On the HCPLive news page, resources on the topics of disease- and specialty-specific medical news and expert insight can be found. Content includes articles, interviews, videos, podcasts, and breaking news on health care research, treatment, and drug development.
PDAs Aid Communication with Borderline Personality Disorder Patients
When used as electronic diaries for recording and analyzing mood variability in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD), personal digital assistants (PDAs), or handhelds, help bridge a gap in communication between therapists and patients, according to the results of a recent University of Missouri study.
Have a Marketing Degree? 'You Should Live and Be Well': Managed Care 101 in 2010 (Part VII)
December 4th 2008If the marketing degree does not qualify one to manipulate the health care offering (that is, the benefit package) to the point that people cannot get the care they need , then what about those MD's with MBA's who are running mega health plans?
Pain Images Show Rearranged White Matter in Brain
December 4th 2008In examining the brains of people with a chronic pain condition known as complex region pain syndrome (CRPS), scientists found that patients’ brains "looked like an inept cable guy had changed the hookups, rewiring the areas related to emotion, pain perception and the temperature of their skin."
Do You Hear the Pitter-Patter of New Pediatric Medical Devices?
December 3rd 2008It's been more than a year since we passed the Pediatric Medical Device Safety and Improvement Act. There is an argument that movement will be slow due to market factors and I have to admit that I haven't seen a lot of new technology.
Rate of Cancer Diagnoses Declines for First Time Since 1971
For the first time since the war on cancer was declared 37 years ago, the rate of new cancer diagnoses among Americans has begun to decline, according to a new report published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
New Survey Highlights Primary Care Physicians’ Dissatisfaction, Problems Facing the Industry
A survey released in November by the Physicians’ Foundation compiled responses from more than 12,000 US physicians, many of them primary care providers, with the goal of presenting a comprehensive snapshot of physicians’ opinions about the current state of the healthcare industry and the prospects for the future.
Does the Internet Enable Patients to Make Treatment Discoveries?
It turns out that there are a number of ALS patients who test treatments themselves rather than move at the slow pace of medical research and have become part of "an emerging group of patients willing to share intimate health details on the Web in hopes of making their own discoveries."
Hospitalists Use Teamwork to Provide Better Patient Care
Hospitalists can take a little pride in knowing that they are helping to deliver better patient outcomes and are practicing more efficiently than private practice physicians who are treating patients in hospitals.
Is Hormone Therapy Dangerous for Women with Existing Heart Risk?
Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health reported last month in the Archives of Internal Medicine that hormone therapy may produce adverse heart health effects even in women who begin treatment within the recommended timeframe post-menopause.
Hospital Emergency Department for Children’s Primary Care?
November 26th 2008Everyone expected the ER patient load to go up as the number of people with affordable (or any) insurance goes down, but the fact that some people with insurance actually prefer the ER for routine pediatric care over their PCPs isn’t exactly common knowledge.
Antimalarial Treatment Prevents Diabetes in Arthritis Patients
November 26th 2008While obesity, hypertension, and diabetes have always shared connections, every now and then, scientists manage to make some of the unlikeliest connections. As it turns out, Geisinger Health System researchers found that "antimalarial medication may prevent the onset of diabetes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis."
Deep Brain Stimulation Improves with the Latest Technology
Although deep brain stimulation (DBS) is typically used as a last resort treatment for people with Parkinson’s disease (and other neurological and psychiatric disorders), it is important that technology and research companies remain up to date on recent developments to make it easier to treat patients with these diseases.
Hypertension a Silent Killer in Young African American Men
Study results published in the October 2008 issue of the American Journal of Physiology � Heart and Circulatory Physiology reveal that "young African American men have greater central [blood pressure] despite comparable brachial [blood pressure] when compared with young white men."
Trimming Fast Food Advertising would Cut Back Child Obesity, Study Says
According to a new study published in the November issue of the Journal of Law and Economics, childhood obesity could be reduced by up to 18% by banning fast food advertisements in the United States.
Thanksgiving in the United States, Shaking Off the Negatives
November 25th 2008This week, the people in the United States take their turn at giving thanks. We, in Canada, did this last month – the first Monday of October every year. It’s nice to pause and give thanks at least once a year, but I think we should be doing it all year long.