http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Providing patient care using key features of a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), a model of health care delivery promoted by major physician groups, may not influence what patients think about the care they receive, reports a new study in Health Services Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-patient-centered-medical-home-features.html Health Fri, 08 Jun 2012 07:40:01 EST news258358086 Efforts to "green" operating rooms can result in cost savings for hospitals and reduce the environmental impact without compromising patient care, argues an analysis published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-greening-rooms-benefit-bottom-line.html Other Mon, 04 Jun 2012 12:00:04 EST news258026387 Reducing the non-FDA-approved use of antipsychotic drugs may be a way to save money while having little effect on patient care, according to a Penn State College of Medicine study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-off-label-antipsychotic-medications-money.html Medications Tue, 15 May 2012 10:21:14 EST news256296062 It's hard to find a better example of how technology is revolutionizing patient care than the tiny edible sensor Proteus Biomedical of Redwood City, Calif., plans to begin selling this fall in the United Kingdom. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-wireless-medical-patient.html Health Fri, 23 Mar 2012 11:20:01 EST news251717808 Researchers estimate nearly 800,000 preventable adverse drug events may occur in nursing homes each year. Many of these incidents could be prevented with safety practices such as medication reconciliation, a process in which health care professionals, such as physicians, pharmacists and nurses, review medication regimens to identify and resolve discrepancies when patients transfer between health care settings. In nursing homes, both registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) often are responsible for this safety practice. A recent study by a University of Missouri gerontological nursing expert found, when observed, these nurses often differed in how they identified discrepancies. Recognizing the distinct differences between RNs and LPNs could lead to fewer medication errors and better patient care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-collaboration-nursing-home-rns-lpns.html Health Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:38:01 EST news250951074 Providing personal mobile computers to medical residents increases their efficiency, reduces delays in patient care and enhances continuity of care, according to a "research letter" in the March 12, 2012, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-personal-mobile-doctors-efficiency.html Other Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:00:04 EST news250779376 Hospitals whose infection prevention and control programs are led by a director who is board certified in infection prevention and control have significantly lower rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections (BSI) than those that are not led by a certified professional, according to a new study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, the official publication of APIC - the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-infection-certification-mrsa.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 09 Mar 2012 10:59:01 EST news250513132 A new study conducted by researchers from McGill University, the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC), and Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Centre, Montreal, has put the accuracy of rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs) under the microscope. The meta-analysis of 159 studies showed three key findings: that RIDTs can be used to confirm the flu, but not to rule it out; that test accuracy is higher in children than it is in adults; and that RIDTs are better at detecting the more common influenza A virus than they are at detecting influenza B. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-accurate-rapid-flu-diagnosis.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:00:01 EST news249576196 The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) today announced major changes in how the nation's medical residency programs will be accredited in the years ahead, putting in place an outcomes-based evaluation system where the doctors of tomorrow will be measured for their competency in performing the essential tasks necessary for clinical practice in the 21st century. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-acgme-medical.html Other Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:25:25 EST news249153843 (AP) -- Trust your doctor? A survey finds that some doctors aren't always completely honest with their patients. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-mds-honest-patients.html Health Wed, 08 Feb 2012 17:33:50 EST news247944824 Q: Facebook? Twitter? Gmail? A: None of the above. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-distracted-doctoring-.html Other Wed, 08 Feb 2012 08:50:01 EST news247912334 Poor emotional health and morbid obesity are associated with less functional gain following total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. In the new study, "Can Telephone Support During Post-TKR Rehabilitation Improve Post-op Function: A Randomized Controlled Trial," presented today at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), approximately 180 patients were categorized by gender, body mass index (BMI) and emotional health. Each patient randomly received either emotional telephone support by a trained behavioral specialist, or standard patient care. Telephone support included three phone calls before surgery, one in-person hospital visit, and eight weekly post-operative calls. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-surgical-outcome-knee.html Other Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:00:03 EST news247854792 Researchers have developed a type of wearable, non-invasive electronic device that can monitor vital signs such as heart rate and respiration at the same time it records a person's activity level, opening new opportunities for biomedical research, diagnostics and patient care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-life-portable-constant-vital.html Medical research Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:08:06 EST news247324069 (Medical Xpress) -- Enforcing copyright law could potentially interfere with patient care, stifle innovation and discourage research, but using open source licensing instead can prevent the problem, according to a physician – who practices both at the University of California, San Francisco and the San Francisco VA Medical Center – and a legal scholar at the UC Hastings College of Law. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-source-defuses-copyright-law-threat.html Other Thu, 29 Dec 2011 06:02:38 EST news244360934 A new UCLA study shows that physicians who work shorter shifts are less likely to make mistakes during medical procedures. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-highlights-impact-deprivation-patients-health.html Health Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:46:07 EST news243690359 The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) welcomes the spotlight that a US study has placed on the importance of measuring rates of rehospitalisation following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-esc-european-exploring-readmissions-hospital.html Cardiology Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:00:01 EST news243516742 A new study finds that patients who are moved into isolation during a hospital stay are nearly twice as likely to develop delirium, a potentially dangerous change in mental status that often affects hospital patients. Patients who began their stay in isolation were not at increased risk. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-patient-isolation-hospital-delirium.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:04:39 EST news242928273 Visitors to the Indiana Medical History Museum in Indianapolis may find the 19th-century brains on display a strange reminder of the building's past as an insane asylum, but a recent breakthrough using these samples by a pathologist from the Indiana University School of Medicine could spell the future of detecting mental illness. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-century-old-brains-future-treatment-mentally.html Medical research Tue, 06 Dec 2011 15:20:01 EST news242406494 While nurse-to-patient ratios are widely recognized as an important factor in determining the quality of patient care, those ratios are not always easy to change without significant cost and investment of resources. What's more, the projected nursing shortage will make it even more difficult for hospitals to increase nurse staffing. A study published in the current issue of Health Care Management Review indicates that there are other aspects of registered nurses' (RNs) work environments that RNs perceive can also have a significant impact on the quality of care they deliver. In order of influence, those factors are: physical work environment, workgroup cohesion, nurse-physician relations, procedural justice and job satisfaction. Nurses' ratings of patient care quality were also higher in hospitals with Magnet® recognition programs, and lower in work settings with greater organizational constraints such as lack of equipment and supplies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-patient-nurses-environment.html Health Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:50:01 EST news241867725 In the fast-paced world of health care, doctors are often pressed for time during patient visits. Researchers at the University of Missouri developed a tool that allows doctors to view electronic information about patients' health conditions related to diabetes on a single computer screen. A new study shows that this tool, the diabetes dashboard, saves time, improves accuracy and enhances patient care. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-tool-diabetes.html Health Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:08:47 EST news240836918 What if a new medication for severely ill patients had no role in curing them but made them feel much better despite being sick? Let's say this elixir were found to decrease the pain and nausea of cancer patients, improve the sleep and energy of heart failure patients, prolong the lives of people with kidney failure, drive down healthcare expenditures and ease the burdens of caregivers? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-palliative.html Health Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:35:25 EST news239027714 Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that conflicts of interest (COI) are prevalent and potentially underreported among individuals participating in the development of clinical practice guidelines, which inform standards of patient care. The findings provide further evidence of the potential influence of industry on medical practice recommendations. The study is published online Oct. 12 in BMJ: The British Medical Journal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-industry-conflicts-pervasive-medical-guideline.html Other Wed, 12 Oct 2011 05:04:43 EST news237614677 (Medical Xpress) -- New research shows that the likelihood of a medical school graduate becoming board certified is linked to age at graduation, race and ethnicity, and level of debt. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-age-debt-linked-docs-board.html Other Thu, 22 Sep 2011 06:10:25 EST news235890560 One of the nation's leading voices in patient care and safety says that the key to successfully navigating the challenges and changes that health care reform will bring is the ability to "reimagine and redefine" what nursing is all about. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-nurse-practitioners-critical-link-demands.html Health Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:16:58 EST news235624540 (AP) -- A scientist who discovered a powerful malaria drug and two others who illuminated how proteins fold within cells have won prestigious medical awards. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-medical-prize-honors-discoverer-malarial.html Other Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:50:01 EST news235042205 A Cochrane Review of data relating to about 45,000 patients involved in approximately 350 individual studies has provided an evaluation of the effect you can expect to get if you take commonly used painkillers at specific doses. The review also identifies pain killers for which there is only poor or no reliable evidence. This review will help doctors and patients to make evidence informed decisions of which pain killers to use, and is published in the latest edition of The Cochrane Library. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-pain-relief-based-solid-evidence.html Medications Wed, 07 Sep 2011 04:16:38 EST news234587774 Authors of a study in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology say, with an estimated $1.5 billion in potential bonus payments for radiology professionals at stake, radiologists should study and respond to recent federal regulations related to meaningful use of complete certified ambulatory electronic health records and their equivalents. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-radiologists-urged-federal-meaningful.html Other Thu, 01 Sep 2011 04:48:42 EST news234071315 The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) submitted comments to the US Food and Drug Administration on the draft guidance document titled, "Commercially Distributed In Vitro Diagnostic Products Labeled for Research Use Only or Investigational Use Only: Frequently Asked Questions." AMP is very concerned that this guidance could compromise the quality of patient care by severely reducing the availability of certain reagents and laboratory developed testing services that have become the standard of care for many diseases or conditions. Specifically, if enforced in its broadest sense without sufficient accommodations for low test volume or sufficient time for manufacturers to achieve submission compliance, the draft guidance document could result in reduced availability of testing services would limit a healthcare provider's ability to manage patient care, and ultimately limit patient access to new or improved molecular tests. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-fda-guidance-document-limit-patient.html Medications Tue, 30 Aug 2011 11:40:52 EST news233923187 A Franco-British team of researchers has discovered a mysterious gene responsible for the extremely rare congenital Grey Platelet Syndrome that causes a bleeding disease. Only 50 cases have been reported to date. The team hopes that the results of their study will lead to the development of a DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) test able to diagnose the disease. The findings are published in the journal Nature Genetics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-scientists-elusive-gene-responsible-rare.html Genetics Tue, 23 Aug 2011 11:02:59 EST news233316167 U.S. health care workers, especially doctors and nurses, use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) far more than do workers in other fields, according to a new study. CAM includes diverse therapies outside the realm of conventional medicine. Overall, 76 percent of health care workers report CAM usage, compared with 63 percent of the general working population. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-doctors-nurses-holistic-medicine.html Health Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:10:01 EST news232961768