Matthews, who mean­while has been try­ing to ex... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4251108 Sat, 11 Dec 2010 19:00:28 +0100 4251108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4225250&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthecommunications.files.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fphysician-recommendation-styles.jpg “I recommend.” These are two word which, when spoken by a physician to a patient have tremendous power to change behavior. That assumes of course a trusting relationship between patient and physician (but that’s a topic for another day.)   Take the colonoscopy. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that adults aged ≥50 years get a colonoscopy every 10 years. In 2005, 50 percent of adults aged ≥50 years in the U.S. had been screened according to these recommendations. Not surprisingly, the rate of colonoscopy screening is much lower than that of other recommended adult preventive services. I was curious: Why?   Here are two interesting facts: 1. Studies show that patients cite “physician recommendation” as the most important motivator of colorectal sc... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4225250 Fri, 03 Dec 2010 15:00:35 +0100 4225250 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214108&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Funderstanding-treatment-the-communication-disconnect-between-doctors-and-patients%2F2010.11.30 Over the long week­end I caught up on some read­ing. One arti­cle* stands out. It’s on informed con­sent, and the stun­ning dis­con­nect between physi­cians’ and patients’ under­stand­ing of a procedure’s value. The study, pub­lished in the Sept 7th Annals of Inter­nal Med­i­cine, used sur­vey meth­ods to eval­u­ate 153 car­di­ol­ogy patients’ under­stand­ing of the poten­tial ben­e­fit of per­cu­ta­neous coro­nary inter­ven­tion (PCI or angio­plasty). The inves­ti­ga­tors, at Baystate Med­ical Cen­ter in Mass­a­chu­setts, com­pared patients’ responses to those of car­di­ol­o­gists who obtained con­sent and who per­formed the pro­ce­dure. As out­lined in the article’s intro­duc­tion, PCI reduces heart attacks in patients wi... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214108 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:00:42 +0100 4214108 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4183299&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fhealth-information-whos-using-a-cell-phone-to-find-it%2F2010.11.18 What do cell phones and health-information seeking have in common? Very little, at least among the chronically ill (e.g., the folks who are driving healthcare use and cost). An American Medical News article about the latest Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project study on mobile phone use caught my eye. The introduction to the article reads: Despite the proliferation of cell phones in the United States, the number of people using them to access health information is low. But experts believe the sheer number of people using mobile phones and wireless devices means that health information eventually will get more mobile as well. According to the study, 85 percent of Americans use mobile phones, but only 17 percent of cell phone owners have used them to look up he... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4183299 Thu, 18 Nov 2010 23:00:44 +0100 4183299 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133708&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Freaching-doctors-in-the-virtual-world%2F2010.11.04 It’s the great migration to digital. And as civilization makes its move, the pharmaceutical industry is trying to figure out how to reach out to physicians. Pharmaceutical reps are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Branded medication portals leave most doctors cold. Email outreach is marginal. Pharma strategists ask me how to reach doctors in the new world. I don’t have an answer. It isn’t that I can’t come up with an answer. It’s just that a good one doesn’t exist. Why? Doctors aren’t anywhere right now. They’re stuck somewhere between the analog and digital. Socially they’re nebulous. Their virtual communities are non-existent. Public social networks are sparsely populated. When they participate they watch and rarely create or discuss. Our profession is going ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133708 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 18:00:49 +0100 4133708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4082137&cid=t_157632_109_f&fid=34761&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedblitz.com%2F%7E%2F21481361%2F0%2Fneuromarketing%7ENew-Gap-Logo-a-Neuro-Failure.htm Just about everyone has an opinion on the new Gap logo (now hastily withdrawn by the firm), and NeuroFocus has jumped on the bandwagon by conducting EEG and eye-tracking studies of consumer response to the design. Overall, they found the revamped design didn’t light up their subjects’ brains the way an exciting new logo should. [...] CommentsIt wouldn't be the first time a company stirred the pot of ... by VerillianceIs really interesting, but Gap really needs a new Logo or a ... by Carlos APlus 8 more...Related StoriesWhen Consumption Isn’t ConspicuousPaper Beats Digital For EmotionHoly Branding! Religion Gives Brand Immunity (Source: Neuromarketing) Neuromarketing blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4082137 Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:47:57 +0100 4082137 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4036644&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-patients-and-doctors-disagree%2F2010.10.06 A 69-year-old woman who swims in my master program came back to the pool after a total knee replacement. I asked her how she was doing. She said she is still in a lot of pain because of her physical therapy. She said that her physical therapist was disappointed that she still was still unable to achieve full flexion of 120 degrees. Why 120 degrees? Did you set that goal I asked her? ”No,” she said, “the therapist did.” She went on to tell how she already had more range of motion in her knee than she did before the surgery. My friend was quite satisfied with her progress and wanted to stop physical therapy. The pain from the PT was worse than anything she had experienced before the knee replacement. I knew she and her 80-year-old boy friend were going on a c... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4036644 Wed, 06 Oct 2010 22:00:00 +0100 4036644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3942788&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2F5-reasons-why-people-dont-ask-their-doctor-questions%2F2010.09.07 A neighbor of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer about the same time my wife was being treated for lung cancer. I saw my neighbor the other day for the first time in several years. I asked her how she was doing. She said great. In turn I asked her how her PET/CT exam looked. PET/CT scans are often done to make sure that one’s cancer hasn’t spread. My wife gets one every year. My neighbor told me her doctor never told her she needed one, that mammograms would suffice. She went on to say a friend had also recently asked her if she had a PET/CT as well. “Maybe I should ask my doctor,” she told me. That was the same response she gave me the last time I raised the subject two years earlier: “I should ask my doctor.”   So Why Don’t People Ask More Questions?   My nei... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3942788 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:14:14 +0100 3942788 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3924902&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fdoctor-patient-communication-much-room-for-improvement%2F2010.09.01 In a surprising report from the Archives of Internal Medicine, we learn that most hospitalized patients (82 percent) could not accurately name the physician responsible for their care and almost half of the patients did not even know their diagnosis or why they were admitted. If that isn’t enough, when the researchers queried the physicians, 67 percent thought the patients knew their name and 77 percent of doctors thought the patients “understood their diagnoses at least somewhat well.” I would call that a pretty significant communication gap. Ninety percent of the patients said they received a new medication and didn’t know the side effects. Although 98 percent of physicians thought they discussed their patients’ fears and anxieties with them, only 54 perc... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3924902 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:00:00 +0100 3924902 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3920842&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhen-doctors-and-nurses-dont-get-along%2F2010.08.31 What do you do when doctors and nurses don’t get along? A reader asks for my advice: Hi Happy, I have this problem and wanted some advice from someone with more experience dealing with this. I have been bashed by nurses because they expect me to know all the bureaucratic issues, when you don’t have more than a month in the hospital. I have noticed that nurses get mad, when you give them an instruction  they don’t understand, or they aren’t used to, not because you are wrong, but instead, their lack of ignorance, or their narrow process of thought. One example of this is when they laugh at me cause i prescribed a generic medication of a common drug that they weren’t familiar with the generic name. Days ago, a first-year family doctor was yelled at badly by so... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3920842 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:00:00 +0100 3920842 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3895888&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Faccountable-care-and-doctor-patient-communication-go-hand-in-hand%2F2010.08.23 Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) figure prominently in the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The concept behind ACOs is that by tying both physician and hospital compensation to outcomes via a bundled fee (say for pneumonia) we can expect to see an improvement in quality and value. In principal, accountable care makes a lot of sense. Practicality speaking, however, doctors and hospitals must address a huge challenge before they can expect benefit financially. Before doctors can be held accountable for the care they deliver, they must first be held accountable for the quality of their communication with patients. Take hospital readmissions, which are a big healthcare cost driver today. According to a recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine, 20 perce... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3895888 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:00:39 +0100 3895888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3880861&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcommunication-gap-widens-between-doctors-and-patients%2F2010.08.18 In a surprising report from the Archives of Internal Medicine, we learn that most hospitalized patients (82 percent) could not accurately name the physician responsible for their care and almost half of the patients did not even know their diagnosis or why they were admitted. If that isn’t enough, when the researchers queried the physicians, 67 percent thought the patients knew their name and 77 percent of doctors thought the patients “understood their diagnoses at least somewhat well.” I would call that a pretty significant communication gap. Ninety percent of the patients said they received a new medication and didn’t know the side effects. Although 98 percent of physicians thought they discussed their patient’s fears and anxieties with them, only 54 per... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3880861 Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:00:00 +0100 3880861 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3848863&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fov2y8AWML_c%2F By Neal McCluskey…but I can’t because of Obama! That takeoff of the lyrics from the famous folksong “Oh Shenandoah” are the impromptu creation of my wife, who this weekend was as appalled as I was when we packed the kids into the car, headed into the Shenandoah National Park, and were greeted by closed overlook after closed overlook accompanied by the sign pictured to the right.  Apparently, one project funded by the so-called “stimulus” includes simultaneously renovating — or at least cordoning off — every overlook north of the park’s Thornton Gap entrance without posting any clear warning that that’s the case as visitors decide whether to head north or south. Even more upsetting was being subjected to pure propaganda in t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3848863 Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:35:32 +0100 3848863 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3802586&cid=t_157632_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FRSx3foaRw3A%2F Last week, several public interest groups filed a complaint with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights alleging the Obama Administration’s US trade policy violates international human rights obligations. Specifically, the groups charge the White House has used the US Trade Representative’s ‘Special 301′ status toward foreign intellectual property law standards to promote policies that restrict access to affordable medicines (background). We spoke with Sean Flynn, who is the associate director of the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual at the Washington College of Law, about why this step was taken… Pharmalot: So why was this complaint filed? And why now? The issues raised are not new. Flynn: Here’s the background. After the US Trade Rep’s 2009 ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3802586 Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:19:23 +0100 3802586 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3648801&cid=t_157632_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fy6IVMFN-_ZE%2F Three months ago, a controversy erupted in India where intellectual property conferences sponsored by drugmakers, law firms and others angered various non-profit groups that argued the sessions are little more than gussied up opportunities to lobby India’s judges and policy makers. In their view, these IP summits, which are organized by the George Washington University Law School, are attempts to influence sitting judges on patent law enforcement issues that are pending in Indian courts. At the time, more than 20 consumer groups and non-governmental organizations wrote to India’s Minister of Commerce and Industry to complain the meetings are used as forums by companies to promote their IP and lobby for amendments to existing law or plead cases before the Indian Patent Office. Now, ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3648801 Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:49:55 +0100 3648801 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3564091&cid=t_157632_123_f&fid=38598&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpediatricsnow.com%2Fblog%2F2010%2F05%2Ffacing-the-participation-gap-in-my-family%2F%3Futm_source%3Drss%26utm_medium%3Drss%26utm_campaign%3Dfacing-the-participation-gap-in-my-family Do you have a technology participation gap in your family? We do. In fact, most families do somewhere. For us, we have a few older relatives who firmly believe that technology is for “the younger generation”. What’s interesting is that some of these people are not that old, at least not “old” as I definite it. One relative, for example, was a working woman in her younger days. Retired now, she never bought into any technology past the 1970s! Truly…beyond the automobile, refrigerator, TV, radio, dishwasher, washer and drier, she has seen no need for anything else. Although  she has grudgingly begun to use email and the web, she has deemed herself  ”old” and refused to use a cell phone or any other “high tech device”. Various rela... Dr. Gwenn Is In blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3564091 Fri, 14 May 2010 14:18:10 +0100 3564091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3487043&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FLuDCqoLtJ8E%2F By Julian SanchezStop me if you think you’ve heard this one before. The Washington Post reports that the National Security Agency has halted domestic collection of some type of communications metadata—the details are predictably fuzzy, though I’ve got a guess—in order to allay the concerns of the secret FISA Court that the NSA’s activity might not be technically permissible under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Naturally, there’s the requisite quote from the anonymous concerned intel official: “This is a basic tool we used to have, and it’s now gone,” said one intelligence official familiar with the impasse. “Every day, every week that goes by, there’s just one more week of information that we’re not collecting. You... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3487043 Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:02:21 +0100 3487043 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3432931&cid=t_157632_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F04%2F02%2Fbest-of-our-blogs-april-2-2010%2F Watch where you’re sitting and don’t believe everything you’re hearing; it was April Fool’s Day yesterday! According to Time.com, in 1998 USA Today had a full page ad advertising Burger King’s latest burger for its 1.4 million left-handed customers. Would you believe a left-handed whopper? Customers lined up at Burger King to try the new burger, where the fast food restaurant had their condiments rotated to accommodate left-handers. Or how about the hoax that left French citizens cringing in horror when in 1986 their newspaper The Parisien reported that the Eiffel Tower would be moved to the Euro Disney theme park? But don’t worry, there will be no foolery or hoax here, just really great blogs for the week. I’ve rounded up this week’s top 5 l... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3432931 Fri, 02 Apr 2010 11:13:21 +0100 3432931 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3420538&cid=t_157632_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F03%2F30%2Fthe-trust-gap-why-people-are-so-cynical%2F How do people come to believe that others are so much less trustworthy than themselves? Much as we might prefer otherwise, there’s solid evidence that, on average, people are quite cynical. When thinking about strangers, studies have shown that people think others are more selfishly motivated than they really are and that others are less helpful than they really are. Similarly in financial games psychologists have run in the lab, people are remarkably cynical about the trustworthiness of others. In one experiment people honored the trust placed in them between 80 and 90 percent of the time, but only estimated that others would honor their trust about 50 percent of the time. Our cynicism towards strangers may develop as early as 7 years old (Mills & Keil, 2005). Surprisingly peop... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3420538 Tue, 30 Mar 2010 10:00:16 +0100 3420538 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3408373&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kff.org%2Fhealthreform%2Fupload%2F8060.pdf With the enactment of comprehensive health reform, the Kaiser Family Foundation has prepared a timeline detailing when specific provisions of the legislation are scheduled to take effect.  The implementation timeline reflects the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which President Obama signed on March 23, 2010, as well as provisions in the Health Care & Education Reconciliation Act passed by the House and Senate.  It includes more than a dozen key provisions scheduled to take effect in 2010, including the creation of a national high-risk pool for people with pre-existing conditions that can’t buy insurance on their own, tax credits for small businesses that obtain health coverage for their workers and assistance for Medicare beneficiaries with high drug c... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3408373 Thu, 25 Mar 2010 21:37:29 +0100 3408373 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3395112&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3XDrt0gUkyE%2F By Daniel GriswoldLost in the buzz last week over health care was the news that the broadest measure of the U.S. trade deficit fell sharply in 2009 from the year before. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the U.S. current account deficit plunged from $706 billion in 2008 to $420 billion last year — the smallest deficit since 2001. I’ve been waiting for a few days now for the usual trade deficit hawks to hail this development as great news for millions of Americans looking for work. In years when the trade deficit was rising, it was common practice for the labor-union-friendly Economic Policy Institute to publish detailed studies showing that larger trade deficits caused the U.S. economy to lose hundreds of thousands of jobs each year. For example, according to an October... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3395112 Mon, 22 Mar 2010 19:25:33 +0100 3395112 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3208631&cid=t_157632_136_f&fid=38061&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBreastCancerReconstructionBlog%2F%7E3%2FXBrMf3nIj-c%2Fbreast-reconstruction-surgery-options.html Every woman has a right to breast reconstruction surgery after breast cancer. This has been a federal mandate for some time and insurance companies have to pay for breast reconstruction surgery by law. There is no age limitation for breast reconstruction and there are many different options available. "Immediate" breast reconstruction is performed at the same time as the mastectomy. Advantages include: preserving most of the patient's breast skin, a shorter/less obvious mastectomy scar and waking up with the new breast already in place (and avoiding the experience of a flat chest). It also generally provides the best cosmetic results particularly when combined with nipple-sparing or skin-sparing mastectomy.

 "Delayed" reconstruction generally takes place after the mastectomy has hea... Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3208631 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:04:41 +0100 3208631 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3079317&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FwF4UeMV55DI%2F By Chris EdwardsThat’s the subject of a USA Today analysis, which reveals an outrageous increase in salaries at the top levels of the federal workforce. I’ve been complaining about excessive federal pay for some time based on one set of data, and now Dennis Cauchon provides strong support for my thesis using a different set of data. Cauchon finds that since the economy fell into recession, the number of federal workers earning more than $150,000 has more than doubled. The federal government has become extremely bloated and top heavy, even as families and businesses across the nation have had to tighten their belts. With 383,000 workers earning six-figure salaries, the government has become an elite island of overcompensated administrators immune from the competitive job realities of av... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3079317 Fri, 11 Dec 2009 13:50:55 +0100 3079317 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2943833&cid=t_157632_106_f&fid=34805&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FAwfulPlasticSurgery%2F%7E3%2FtRIWYRak9pU%2F Why do some women have such a... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit MyWebsite.com for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Awful Plastic Surgery) Awful Plastic Surgery blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2943833 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:54:48 +0100 2943833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2842505&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fp7rYR_cKqYs%2F Don Fisher, co-founder of the The Gap chain, passed away on Sunday. Not only was Fisher a partner in the construction of a vast retail empire that would make any entrepreneur proud, he was also a partner in funding the expansion of the KIPP chain of charter schools — something that would make any philanthropist proud. Thanks to the $60 million that he and his wife Doris committed to KIPP’s growth, it now serves 20,000 students in 82 schools across America. In k-12 education, public or private, that level of growth is unusual. But how can it be sustained? How can those who share Mr. Fisher’s commitment to bringing excellent educational options within reach of all children ensure that his efforts are not simply maintained but expanded? And how can we ensure that not just KI... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2842505 Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:12:57 +0100 2842505 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2757738&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fp3rMEfrjB-w%2F USA Today reports that President Obama is seeking a cap on federal pay raises: President Obama urged Congress Monday to limit cost-of-living pay raises to 2% for 1.3 million federal employees in 2010, extending an income squeeze that has hit private workers and threatens Social Security recipients and even 401(k) investors. …The president’s action comes when consumer prices have fallen 2.1% in the 12 months ending in July, because of a massive drop in energy prices. The recession has taken an even tougher toll on private-sector wages, which rose only 1.5% for the year ended in June — the lowest increase since the government started keeping track in 1980. Private-sector workers also have been subject to widespread layoffs and furloughs. Last week, economist Chris Edwards discu... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2757738 Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:37:21 +0100 2757738 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2414884&cid=t_157632_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F05%2F15%2Fwhat-is-the-international-college-of-prescribing-psychologists%2F A company called the “Prescribing Psychologists’ Register” has been around for many years, selling continuing education courses to psychologists looking to learn how to prescribe psychiatric prescription medications for mental disorders. Psychologists who want prescription privileges claim a shortage of psychiatrists and note that given psychologists’ deep training in mental health problems, they are an appropriate, logical choice to help fill the need. And except for the lack of any medical training required by a Ph.D. or Psy.D. in psychology, the fact that the lack of psychiatrists mainly occurs in rural areas, and that there are other mental health professionals — such as physician assistants and psychiatric nurses — who already can help fill the pre... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2414884 Fri, 15 May 2009 12:00:51 +0100 2414884 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2389849&cid=t_157632_107_f&fid=36698&url=http%3A%2F%2Fminingdrugs.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fdrug-design-and-thinking-unthinkable.html "The problem pharma industry faces isn’t that they didn’t see generics coming. They not only saw it miles off, they figured out early on that they needed a plan to deal with it. ... In drug design the unthinkable scenario unfolded something like this: The ability to share data and intellectual properties wouldn’t shrink, it would grow. Walled data silos would prove unpopular and inefficient. ... No one experiment is going to replace what we are now losing with designed drugs, but over time, the collection of new experiments that do work might give us the cure we need." [adapted from Clay Shirky]We need legal support, intellectual property protection, and social legal systems, we need them more than ever ! Sure, we want to work 'openly' together, but not without payment. I think ther... Mining Drug Space blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2389849 Wed, 06 May 2009 18:32:00 +0100 2389849 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2348434&cid=t_157632_109_f&fid=36089&url=http%3A%2F%2Fthesituationist.wordpress.com%2F2009%2F04%2F20%2Fthe-situation-of-the-achievement-gap%2F Situationist Contributor Geoffrey Cohen has received a lot of attention in the media over the last week because of fascinating research he and his collaborators are doing and reently desribed in Science regarding one way to help reduce the achievement gap in education. Here are excerpts from one such story, this one, titled “Study: Writing About Values Boosts Grades, Shrinks Achievement Gap,”  by Lea Winerman for Online NewsHour With Jim Lehrer. * * * A short self-affirming writing exercise that took only about an hour of class time boosted struggling black junior high school students’ grade point average by nearly half a point over two years, according to a new study.  The surprising result, published this week in the journal Science, suggests a new way to combat the... The Situationist blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2348434 Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:04:29 +0100 2348434 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2206727&cid=t_157632_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2009%2F02%2F22%2Fpatient-health-questionnaire-phq-9-can-improve-care%2F There’s usually a canyon-sized gap between what researchers find in their studies and what goes on in clinical practice, otherwise known as “the real world.” One of those differences is the simple act of measurement. Most clinicians simply don’t spend a lot of time measuring or worrying about measuring their client’s progress. If this is a problem in the mental health professions, it’s virtually a non-existent exercise in primary care practices. You know, those places where most people actually get their antidepressants. Why should anyone care about measuring what a person is feeling or experiencing? Well, research has shown that such measurements help a professional keep better track of their patient’s concerns, and whether the current medication... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2206727 Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:15:49 +0100 2206727 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2512757&cid=t_157632_136_f&fid=38061&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FBreastCancerReconstructionBlog%2F%7E3%2FqfGMMFMK6GQ%2Fbreast-reconstruction-with-tissue-much.html This study involved the largest reported series of patients who sequentially underwent mastectomy, immediate reconstruction and postmastectomy radiation therapy. Ninety-two patients were observed for a period of 38 months following breast reconstruction and radiation therapy. Researchers found that autologous breast reconstruction is better tolerated by breast cancer patients because it is associated with fewer long-term complications and better cosmetic results than tissue expander/implant reconstruction.None of the 23 patients reconstructed with their own tissue required further surgery while 33% of tissue expander/implant patients needed surgery to correct a problem with their reconstruction. Eighty-three percent of autologous reconstruction patients reported acceptable cosmetic results... Breast Cancer Reconstruction Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2512757 Mon, 29 Dec 2008 23:14:25 +0100 2512757 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1975024&cid=t_157632_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F11%2F20%2Fonline-important-to-teens-adults-dont-understand%2F A new report was released today from The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation that suggests teenagers today use and value technologies online that adults don’t always value or understand. I would suggest that this report describes a predictable generation gap that occurs with every few generations. Just as my parents couldn’t understand why I wanted to spend hours every evening on the phone to friends I had just seen in school all day, today’s parents don’t understand teens’ need to always be connected — via text messaging, IM, or some other technology — to their friends. A few generations prior, the technology wasn’t the telephone, but rather the automobile that upset how families and friends kept in touch. Mail that used to take ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1975024 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:18:33 +0100 1975024 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1925050&cid=t_157632_122_f&fid=36582&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FSharpBrains%2F%7E3%2F437438124%2F As mentioned before, the World Economic Forum asked me to write "an 800 words summary of your most compelling actionable idea on the challenges of gerontology", in preparation for the Inaugural Summit of the Global Agenda that will take place November 7 to 9th in Dubai.A good number of SharpBrains readers and clients offered their insights - and expressed an interest in reading the draft. So below you have - a proposal to create a Global Consortium for Neurocognitive Fitness Innovation, building on our existing market research and advisory services work. Your thoughts? ----- The Context Growing Demands on Our Brains: Picture 6.7 billion Primitive Brains inhabiting a Knowledge Society where lifelong learning and mastering constant change in complex environments are critical for pr... SharpBrains blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1925050 Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:21:34 +0100 1925050 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1901311&cid=t_157632_87_f&fid=34825&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wesleyjsmith.com%2Fblog%2F2008%2F10%2Four-sunday-visitor-clues-readers-to.html An article in Our Sunday Visitor, a Catholic publication, warns readers about the dangers of radical environmentalism and animal rights--epitomized by Spain's pending enactment of the Great Ape Project and Ecuador's granting rights to "nature" in its new Constitution. The byline is by Thomas A. Szyszkiewicz, who has been very good on these issues, and was kind enough to include my views. From the story:Catholic teaching is clear that the created order is made by God for our use, but that humans have a responsibility for caring for it. "Man's dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation" (Cat... Secondhand Smoke blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1901311 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:04:00 +0100 1901311