Medical News of the Obvious

It's time for another medical-education themed journal issue (thanks, JAMA), which means it's time for more Obvious Facts about Med Students:

They say stupid stuff on Facebook.
They make mistakes when they're tired and upset.
Cutting people open makes them nervous.
If they're well-trained, they'll do a better job.

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posted by Stacey Butterfield at 11:57 AM   0 Comments

Readers polarized about town hall meetings on health reform

About half of ACP Internist and ACP Hospitalist readers saw the summer's town hall meeting on health care reform as a failure, according to results of a survey. The reasons why were as polarized as the open-ended responses readers gave.

Some perceived the meetings as a success because they saw the meetings reflect their own points of view on health care, pro or con. Others saw the meetings as failures because of their tenor, or the outcomes of specific events.

The angry rhetoric caused respondents to express concerns not only for health care reform, but for democracy. One said, "They were a success in that people came out to speak; they were a failure in that the democratic process of debate was cast aside for emotional rhetoric."

Some called for more physician and hospital leadership on the issue, and from ACP itself. "Physicians must become leaders in this debate so that Americans get meaningful, full reform that benefits the majority of our citizens."

Some respondents provided eyewitness reports on their own town hall meetings, or in one case, a lack of meeting. Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.) instead had a telephone conference.

Another reader related opinions from Alaska, where "There were standing ovations opposing 'socialized medicine' and increased taxation. The senator's response to a young uninsured mother's plea to 'What should I do?' for her child with asthma was disappointing. It boiled down to: 'Contact my office, I may be able to get samples from the drug company, and in this country the emergency room will never turn you away.'"

Another reader complemented Rep. Charles A. Gonzalez (D-Texas) on his town hall in San Antonio at the end of August. "The opposition (some brought in on charter buses) was loud and intermittently disruptive. Rep. Gonzalez did an excellent job of explaining HR 3200 and answering questions. If there were any initially neutral persons in attendance, I think they might have had their questions answered."

But the disruptions misinformation prompted many readers to view the meetings as a failure, from either hecklers or from the congress people themselves. Others cited the lack of focus on solutions, as well. "Misinformation, incorrect perceptions and strangely focused ideology ruled the day rather than any real conversation."

Others saw success despite the messy process.

"While many [meetings] were devastated by hecklers and got the bulk of the media coverage, some were successful and educated people and got the issue out there. ... It is rejuvenating to see Americans participating in democracy by discussing issues relevant to the future of our nation."

Another summed up, "They gave the public a chance to express concerns and fears. Whether this helped the legislators is yet to be seen."

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posted by Ryan DuBosar at 8:00 AM   0 Comments

Medical News of the Obvious

This may come as news to those of you who were unsure of the purpose of that black rectangular thing in your living room, but not to the rest of us. Researchers put toddlers and parents in a room either with no TV or one where they could pick a show to watch.

"The study authors found that while the TV was on, parents spent about 20 percent less time talking to their children and were less active, attentive and responsive to their kids, resulting in a decrease in the quality of the interactions," reports HealthDay. Only 20 percent? Clearly this sample didn't include any fathers watching playoff games.

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posted by Stacey Butterfield at 9:25 AM   0 Comments

Medical News of the Obvious

It's like the scientists think if they keep reporting the same evidence, eventually someone will listen. A new study in Archives found that exercise is still good for you. And it's never too late to start. "The benefits associated with physical activity were observed not only in those who maintained an existing level of physical activity, but also in those who began exercising between ages 70 and 85," said the press release. Actually, sounds like a good excuse to wait another couple of decades before starting that workout routine.

Or maybe you can get your exercise in the bedroom. As long as you don't have allergies, that is. A new study, reported by HealthDay, finds that snot is not sexy. According to a study of 350 untreated sufferers of allergic rhinitis, 83% said that their allergies affected their sex lives. Perhaps the most obvious part of the study was the solution offered by researchers: shut the bedroom window.

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posted by Stacey Butterfield at 4:00 PM   0 Comments

Patients finding shopping around for medical costs easier online

Patients looking to save some money on expected medical procedures have taken to comparison shopping and planning ahead for high costs and co-pays. Hospital systems, Web sites and the states are compiling the costs of procedures and posting them online so patients can comparison shop or budget ahead before their procedure or test.

The list of comparison services available is extensive, as are their lists of tests and procedures: maternity, knee replacement, appendectomies, colonoscopies; some systems compare hundreds of providers and services.

Consumers are driving this trend, but so is the Internet. Hospitals see it as one more way of making more informed decisions, while one Web site founder compared it (crassly, I thought) to buying a car, including haggling over prices to get steep discounts.

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posted by Ryan DuBosar at 2:25 PM   2 Comments

Medical News of the Obvious

It seems safe to assume that this week's researchers of the already-known have been to a bar before, given that they're grad students at one of the top-ranked party schools in the country. Perhaps, in fact, their hypothesis was cooked up over a happy hour pitcher or two. Because even they are not denying the obviousness of their undertaking.

"It may seem intuitive that cheaper alcohol can lead to higher intoxication levels and related consequence--such as fighting, drunk driving, sexual victimization, injury, even death--especially among the vulnerable college student population," a study author told HealthDay.

Yes, after intensive study (read: hanging out in bars) the researchers concluded that higher drink prices were associated with a decreased risk of patrons being inebriated. Might this also correlate with the lower incidence of vomiting on the floor seen in four-star restaurants as compared to college bars? Further research is clearly needed.

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posted by Stacey Butterfield at 12:14 PM   0 Comments

Hospital tweets updates to surgical patient's waiting family

St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, used Twitter to keep family members aprised of a surgical patient's status during her hysterectomy and uterine prolapse operation.

St. Luke's is following the lead of other hospitals that have used Twitter during a surgery to educate and inform the family or the general public. A member of the hospital's PR department sent 310 tweets during the surgery to the family--and to anyone subscribed to its feed. St. Luke's also posted pictures intraoperatively.

St. Luke's also uses the web to post wait times for its urgent care clinics and ER.

And while we're on the subject, our readers can follow ACP Hospitalist on Twitter as well.

Labels: patient communication, Twitter

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posted by Ryan DuBosar at 8:00 AM   0 Comments

Patients just as likely to sue after apologies

Apologizing for a medical error in full and accepting responsibility may boost patients' perceptions of physicians but may not stop them from suing, according to simulations conducted at Johns Hopkins and reported in the Sept. 1 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Researchers created simulated scenarios of three medical mistakes: a year-long delay in noticing a malignant-looking lesion on a mammogram, a chemotherapy overdose 10 times the intended amount and a slow response to pages by a pediatric surgeon for a patient who eventually codes and is rushed to emergency surgery. Actors played out levels of physician apology (full, non-specific and none) and acceptance of responsibility (full or none). 200 adult viewers then evaluated the simulations and reported their impressions. Sample videos used in this study are online.

Viewers who thought that the doctor had fully apologized and taken responsibility gave the doctors much higher ratings (81% vs. 38%; P<0.05) and would refer the doctor (56% vs. 27%; P<0.05), but weren't significantly moved not to sue (43% vs. 47%).

What's not reported in this study was whether the doctor could avoid being named in the eventual lawsuit. ACP's news magazines have reported in the past on ways to apologize and how it affects malpractice litigation.

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posted by Ryan DuBosar at 10:57 AM   0 Comments