Categories
Cardiovascular
Diagnostics
Endocrinology
Health Insurance
Medical Devices
Mental Health
Nutrition
Oncology
Public Health
Sexual Health
Popular Articles

One Stop Breast Clinics Best For Women
High-quality one-stop breast clinics could be the most effective way to spot breast cancer early, a study published in the British Journal of Cancer * reveals today (Wednesday).
generic viagra online
Broken Bones Heal Faster With Drugs
Bone fractures might heal faster if the patient is injected with medications. This is the outcome of a unique study of 102 women with wrist fractures.
News of the day
Increase In Contraception Sales, Vasectomies Linked To Recession, Slate Column Says
The "hard truth of our economic turmoil is almost at term," as hospitals are beginning to report a decrease in the number of births, about nine months after "American banks first admitted their collective crisis," author Lauren Sandler writes in Slate"s "The Big Money" column. Sandler writes that the trend is "hardly unprecedented," noting that the contraception business "was just about the only one booming" during the Great Depression. She asks, "Are market forces the great contraceptive?" Sandler continues that in the first few months of 2009, Nielsen reported a 10% increase in U.S. sales of condoms and emergency contraceptive pills. Additionally, sales of the permanent female contraceptive Essure have increased 28% over the past year, and clicks on physician profiles on Vasectomy.com have risen 40%. According to Sandler, Vasectomy.com"s chief operating officer, Maya Wank, reports that many urologists say that vasectomies are increasing because patients" salaries are down, with many men seeking vasectomies out of fear of job or health insurance loss.Sandler writes that the "tanking economy has delivered an awakening" that the "choice to have a child is probably the most serious, not to mention one of the most costly, that you"ll ever make." According to Sandler, a Gallup poll found that 12% of women say they know someone who has delayed a planned pregnancy because of the recession. The poll also found that one in five women reports that she is more concerned about unintended pregnancy than she was one year ago, and the same number reports being more "conscientious" about using birth control. Additionally, the poll found that, compared with one year ago, 13% more women who use hormonal contraception are concerned that they will be unable to afford their birth control. Since 2008, there has been an increase of 15% in the number of U.S. residents who say they had to cut back on medications due to cost.Sandler writes that it is "not surprising" that the National Network of Abortion Funds reports a fourfold increase in the number of calls from women who need assistance paying for abortion procedures. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recently announced that teen birth rates are up after a 14-year decline. "In other words, the recession could result in a drop in birth rates for women with easy access to contraception and abortion," Sandler writes, adding that experts believe that women with "more limited access ... may see the rate climb." Sandler concludes that "it"s not unreasonable to consider what things will look like if the middle class reduces its reproduction, while men and women who are struggling to even afford condoms expand their numbers despite their personal choice" (Sandler, "The Big Money," Slate, 5/17).
Health Insurance

Potential Patient Safety Risks Among Methadone Maintenance Treatment Patients Identified By Researchers

Boston Medical Center (BMC) researchers have identified potential safety risks among methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) patients due to the quantity and accuracy of medical record documentation. Improved communication and coordination among substance use treatment and medical providers could mitigate and manage the potential adverse effects of methadone and interacting medications. The BMC study appears in the July issue of Journal of General Internal Medicine. MMT is a chronic therapy for opioid dependence, a chronic relapsing disease that often requires lifelong treatment. MMT typically is provided separately from medical care. Ideally, when patients in MMT engage in outpatient or inpatient medical care, treating physicians are aware of MMT and document both methadone on the medication list and opioid dependence on the medical problem list. When this is not done, there is a chance for medication-methadone interactions, which could potentially contribute to clinically significant adverse events, including cardiac arrhythmias, overdoses and decreased cognitive function. BMC researchers aimed to identify potential patient safety risks among MMT patients engaged in medical care by evaluating the frequency that opioid dependence and MMT documentation were missing in medical records and characterizing potential medication-methadone interactions. The researchers found documentation of opioid dependence diagnosis was missing from the medical record in 30 percent of subjects; documentation of MMT was missing from either the last discharge summary or last primary care note in 11 percent of subjects; among subjects seen by a primary care doctor, documentation of MMT was missing in 7 percent; among subjects discharged from the inpatient hospital, documentation of MMT was missing in 10 percent. Sixty-nine percent of the study subjects were taking at least one medication that potentially interacted with methadone and 19 percent were taking three or more potentially interacting medications. "Among patients receiving MMT and medical care at different sites, documentation of opioid dependence and MMT in the medical record occurs for the majority, but is missing in a substantial number of patients," said lead author Alexander Walley, MD, MSc, general internist in the Clinical Addiction Research and Education Unit at BMC and assistant professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine. "Most of these patients are taking prescribed medications that potentially interact with methadone. This study demonstrates opportunities to improve communication, care coordination, and patient safety among patients receiving medical and substance use treatment." This study was supported by the National Institute of Drug Abuse. The Institute had no role in the design and conduct of the study, the collection, management, analysis and interpretation of the data, or the preparation, review and approval of the manuscript. Michelle Roberts Boston University Medical Center


Add your comment:
Name:
Site address: http://
Your message:
Enter today\\\\'s date, 2 digits
(spam protection):

© Copyright 2009