Health Care

Health Care articles

iPads increase doctors efficiency in healthcare
Providing personal mobile computers like iPads to medical residents increases their efficiency, reduces delays in patient care and enhances continuity of care.

Emergency department visita are lower among most satisfied patients
Higher patient satisfaction appears to be associated with lower odds of emergency department use, higher odds for inpatient hospitalization, greater health care and prescription expenditures, and higher mortality risk.

Breast cancer funding restored by Komen Foundation to Planned Parenthood
The Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation reversed its decision and continues to fund breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood health centers. The outpouring of support online for Planned Parenthood and women in need of breast cancer screenings has been nothing short of astonishing, and because of it, the Planned Parenthood Breast Health Fund has received more than $3 million from thousands of people across the country in only three days.

Surgeons age linked to safe health care
Surgeons aged between 35 and 50 years provide the safest care compared with their younger or older colleagues. The findings raise concerns about ongoing training and motivation of surgeons during their careers.

30% of health spending yield no benefit to patients
House Democratic Caucus Chairman John B. Larson (CT) released the following statement on the resignation of Dr. Donald Berwick as Administrator of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

66th World Homeopathic Congress LMHI LIGA at New Delhi
The Indian Minister of Health & Family Welfare Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad today announced a host of new initiatives being considered for AYUSH sector in the XIIth Plan subject to availability of funds. The Minister was speaking at the Inaugural Function of the 66TH World Homeopathic Congress organised in New Delhi today.

Employer health insurance premiums increased in US
Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance increased by 50 percent from 2003 to 2010, and the annual amount that employees pay toward their insurance increased by 63 percent as businesses required employees to contribute a greater share, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report that examines state trends in health insurance costs.

35 new drugs approved in 2011 in US
Over the past 12 months, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved 35 new medicines for patients, like two new treatments for hepatitis C; a drug for late-stage prostate cancer; the first new drug for Hodgkin's lymphoma in 30 years; and the first new drug for lupus in 50 years.

Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla to build hospital for needy children
Recently Bollywood actress Juhi Chawla revealed that she would build a hospital only for children. A hospital that combines homoeopathy and ayurveda with allopathy.

Medicare patients lead to long term institutionalization in a nursing home
Confirming many elderly patients' worst fears, a national study has shown that being hospitalized for an acute event, such as a stroke or hip fracture, can lead to long-term institutionalization in a nursing home.

Cost of cancer care rising worldwide
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death and morbidity worldwide, and its economic burden grows year by year. In 2008, the worldwide cost of cancer due to premature death and disability, excluding direct medical costs, was estimated to be US$895 billion.

One million additional young adults get health insurance in US
Affordable Care Act has helped increase the number of young adults who have health insurance, as per data released by the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Local biosurveillance data can improve individual patient care
By taking local biosurveillance data into account when assessing patients for communicable diseases, doctors may be able to make better diagnostic decisions, according to researchers at Children's Hospital Boston. For instance, in the case of strep throat, awareness of local epidemiology at the time of diagnosis could help more than 166,000 people avoid unnecessary antibiotic treatment in the United States every year and catch more than 62,000 missed cases.

65 million more obese in US and 11 million more in UK by 2030
The rising prevalence of obesity around the globe places an increasing burden on the health of populations, on healthcare systems and on overall economies. A major challenge for researchers is to quantify the effect of these burdens to inform public policies.

U.S. hospitals do not fully support breastfeeding
Breastfeeding protects against childhood obesity, yet less than 4 percent of U.S. hospitals provide the full range of support mothers need to be able to breastfeed, according to the most recent Vital Signs report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

mChip can revolutionize medical care around the world
New low-cost diagnostics like the mChip can revolutionize medical care around the world, revealed by researcher in US. Microfluidics-the manipulation of small amounts of fluids-and nanoparticles can be successfully leveraged to produce a functional low-cost diagnostic device in extreme resource-limited settings.

Immigrant and refugee health guidelines for physicians
The largest, most comprehensive evidence-based guidelines to immigrant health - designed to help Canadian physicians meet the unique needs of this group - are being published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Adolescent binge drinking can damage spatial working memory
Binge or "heavy episodic" drinking is prevalent during adolescence, raising concerns about alcohol's effects on crucial neuromaturational processes during this developmental period. Heavy alcohol use has been associated with decrements in cognitive functioning in both adult and adolescent populations, particularly on tasks of spatial working memory (SWM).

Copper reduces infection risk by 40%
Copper touch surfaces could have a key role in preventing the transmission of healthcare-associated infections. Extensive laboratory tests have demonstrated copper's antimicrobial efficacy against key organisms. A 97% reduction in surface pathogens in rooms with copper surfaces has been demonstrated.

Physicians accepting fewer patients with health insurance
There is a drop in physicians' acceptance of health insured patients in past years in US. As a result, insured patients could face new obstacles to receiving the medical attention they need, and overall access to health care could actually contract. As required under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, millions of people will soon be added to the ranks of the insured. However, this rapid expansion of coverage is colliding with a different, potentially problematic trend that could end up hampering access to health care.

Healthy eating, physical activity and good sleep needed to curb obesity
Limiting television and other media use, encouraging infants and young children in preschool and child care to spend more time in physically active play, and requiring child care providers to promote healthy sleeping practices are some of the actions needed to curb high rates of obesity among America's youngest children.

Medicaid plans owned by public companies have higher administrative costs
A new Commonwealth Fund report finds that Medicaid managed care plans that are owned by publicly traded for-profit companies whose primary line of business is managing Medicaid enrollees spent an average of 14 percent of premiums on administrative costs, compared with an average of only 10 percent spent by non-publicly traded plans owned by groups of health care providers, health systems, community health centers, or clinics.

Supportive of intent of ACO proposed rule, ACP expresses concern
In a 10-page letter addressed to Donald Berwick, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, ACP today said: The ACP strongly supports the intent of the proposed rule, and believes that an ACO model has the potential of supporting such important care delivery goals as enhancing quality, efficiency, integration, and patient-centeredness.

Reminding about costs of blood tests appears to affect utilization
Surgical house staff and attending physicians who are reminded about the charges for ordering daily blood drawing for routine blood work appear to reduce the amount of routine blood tests ordered and the charges for these laboratory tests.

Health reform law will insure nearly all uninsured women by 2014 in US
The new health reform law will expand health insurance coverage to nearly all uninsured women and will make health care more affordable for millions of women through premium subsidies beginning in 2014 and new rules, some already in place, that will protect women from high costs, according to a Commonwealth Fund report released today.

Prolonged bottle feeding increases obesity risk
Experts agree that obesity prevention should begin before children enter school. But due to a lack of conclusive data, health care providers often have trouble advising parents about which interventions are the most beneficial.

Many new drugs did not have comparative effectiveness information
Only about half of new drugs approved in the last decade had comparative effectiveness data available at the time of their approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and approximately two-thirds of new drugs had this information available when alternative treatment options existed,.

Adults with arthritis suffer with poorer health and quality of life
A new study reports that the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for U.S. adults with arthritis is much worse than for those without this condition. Both physical and mental health are affected by arthritis, which poses a significant health and economic burden as the number of those diagnosed continues to climb.

Health reform to make health insurance affordable for all
Ninety percent of American families living above the federal poverty level will be able to afford health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report by Jonathan Gruber and Ian Perry of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Changes in medical students' views about internal medicine careers
Compared with 1990, more medical students in 2007 viewed internal medicine as a potentially meaningful career; however, the majority of students are choosing other specialties.

Low health literacy linked to higher rate of death in heart failure patients
An examination of health literacy (such as understanding basic health information) among managed care patients with heart failure, a condition that requires self-management, found that nearly one in five have low health literacy, which was associated with a higher all-cause risk of death.

Topical corticosteroids in children with eczema does not have negative side effects
A new study published in the journal Pediatric Dermatology reveals that routine, long-term use of topical corticosteroids (TCS) for treating children with eczema does not cause any significant, negative side effects.

US plans to reduce harm from opioid drugs
The White House on Tuesday unveiled a multi-agency plan aimed at reducing the "epidemic" of prescription drug abuse in the U.S.-including an FDA-backed education program that zeros-in on reducing the misuse and misprescribing of opioids.

Adoption of newer, more expensive prostate cancer treatments
With 180,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year, it is one of the most common types of cancer in US. For this reason, it has been cited as a good marker for health care spending in general, reflective of the greater trends across the United States.

Breast implants linked to ALCL a rare cancer
Saline and silicone gel-filled breast implants are linked to anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a very rare type of cancer, announced by US Health Agency FDA.

Elderly must start tai chi to prevent falls
In the first update of the American Geriatrics Society and the British Geriatric Society's guidelines on preventing falls in older persons since 2001, they now recommend that all interventions for preventing falls should include an exercise component and that a number of new assessments should be used, including; feet and footwear, fear of falling, and ability to carry out daily living activities.

Nursing home closures clustered in poor, minority areas
Nursing home closures eliminated about 5 percent of available beds between 1998 and 2008, with closures concentrated in minority and poor communities in US.

Private room intensive care units associated with lower infection rates
Converting hospital intensive care units (ICUs) to private rooms is associated with a reduction in the rate at which patients acquire infections, according to a report in the January 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Electronic medical records not always linked to better care in hospitals
Use of electronic health records by hospitals across the United States has had only a limited effect on improving the quality of medical care, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Doctors on Facebook may be compromising doctor patient relationship
Doctors with a profile on the social networking site Facebook may be compromising the doctor-patient relationship, because they don't deploy sufficient privacy settings, indicates research published online in the Journal of Medical Ethics.

Medicaid funded ADHD treatment for children is failing
Whatever its final incarnation, the recently enacted landmark Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will expand Medicaid eligibility and is expected by 2013 to provide coverage, including mental health care, to an estimated 4.1 million children currently uninsured.

US food allergy guidelines recommend uniform standards for treating food allergy
An expert panel sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, has issued comprehensive U.S. guidelines to assist health care professionals in diagnosing food allergy and managing the care of people with the disease.

Employer health insurance premiums increased 41%
Premiums for employer-sponsored family health insurance increased an average of 41 percent across states from 2003 to 2009, more than three times faster than median incomes, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. Yet, insurance is buying less.

Many physicians still have relationships with industry
Relationships with drug manufacturers, device companies and other medical companies appear to be have decreased since 2004 but remain common among physicians, revealed by US researchers.

NewYork-Presbyterian No. 6 hospital in US, No. 1 in NewYork
NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, one of the country's largest and most comprehensive academic medical centers, is ranked #6 in the nation and #1 among ranked hospitals in the New York area, according to U.S. News Media Group's 2010-11 Best Hospitals.

Tests can predict falls in Parkinson's disease
A group of tests may help predict which people with Parkinson's disease are more likely to fall, according to a study published in the June 23, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Discussing patient safety in radiation therapy
A meeting in Miami this week will bring together some of the world's leading experts from inside and outside the clinic to discuss safety in radiation therapy -- a critical method for treating cancer.

Simple injection of TXA could save the lives of thousands of accident victims
If recently injured patients with serious bleeding were to receive a cheap, widely available and easily administered drug to help their blood to clot, tens of thousands of lives could be saved every year.

New docs linked to death spike in July
Are new medical residents a threat to patient health? According to sociology professor David Phillips and his student Gwendolyn Barker from the University of California, San Diego, fatal medication errors peak in July in counties with teaching hospitals, which coincides with the yearly influx of new medical residents who are given increased responsibility for patient care.

Weight loss drug orlistat may lead to liver injury
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised consumers and health care professionals about potential rare occurrences of severe liver injury in patients taking the weight-loss medication orlistat, marketed as Xenical and Alli.

Long term use of heartburn drugs linked to fractures
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers and health care professionals about a possible increased risk of fractures of the hip, wrist, and spine with high doses or long-term use of a class of medications called proton pump inhibitors.

Physicians should help depression patients
Because people with depression often do not recognize they have a problem or are unable to describe their distress, many do not seek treatment. About a quarter of those with major depression are undiagnosed, according to several studies, and fewer than half receive treatment.

Vaccine to help people quit smoking
In a unique twist to a decades-old health crisis, Michigan State University researchers are testing a new vaccine to help people quit smoking and avoid relapses.

Sepsis and pneumonia cost $ 8.1 billion to treat
Two common conditions caused by hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) killed 48,000 people and ramped up health care costs by $8.1 billion in 2006 alone, according to a study released in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

FDA reviewing Avandia, rosiglitazone and cardiovascular safety
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reviewing data, submitted in August 2009, from a large, long-term clinical study on possible risks with the diabetes drug, Avandia (rosiglitazone).

New policy on choking prevention in young children
Choking is a leading cause of injury and death among children, especially children 3 years of age or younger. Food, toys and coins account for most of the choking-related events in young children, who put objects in their mouths as they explore new environments.

High blood pressure a neglected disease in US
Public health officials and health care providers need to step up their efforts to reduce Americans' increasing rates of high blood pressure and better treat those with the condition.

Flexibility at work boosts employee health
Giving employees more flexibility over their work schedules is likely to boost their health as judged by measures like blood pressure and stress, revealed by researchers.

New safety plan for agents used to treat chemotherapy related anemia
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved a risk management program to inform healthcare providers and their patients about the risks of a class of drugs called Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs).

India proposes new Rural Medical Course BRMS
The Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad has said that not recognizing the need for trained medical human resources in rural areas and unwillingness to consider new ideas for addressing it will not help the situation.

Fast food menus with calorie information lead to lower calorie selection
In a new study, the amount of calories selected by parents for their child's hypothetical meal at McDonald's restaurants were reduced by an average of 102 calories when the menus clearly showed the calories for each item.

Birth weights in US have declined
Birth weights in US have declined during the past 15 years, revealed by researchers at the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute's Department of Population Medicine.

Physicians' moods affect quality of care
A new study by a researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) reveals that physicians' moods impact the number of prescriptions, referrals and lab tests ordered, as well as the amount of time they spend talking with their patients.

Hospital superbug MRSA diffused by patients
A new study finds that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) –responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections including blood poisoning and pneumonia and a particular problem in hospitals – occurs in distinct geographical clusters across Europe, indicating that MRSA is being diffused by patients moving between hospitals rather than spreading freely in the community.

Do not rely upon kitchen spoons when measuring liquid medicine
A new research led by Dr. Brian Wansink, director of the Cornell Food and Brand Lab, shows we should not rely upon kitchen spoons when measuring liquid medicine. The study shows we pour too little or too much medicine, depending on spoon size.

Pharmacists improve care of diabetics, lowering monthly costs by $212 per patient
The role of pharmacists hasn't received much attention in the debate on the cost of health care. But national and regional studies show that when pharmacists directly participate in patient care, they significantly reduce treatment costs and improve outcomes.

H1N1 vaccination to include all patients in Pennsylvania, US
Certified healthcare providers who have already immunized patients most at risk of complications from the H1N1 flu virus may now offer the vaccine to anyone who wants it, the Department of Health announced today.

Myopia or nearsightedness more common in Americans
Myopia (nearsightedness) may have been more common in Americans from 1999 to 2004 than it was 30 years ago, according to a report in the December issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Law to prevent doctors from taking pharma gifts
Indian government would frame a law to prevent doctors from receiving gifts and cash from pharmaceutical companies and drug pharmacies, intended by Indian health minister Gulam Nabi Azad.

Diabetes spending will be triple in US
In the next 25 years, spending on diabetes will almost triple, rising from $113 billion to $336 billion, even with no increase in the prevalence of obesity.

Metals and diesel emissions lead to respiratory symptoms in children
Exposure shortly after birth to ambient metals from residential heating oil combustion and particles from diesel emissions are associated with respiratory symptoms in young inner city children.

Uninsured Americans have a higher mortality rate after trauma
Americans without health insurance appear more likely to die following admission to the hospital for trauma than those with health care coverage, revealed by researchers.

Action on antipsychotic drugs and dementia, UK
A tough new action plan to tackle the over prescribing of antipsychotic drugs to people with dementia was announced by Care Services Minister Phil Hope in UK.

Ryan White HIV AIDS program extended
The U.S. Congress has extended the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, helping to ensure that more than half a million low-income, uninsured, or underinsured people living with HIV/AIDS have access to lifesaving care.

New payment models for health care - RAND
A new RAND Corporation study outlines methods that might be used to test a novel payment system for medical care that would provide doctors, hospitals and other health providers a set fee for treating an ailment such as hip replacement surgery.

Apollo Hospital Delhi to pay 2 lacs, free treatment
Apollo Hospital in New Delhi has been ordered by the Delhi High Court to provide the poor patients with free treatment. Delhi High Court has imposed a fine of two lacs (Rs.200000) on Apollo Hospital and the Delhi government for not abiding by an earlier court order.

A new therapy to cure skin cancer
A potential new investigational therapy for advanced and metastatic basal cell skin cancer is revealed by researchers.

iPhone locates H1N1 swine flu and infectious diseases
A new iPhone application, created by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab, enables users to track and report outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as H1N1 (swine flu), on the ground in real time.

Retail medical clinics can provide quality care at lower cost
Retail medical clinics located in pharmacies and other stores can provide care for routine illnesses at a lower cost and similar quality as offered in physician offices, urgent care centers or emergency departments, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Microneedle patch would replace injections and needles
An array of microneedles could be coated with medicine and act as a painless drug delivery system for flu vaccines, diseases of the eye and more, revealed by researchers.

Middle aged macho men less likely to obtain preventative care
Middle-aged men who strongly idealize masculinity are almost 50 percent less likely than other men to seek preventative healthcare services, revealed by researchers.

MRSA may accompany hospital patients to home
Infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) appears relatively common among patients discharged from the hospital into home health care, revealed by researchers. In addition, about one-fifth of infected patients may transmit the organism to other people in their households.

Cetuximab for colorectal cancer with KRAS gene
From a health-care system perspective, it may be more efficient to use the drug cetuximab only in colorectal cancer patients whose tumors have a wild-type KRAS gene, according to a study published online August 7 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Americans spent $33.9 billion on alternative medicine
Americans spent $33.9 billion out-of-pocket on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) over the previous 12 months, according to a 2007 US government survey.

Urgent need for health care reform in US
US individuals should have a choice of public and private health plans, believe US health care leaders. They strongly support central components of health reform such as innovative provider payment reform and a national insurance health exchange with strong standard-setting authority.

India to control spurious drugs
The Indian Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad has announced whistle blower policy to attract involvement of public to provide information on any kind of unlawful activity in the manufacture of drugs.

Prechewed food could transmit HIV
Researchers have uncovered the first cases in which HIV almost certainly was transmitted from mothers or other caregivers to children through pre-chewed food.

Individual health insurance not affordable in US
The individual health insurance market is not a viable option for the majority of uninsured adults in US, a new report from The Commonwealth Fund finds.

Sinai Hospital of Baltimore ranked as one of top US hospitals
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore is ranked as one of the top hospitals in the country for neurology and neurosurgery, according to the U.S. News & World Report's 2009-10 America's Best Hospitals edition.

GSK to fight HIV AIDS in Africa
GlaxoSmithKline's CEO Andrew Witty announced a series of new initiatives targeted at improving research, development, and access to HIV/AIDS medicines for children in Sub-Saharan Africa and supporting healthcare for people living with HIV and AIDS.

Call for primary care reform, US
Leaders of three US organizations representing nearly a third of a million physicians today visited Capitol Hill offices to express their continued concern for America's patients who do not have access to primary care physicians.

Certain Zicam cold remedies linked to loss of sense of smell
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration advised consumers to stop using three products marketed over-the-counter (OTC) as cold remedies because they are associated with the loss of sense of smell (anosmia).

FDA reviewing stimulant medications for ADHD
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues safety communication about an ongoing review of stimulant medications used in children with ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

Microsoft's HealthVault for AMA physicians in US
The American Medical Association (AMA) announced that it is working with Microsoft to better connect patients with their physicians. Patients and their physicians will be able to exchange vital health care information by connecting through Microsoft's HealthVault.

Blair Underwood to Kick off AHF's US HIV Testing Caravan
In an effort to boost AIDS awareness and HIV prevention and testing efforts in some of the hardest hit regions of the United States, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will kick off a three week, fourteen-city cross country HIV testing tour in one of its popular AHF/Magic Johnson Mobile HIV Testing Units.

Doctors' concerns about care often not addressed, UK
Hospital doctors are frequently frustrated in attempts to raise concerns about standards of care and push forward ideas, a BMA survey indicates.

Zydus Cadila files IND with DCGI to treat diabetes
Zydus Cadila, a global healthcare provider and one of India's leading healthcare companies, has filed IND (Investigational New Drug) application for anti diabetic and anti obesity drug with Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI).

Over 60% of US bankruptcies due to medical incidents
In 2007, before the current economic downturn, an American family filed for bankruptcy in the aftermath of illness every 90 seconds; three-quarters of them were insured. Over 60% of all bankruptcies in the United States in 2007 were driven by medical incidents.

FDA forms Transparency Task Force
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the formation of a task force to develop recommendations for enhancing the transparency of the agency's operations and decision-making process.

Obese women should not gain weight
For years, doctors and other health-care providers have managed pregnant patients according to guidelines issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG).

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