http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Patient safety researchers are calling for the expanded use of electronic health records (EHRs) to address the disquieting number of medical errors in the healthcare system that can lead to readmissions and even death. Their commentary is in the July 6 issue of JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-e-health-bigger-role-patient-safety.html Other Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:33:58 EST news230293904 A new research study investigates the challenges that pen and paper workarounds or computerized communication breakdowns pose to the use of electronic health records. Understanding these challenges may lead to improved coordination of care supported by health IT. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-paper-workarounds-health.html Health Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:51:39 EST news226317055 The surgical removal of the appendix and tonsils before the age of 20 was associated with an increased risk of premature heart attack in a large population study performed in Sweden. Tonsillectomy increased the risk by 44% (hazard ratio 1.44) and appendectomy by 33% (HR 1.33). The risk increases were just statistically significant, and were even higher when the tonsils and appendix were both removed. However, there was no risk association evident when the operations were performed in people over the age of 20. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-surgical-tonsils-appendix-early-heart.html Cardiology Wed, 01 Jun 2011 04:30:59 EST news226121445 Using a combination of Facebook-like tools and personally controlled health records, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have engaged members of an online diabetes social network as participants in public health surveillance. In an article published April 27 in PLoS ONE, Elissa Weitzman, ScD, MSc, and Kenneth Mandl, MD, MPH, of the Children's Hospital Informatics Program (CHIP) show that health-focused social networks can be viable resources for chronic disease surveillance. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-online-social-network-members-donate.html Other Wed, 27 Apr 2011 17:24:23 EST news223143846 Drospirenone, the top-selling oral contraceptive marketed as Yaz or Yasmin in the U.S. and Canada, doesn't carry any more risk of gall bladder disease than the older generation of birth control pills, despite claims by some consumers and lawyers in both countries, according to a new study by University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute researcher Mahyar Etminan. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-04-oral-contraceptive-safe-gall-bladder.html Medications Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:31:16 EST news222348658