http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (Medical Xpress)—While many Americans deeply mistrust government, and are generally suspicious of health insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry, they overwhelmingly trust physicians and view them as faithful agents of patient interests, reports a new study based on online surveys of more than 5,000 Americans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-voice-doctors-key-viability-health.html Health Mon, 17 Jun 2013 07:41:23 EST news290673654 (HealthDay)—The efficacy of new medical treatments compared with placebo has sharply declined over the last few decades, suggesting that comparative effectiveness studies are needed, according to a study published in the June issue of Health Affairs. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-treatments-outperforming-placebo-common.html Health Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:00:02 EST news290435749 UC Irvine Health urologists and health policy experts report in a new study that two written assessments that identify existing comorbidities – the patient-reported Total Illness Burden Index for Prostate Cancer (TIBI-Cap) and the physician-reported Charlson Comorbidity Index – can successfully target prostate patients who would not benefit from biopsy to discover possible cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-comorbidities-factor-prostate-biopsy-choice.html Cancer Wed, 15 May 2013 09:18:45 EST news287828319 Digital direct radiography (DR) is significantly more effective than computed radiography (CR) at detecting breast cancer, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-digital-mammography-cancer-vary-significantly.html Cancer Tue, 14 May 2013 00:00:01 EST news287688393 A highly underutilized anesthesia technique called neuraxial anesthesia, also known as spinal or epidural anesthesia, improves outcomes in patients undergoing hip or knee replacement, according to a new study by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery. The study, which appears in the May issue of the journal Anesthesiology, found that neuraxial anesthesia, a type of regional anesthesia, reduced morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stay and costs when compared with general anesthesia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-regional-anesthesia-technique-significantly-outcomes.html Surgery Wed, 01 May 2013 00:00:07 EST news286563849 Elizabeth D. Lowenthal, M.D., M.S.C.E., of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and colleagues conducted a study to determine whether there was a difference in time to virological failure between HIV-infected children initiating nevirapine vs. efavirenz-based antiretroviral treatment in Botswana. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-antiretroviral-regimen-virological-failure-hiv-infected.html HIV & AIDS Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:00:01 EST news286534739 The decision to perform an invasive procedure to open clogged arteries in the heart instead of first trying medication and lifestyle changes may not reduce a patient's risk of death or of a major cardiac event. Unnecessary procedures to treat chronic, stable heart disease contribute to rising health care costs. A targeted approach to avoiding this kind of overutilization by instead relying on evidence-based decision-making is presented in Population Health Management, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the Population Health Management website at http://www.liebertpub.com/bari. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-medical-therapy-safer-choice-angioplasty.html Cardiology Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:35:29 EST news284729717 Loop diuretics, more commonly known as water pills, are the most widely prescribed heart failure medications, but few studies had extensively compared their effectiveness until Yale School of Medicine researchers examined three approved loop diuretics and found that even though one of them might offer more benefit, it is rarely prescribed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-pills-equally-effective-heart-failure.html Cardiology Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:30:01 EST news284036535 (HealthDay)—Compared with standard screening, alternative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening strategies could maintain good prostate cancer detection rates while reducing overdiagnoses and unnecessary biopsies, according to research published in the Feb. 5 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-alternative-psa-screening-strategies.html Cancer Tue, 05 Feb 2013 13:40:01 EST news279292220 (HealthDay)—Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices vary in performance characteristics, according to a comparative effectiveness study published online Dec. 28 in Diabetes Care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-differences-glucose.html Diabetes Fri, 25 Jan 2013 13:07:07 EST news278341614 A large study addressing the effectiveness and safety of aldosterone antagonist therapy for older heart failure patients has found notable differences between the drug's results in clinical trial vs. what occurs in actual practice, according to researchers at Duke Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-heart-failure-drug-effective-real.html Cardiology Tue, 27 Nov 2012 16:59:15 EST news273257922 Recent studies questioning the role of specialist heart attack centres produced misleading results because doctors tend to send the sickest patients to have the best care, according to new research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-life-saving-role-heart-centers.html Cardiology Tue, 13 Nov 2012 16:00:02 EST news272043853 Patient-reported outcomes should be a standard part of evaluating the comparative effectiveness of cancer treatments, according to recommendations put forward by a multi-institution research group. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-patient-reported-outcomes-essential-effectiveness.html Cancer Tue, 16 Oct 2012 13:41:44 EST news269613691 (Medical Xpress)—In a study published in the October edition of the journal Health Affairs, researchers from Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health (RSPH) analyzed the clinical and financial impact of two New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) trials showing that two common arthroscopic knee surgeries do not benefit patients with osteoarthritis of the knee.  http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-common-knee-procedures-percent-florida.html Other Fri, 12 Oct 2012 07:21:00 EST news269245251 Comparative effectiveness research conducted over the past decade has had a limited impact on the way medical care is delivered, but many opportunities exist to help doctors and others in the medical system translate such research into better patient care, according to a new RAND Corporation study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-strategies-impact-effectiveness.html Health Tue, 09 Oct 2012 16:33:53 EST news269019224 Inpatient hospital treatment accounts for the largest proportion of health care spending in the U.S., with the use of diagnostic imaging services such as MRIs, frequently implicated as the probable cause.  A new analysis finds that the biggest expense may not be imaging technology but from supplies including medical devices, such as stents and artificial joints. "One of the take-away messages for hospitals is that they should examine their own data in closer detail to explore the costs that are rapidly rising and have a better understanding for the underlying reasons," said lead author Jared Lane Maeda, Ph.D., of Truven Health Analytics in Washington, D.C. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-inpatient-linked-medical-devices.html Health Wed, 29 Aug 2012 09:00:01 EST news265447154 (HealthDay) -- Newer, more expensive schizophrenia medications are not noticeably better than their older, cheaper counterparts, a new review suggests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-benefits-unclear-1st-2nd-antipsychotics.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 14 Aug 2012 17:40:01 EST news264183927 An observational study that examined the comparative effectiveness of rhythm control vs. rate control drug treatment on mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation (a rapid, irregular heart beat) suggests there was little difference in mortality within four years of treatment, but rhythm control may be associated with more effective long-term outcomes, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-effectiveness-rhythm-drug-treatment.html Cardiology Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:00:01 EST news258037407 (HealthDay) -- Use of diagnostic codes, such as International Classification of Diseases -- Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes, may result in misclassification of rare, adverse drug reactions (ADRs), including the risk of rhabdomyolysis from high-dose simvastatin, according to a research letter published in the April 18 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a theme issue on comparative effectiveness research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-icd-codes-underestimate-statin-linked-rhabdomyolysis.html Medications Wed, 18 Apr 2012 01:20:01 EST news253928794 In an opinion article published in this week's theme edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association focusing on comparative effectiveness research, a team of Johns Hopkins University bioethicists argues forcefully for streamlining federal restrictions on at least some low-risk clinical comparative effectiveness research, instead of easing them – as is now proposed – solely for low-risk social and behavior research involving surveys, interviews and focus groups. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-bioethicists-urge-regulatory-burden-low-risk.html Medical research Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:00:08 EST news253884280 More involvement by patients, clinicians and others in the health care community in developing comparative clinical effectiveness research studies will make such studies far more useful in clinical decision-making, according to the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, in an article published in the April 18 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on comparative effectiveness research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-greater-patient-clinician-involvement-clinical.html Health Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:10:01 EST news253878701 Analysis of a drug regimen approved by the F.D.A. in 2006 for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (bevacizumab added to the standard chemotherapy regimen carboplatin and paclitaxel) finds Medicare insured patients age 65 years and older who received this regimen did not have improved survival compared to patients who received the standard treatment of carboplatin and paclitaxel alone, according to a study in the April 18 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on comparative effectiveness research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-drug-regimen-treatment-non-small-cell.html Cancer Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:51:03 EST news253878657 In an analysis of three different types of radiation therapy used to treat localized prostate cancer, compared with conformal radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) was associated with fewer diagnoses of gastrointestinal adverse effects, hip fractures, and receipt of additional cancer treatments but more erectile dysfunction, while proton therapy was associated with more gastrointestinal adverse effects than IMRT, according to a study in the April 18 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on comparative effectiveness research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-adverse-effects-therapies-prostate-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:48:19 EST news253878493 A new comparative effectiveness study found older adults with stable coronary heart disease (CHD) who underwent bypass surgery had better long-term survival rates than those who underwent a non-surgical procedure to improve blood flow to the heart muscle, also called revascularization. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-survival-advantage-bypass-surgery-non-surgical.html Cardiology Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:55:24 EST news252060917 The substitution of brand-name antiepileptic drugs with cheaper generic equivalents has been an ongoing point of contention among doctors, federal officials and people with epilepsy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-antiepileptic-drugs-seizures.html Medications Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:34:30 EST news248718850 Responding to a need for better post-market surveillance of orthopedic devices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established the International Consortium of Orthopaedic Registries (ICOR) in October 2010. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-unprecedented-international-effort-safety-orthopedic.html Other Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:53:54 EST news243708826 An analysis of more than 30,000 cancer patients has shown that blood clots are a more common complication than doctors may realize, causing additional hospitalizations and driving up the cost of care, according to a study led by a Duke Cancer Institute researcher. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-costly-blood-clots-common-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:28:22 EST news235736818 Recommendations to reduce federal health care spending in a socially and fiscally responsible manner today were made in a letter to the Congressional Joint Committee on Deficit Reduction from the American College of Physicians (ACP). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-health-socially-fiscally-responsible-manner.html Health Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:56:07 EST news235065288 "A debt ceiling agreement must be reached in time to avert an unprecedented suspension of funding for the millions of patients who rely on Medicare, Medicaid and other federal health programs," Virginia Hood, MBBS, MPH, FACP, president of the American College of Physicians (ACP) told the president, vice president and Congressional leaders today. "I am writing to share our views on enactment of legislation to increase the debt ceiling linked to an agreement on policies to reduce the federal budget deficit." http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-debt-ceiling-agreement-essential-disruption.html Health Thu, 07 Jul 2011 16:36:13 EST news229275360 Patients with bipolar disorder may be eligible for a new clinical research study comparing two medications -- quetiapine (Seroquel), a widely prescribed second-generation antipsychotic mood-stabilizing medication, and lithium, the gold-standard mood stabilizer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-aims-long-term-treatment-patients-bipolar.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 24 May 2011 14:43:59 EST news225467029