Blogs
Just 'Cause It's New And At Mayo Doesn't Mean It's Better
January 29, 2013 11:49 am | by Gary Schwitzer | CommentsI’m a big fan of Minnesota Public Radio and usually a big fan of their healthcare news coverage. They’ve done some bold and innovative coverage in recent years. But when I heard (on the radio) and saw (online) MPR’s story, “Prostate cancer scan advance helps Mayo doctors with early detection,” I saw some red flags immediately.
Do Starbucks Employees Have More Emotional Intelligence Than Your Physician?
January 25, 2013 6:47 pm | by Editor | CommentsWhy are Starbucks employees often better at responding to their clients’ emotional needs than experienced physicians? It comes down to training.
Half Of What We Teach You
January 25, 2013 11:52 am | by Editor | CommentsWe searched for information in older textbooks with trepidation, fearing encounters with long-discarded details and theories. We marveled that previous generations of physicians had never been taught tobacco and cancer were somehow linked to each other. How could they have not known? And then there were changes we encountered in surgery.
Many Suffer Chronic Pain After Breast Cancer Surgery
January 23, 2013 11:57 am | by Editor | CommentsAbout one-quarter of women who've had breast cancer surgery have significant and persistent breast pain six months after the procedure, a new study finds. Women with breast pain before surgery were most likely to have long-term breast pain after the operation, according to the study recently published in the Journal of Pain.
Health Care Reform - Gangnam Style
January 23, 2013 11:30 am | by Lisa Suennen | Comments"I read an article the other day about a new company called Rap Genius. The company consists primarily of a website that relies on crowdsourcing to explain rap lyrics ... this company is missing the number one market opportunity: explaining healthcare speak to the masses."
Dear Patients: Thank You
January 22, 2013 12:18 pm | by Maria Yang, MD | CommentsThank you for nearly kicking me in the face when I tap on your knees to test your reflexes. Thank you for peeing all over me after I remove your diaper.Thank you for answering questions that, in any other context, are completely obnoxious and rude.
Weight Staying Off After Bariatric Surgery
January 21, 2013 12:30 pm | by Editor | CommentsExperience at a single center showed an average of 47 percent excess weight loss in patients followed for more than 10 years after LAGB. A review of published studies revealed a mean excess weight loss of 54 percent at 10 years and beyond for patients treated with LAGB or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).
Tobacco, Obesity Focal Points For President's Second Term
January 21, 2013 10:38 am | by David Pittman, MedPage Today | CommentsThe second term of an Obama administration will be marked for implementing key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), but the president also wants to focus on lowering tobacco use and obesity rates.
I Was Sued And Lived To Tell The Tale
January 18, 2013 9:15 am | by Natasha Deonarain, M.D. | CommentsA few years ago, I was sued. I know what it’s like to live with fear, up close and personal. And I know what it feels like to lose.
How Secure Messaging, Email Benefit Patients And Improve Outcomes
January 16, 2013 9:14 am | by David Chase | CommentsPhysicians underestimate the fact that opening up a digital channel to facilitate post visit, post-surgery, etc. comments and questions can and does provide a very real ROI if you dive into the typical workflow pattern that evolves when a patient calls with questions.
Organ Recipients Need Strong Partnerships With Their Doctors
January 15, 2013 10:06 am | by Anabel Stenzel | CommentsAfter years of being followed by many specialists – endocrine, pulmonary, infectious disease, dermatology, GI, oncology, ophthalmology -I’ve witnessed how easily a fragmented specialty approach can result in a lack of communication between providers. I then realized the incredible value of my primary care physician. They served as the birds-eye view of my health and looked down the lens of the bigger picture, to views that specialists often overlooked.
The Surgery Gods Can Be Your Best Friend Or Your Worst Enemy
January 14, 2013 9:23 am | by David Gelber, M.D. | CommentsThey can shine their face upon you and keep the common bile duct from sneaking away from its normal position to a vulnerable point directly behind or even lateral to the gallbladder, or, if angry, can command the ureter to adhere to the back wall of the colon, leaving it vulnerable to division by sloppy surgeons. These gods can be vindictive if not properly appeased.
Health Systems Need Not Be Fallible
January 9, 2013 9:30 am | by Kenneth Lin, M.D. | CommentsAll people are fallible, and health professionals no less so than others. But medicine is usually less forgiving of simple mistakes. A technically perfect surgery is a disaster because it was performed on the wrong body part. A patient develops a life-threatening infection because a doctor forgot to wash his hands.
Balancing Honesty And Optimism In Critical Care
January 8, 2013 9:08 am | by Christopher Johnson, M.D. | CommentsEven when the chances of a child’s good outcome are long, I can still proceed optimistically. I can even show my optimism to the child’s family. But, of course, I must also be honest with the family — if the situation is dire, I need to tell them that. But I don’t think those two things are contradictory.
Incremental Improvement In Medical Education Is Not Enough
January 7, 2013 9:29 am | by Michael Moore | CommentsThe incredible explosion of biomedical knowledge over the past decade means that schools ask each successive class of students to absorb more knowledge. They ask us to accomplish more with less, and to do it in less time.
