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Richard Franki is the associate editor who writes and creates graphs. He started with the company in 1987, when it was known as the International Medical News Group. In his years as a journalist, Richard has worked for Cap Cities/ABC, Disney, Harcourt, Elsevier, Quadrant, Frontline, and Internet Brands. In the 1990s, he was a contributor to the ill-fated Indications column, predecessor of Livin' on the MDedge.
Almost half of Americans express doubts about vaccines
according to the American Osteopathic Association.
In a survey conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of the AOA, 45% of the 2,007 respondents expressed a negative attitude towards vaccine safety, with online articles (16%) and past secrets/wrongdoings by the pharmaceutical industry (16%) cited as the leading causes, the AOA said.
There was no difference in negative attitude between men and women, but age, region, and parental status each had a notable effect. Doubts of vaccine safety were highest in those aged 18-34 years (55%) and lowest in those aged 65 and older (29%). Those living in the West had the highest rate at 50%, while residents of the Midwest were lowest at 39%, and the negative attitude rate was 55% for adults who had children under age 18 years and 40% for those who did not, the AOA reported.
Respondents to the survey, conducted May 28-30, 2019, also were asked to choose one of five statements that best expressed their view of vaccines, and those data paint a somewhat different picture:
- 2% said vaccines are unsafe and ineffective.
- 6% said that the side-effect risks outweigh the benefits.
- 9% said they were not sure if vaccines are safe and effective.
- 31% said that the benefits outweigh the risks.
- 51% said that vaccines are safe and effective.
Social media were another important source of doubt among respondents, but they have not been effective at countering the spread of vaccine misinformation, said psychiatrist Rachel Shmuts, DO, of Cherry Hill, N.J.
Confirmation bias makes it difficult to convince someone vaccines are safe, effective, and necessary once they believe they are not. “The number of people who believe vaccines are dangerous and refuse to get them is still relatively small. However, online support groups seem to solidify their beliefs, making them less susceptible to influence from their neighbors and real-world communities,” she said in the AOA statement.
Osteopathic family physician Paul Ehrmann, DO, said in the statement, “People know that a lot of practices won’t accept patients who don’t vaccinate, so when they find one that will, they spread the word to their community that it’s a safe place. Whether intentional or not, those doctors are often seen as endorsing anti-vaxxer beliefs.”
In 2017, his home state of Michigan, with other partners, put on a public information campaign. It has “significantly improved vaccination rates across demographics,” according to the statement.
“Beliefs are hard to change especially when they’re based in fear,” Dr. Ehrmann, of Royal Oak, Mich., said in the statement. “But, being responsible for our patients’ health and the public’s health, we can’t afford to give in to those fears. We must insist on evidence-based medicine.”
according to the American Osteopathic Association.
In a survey conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of the AOA, 45% of the 2,007 respondents expressed a negative attitude towards vaccine safety, with online articles (16%) and past secrets/wrongdoings by the pharmaceutical industry (16%) cited as the leading causes, the AOA said.
There was no difference in negative attitude between men and women, but age, region, and parental status each had a notable effect. Doubts of vaccine safety were highest in those aged 18-34 years (55%) and lowest in those aged 65 and older (29%). Those living in the West had the highest rate at 50%, while residents of the Midwest were lowest at 39%, and the negative attitude rate was 55% for adults who had children under age 18 years and 40% for those who did not, the AOA reported.
Respondents to the survey, conducted May 28-30, 2019, also were asked to choose one of five statements that best expressed their view of vaccines, and those data paint a somewhat different picture:
- 2% said vaccines are unsafe and ineffective.
- 6% said that the side-effect risks outweigh the benefits.
- 9% said they were not sure if vaccines are safe and effective.
- 31% said that the benefits outweigh the risks.
- 51% said that vaccines are safe and effective.
Social media were another important source of doubt among respondents, but they have not been effective at countering the spread of vaccine misinformation, said psychiatrist Rachel Shmuts, DO, of Cherry Hill, N.J.
Confirmation bias makes it difficult to convince someone vaccines are safe, effective, and necessary once they believe they are not. “The number of people who believe vaccines are dangerous and refuse to get them is still relatively small. However, online support groups seem to solidify their beliefs, making them less susceptible to influence from their neighbors and real-world communities,” she said in the AOA statement.
Osteopathic family physician Paul Ehrmann, DO, said in the statement, “People know that a lot of practices won’t accept patients who don’t vaccinate, so when they find one that will, they spread the word to their community that it’s a safe place. Whether intentional or not, those doctors are often seen as endorsing anti-vaxxer beliefs.”
In 2017, his home state of Michigan, with other partners, put on a public information campaign. It has “significantly improved vaccination rates across demographics,” according to the statement.
“Beliefs are hard to change especially when they’re based in fear,” Dr. Ehrmann, of Royal Oak, Mich., said in the statement. “But, being responsible for our patients’ health and the public’s health, we can’t afford to give in to those fears. We must insist on evidence-based medicine.”
according to the American Osteopathic Association.
In a survey conducted by the Harris Poll on behalf of the AOA, 45% of the 2,007 respondents expressed a negative attitude towards vaccine safety, with online articles (16%) and past secrets/wrongdoings by the pharmaceutical industry (16%) cited as the leading causes, the AOA said.
There was no difference in negative attitude between men and women, but age, region, and parental status each had a notable effect. Doubts of vaccine safety were highest in those aged 18-34 years (55%) and lowest in those aged 65 and older (29%). Those living in the West had the highest rate at 50%, while residents of the Midwest were lowest at 39%, and the negative attitude rate was 55% for adults who had children under age 18 years and 40% for those who did not, the AOA reported.
Respondents to the survey, conducted May 28-30, 2019, also were asked to choose one of five statements that best expressed their view of vaccines, and those data paint a somewhat different picture:
- 2% said vaccines are unsafe and ineffective.
- 6% said that the side-effect risks outweigh the benefits.
- 9% said they were not sure if vaccines are safe and effective.
- 31% said that the benefits outweigh the risks.
- 51% said that vaccines are safe and effective.
Social media were another important source of doubt among respondents, but they have not been effective at countering the spread of vaccine misinformation, said psychiatrist Rachel Shmuts, DO, of Cherry Hill, N.J.
Confirmation bias makes it difficult to convince someone vaccines are safe, effective, and necessary once they believe they are not. “The number of people who believe vaccines are dangerous and refuse to get them is still relatively small. However, online support groups seem to solidify their beliefs, making them less susceptible to influence from their neighbors and real-world communities,” she said in the AOA statement.
Osteopathic family physician Paul Ehrmann, DO, said in the statement, “People know that a lot of practices won’t accept patients who don’t vaccinate, so when they find one that will, they spread the word to their community that it’s a safe place. Whether intentional or not, those doctors are often seen as endorsing anti-vaxxer beliefs.”
In 2017, his home state of Michigan, with other partners, put on a public information campaign. It has “significantly improved vaccination rates across demographics,” according to the statement.
“Beliefs are hard to change especially when they’re based in fear,” Dr. Ehrmann, of Royal Oak, Mich., said in the statement. “But, being responsible for our patients’ health and the public’s health, we can’t afford to give in to those fears. We must insist on evidence-based medicine.”
Dr. Google, potty pot, Snoopy smells cancer
Paging Dr. Google
When something hurts, itches, or burns, to whom do you turn? Not Mom or your physician – we all turn first to Google.
Apparently, sharing symptoms with our omniscient virtual overlords is a national pastime. A recent survey found that nearly 90% of people googled their health symptoms well before going to a doctor. Maybe that’s why we keep getting targeted ads for itchy foot cream?
The survey team constructed a map that broke down the most-googled symptoms for each state. While many states’ highest search were related to cold and flu, some places had more intriguing googles.
Californians have issues with sweaty palms, and New Jerseyans are concerned about their lucid dreaming. Wisconsin seems to have an epidemic of “light-colored poop” (must be all the cheese), while South Carolina has the opposite problem – their most googled symptom is “dark green stool.”
Idaho’s biggest health concern was “symptoms of E. coli”; so, if you’re visiting the Gem State, maybe bring your own food.
Find your state here!
Smartphone skull spikes
Ever felt a little down because you’re just a regular Homo sapiens? Thanks to smartphones, you might be the next step on the evolutionary chain!
Humans have started developing external occipital protuberances – actual spikes – at the base of their skull. Spikes on your skull? How metal is that?
The spike was first observed in 1885. But there has been a rapid increase in the appearance of them, and researchers believe it’s because of smartphones.
Before you start panicking, know that the skull spike is not caused by toxic radiation from your phone. David Shahar’s team from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia studied thousands of x-rays. They believe that the skull spikes develop because of the constant hunched-neck position we all take as we pore over our devices for hours a day. The spike is most common in younger people – 1 in 4 people aged 18-30 years had it. This calls for a LOT more yoga.
The nose knows cancer
Just when you thought man’s best friend couldn’t get any better, they go and learn how to smell cancer.
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, researchers trained a group of beagles – noted for their superior sense of smell – to sniff out differences in blood samples from healthy patients and those with lung cancer. Snoopy and friends correctly identified the cancerous samples 97% of the time and are now learning how to identify lung, breast, and colorectal cancer using breath samples.
The researchers argued that their findings could pave the way for an over-the-counter test, similar to that used for pregnancy – but where the patient breathes into a device, and it tells them whether they’re positive for cancer or not. However, we suspect the researchers just want to give everyone a dog. There are worse ideas.
And that’s not even the only bit of olfactory-related cancer news we’ve got this week. We’re moving from lung cancer to brain tumors, as a group of researchers at Tampere University in Finland have developed an artificial nose to literally sniff out malignant tissue during surgery.
Electrosurgical resection is common during brain operations, and this process gives off smoke. The nose can detect differences in the smoke from malignant tissue and healthy tissue, allowing the surgeons to more precisely remove tumors from the brain.
No word yet as to whether the surgeons actually have to wear the nose on top of their own, but we can only hope.
Legalizing a not-so-straight flush
How many times has this happened to you? You get up early, hoping to be the first one to the sewage treatment plant so you can get the really fresh wastewater samples. But when you get there, all they have is frozen.
Or maybe you’re part of the research team that analyzed the wastewater of Tacoma, Wash., to determine marijuana usage before and after it became legal in the state. In that case, you’re used to the frozen stuff. Those scientists spent 3 years looking for THC-COOH, which is produced when the psychoactive THC in cannabis is metabolized in the human body, to determine if users were switching from the illegal to the legal market.
Turns out they did. THC-COOH in wastewater increased by 9% per quarter from December 2013 to December 2016, while sales increased by nearly 70% per quarter from Aug. 1, 2014, when legal sales went into effect, to December 2016.
“Given that wastewater represents a total population measure, these findings suggest that many established users switched very quickly from the illegal to the legal market,” team leader Dan Burgard, PhD, of the University of Puget Sound, said in a written statement. “This is the strongest statement possible regarding displacement of the illegal market.”
And the frozen samples? Over the course of the study, the investigators made 387 trips to the two sewage treatment plants. We’ll let MyNorthwest.com explain the rest: “The scientists would pick up a cooler full of frozen wastewater samples, thaw them, and analyze them using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.”
Mmm, frozen sewage. Who says science isn’t glamorous?
Paging Dr. Google
When something hurts, itches, or burns, to whom do you turn? Not Mom or your physician – we all turn first to Google.
Apparently, sharing symptoms with our omniscient virtual overlords is a national pastime. A recent survey found that nearly 90% of people googled their health symptoms well before going to a doctor. Maybe that’s why we keep getting targeted ads for itchy foot cream?
The survey team constructed a map that broke down the most-googled symptoms for each state. While many states’ highest search were related to cold and flu, some places had more intriguing googles.
Californians have issues with sweaty palms, and New Jerseyans are concerned about their lucid dreaming. Wisconsin seems to have an epidemic of “light-colored poop” (must be all the cheese), while South Carolina has the opposite problem – their most googled symptom is “dark green stool.”
Idaho’s biggest health concern was “symptoms of E. coli”; so, if you’re visiting the Gem State, maybe bring your own food.
Find your state here!
Smartphone skull spikes
Ever felt a little down because you’re just a regular Homo sapiens? Thanks to smartphones, you might be the next step on the evolutionary chain!
Humans have started developing external occipital protuberances – actual spikes – at the base of their skull. Spikes on your skull? How metal is that?
The spike was first observed in 1885. But there has been a rapid increase in the appearance of them, and researchers believe it’s because of smartphones.
Before you start panicking, know that the skull spike is not caused by toxic radiation from your phone. David Shahar’s team from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia studied thousands of x-rays. They believe that the skull spikes develop because of the constant hunched-neck position we all take as we pore over our devices for hours a day. The spike is most common in younger people – 1 in 4 people aged 18-30 years had it. This calls for a LOT more yoga.
The nose knows cancer
Just when you thought man’s best friend couldn’t get any better, they go and learn how to smell cancer.
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, researchers trained a group of beagles – noted for their superior sense of smell – to sniff out differences in blood samples from healthy patients and those with lung cancer. Snoopy and friends correctly identified the cancerous samples 97% of the time and are now learning how to identify lung, breast, and colorectal cancer using breath samples.
The researchers argued that their findings could pave the way for an over-the-counter test, similar to that used for pregnancy – but where the patient breathes into a device, and it tells them whether they’re positive for cancer or not. However, we suspect the researchers just want to give everyone a dog. There are worse ideas.
And that’s not even the only bit of olfactory-related cancer news we’ve got this week. We’re moving from lung cancer to brain tumors, as a group of researchers at Tampere University in Finland have developed an artificial nose to literally sniff out malignant tissue during surgery.
Electrosurgical resection is common during brain operations, and this process gives off smoke. The nose can detect differences in the smoke from malignant tissue and healthy tissue, allowing the surgeons to more precisely remove tumors from the brain.
No word yet as to whether the surgeons actually have to wear the nose on top of their own, but we can only hope.
Legalizing a not-so-straight flush
How many times has this happened to you? You get up early, hoping to be the first one to the sewage treatment plant so you can get the really fresh wastewater samples. But when you get there, all they have is frozen.
Or maybe you’re part of the research team that analyzed the wastewater of Tacoma, Wash., to determine marijuana usage before and after it became legal in the state. In that case, you’re used to the frozen stuff. Those scientists spent 3 years looking for THC-COOH, which is produced when the psychoactive THC in cannabis is metabolized in the human body, to determine if users were switching from the illegal to the legal market.
Turns out they did. THC-COOH in wastewater increased by 9% per quarter from December 2013 to December 2016, while sales increased by nearly 70% per quarter from Aug. 1, 2014, when legal sales went into effect, to December 2016.
“Given that wastewater represents a total population measure, these findings suggest that many established users switched very quickly from the illegal to the legal market,” team leader Dan Burgard, PhD, of the University of Puget Sound, said in a written statement. “This is the strongest statement possible regarding displacement of the illegal market.”
And the frozen samples? Over the course of the study, the investigators made 387 trips to the two sewage treatment plants. We’ll let MyNorthwest.com explain the rest: “The scientists would pick up a cooler full of frozen wastewater samples, thaw them, and analyze them using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.”
Mmm, frozen sewage. Who says science isn’t glamorous?
Paging Dr. Google
When something hurts, itches, or burns, to whom do you turn? Not Mom or your physician – we all turn first to Google.
Apparently, sharing symptoms with our omniscient virtual overlords is a national pastime. A recent survey found that nearly 90% of people googled their health symptoms well before going to a doctor. Maybe that’s why we keep getting targeted ads for itchy foot cream?
The survey team constructed a map that broke down the most-googled symptoms for each state. While many states’ highest search were related to cold and flu, some places had more intriguing googles.
Californians have issues with sweaty palms, and New Jerseyans are concerned about their lucid dreaming. Wisconsin seems to have an epidemic of “light-colored poop” (must be all the cheese), while South Carolina has the opposite problem – their most googled symptom is “dark green stool.”
Idaho’s biggest health concern was “symptoms of E. coli”; so, if you’re visiting the Gem State, maybe bring your own food.
Find your state here!
Smartphone skull spikes
Ever felt a little down because you’re just a regular Homo sapiens? Thanks to smartphones, you might be the next step on the evolutionary chain!
Humans have started developing external occipital protuberances – actual spikes – at the base of their skull. Spikes on your skull? How metal is that?
The spike was first observed in 1885. But there has been a rapid increase in the appearance of them, and researchers believe it’s because of smartphones.
Before you start panicking, know that the skull spike is not caused by toxic radiation from your phone. David Shahar’s team from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia studied thousands of x-rays. They believe that the skull spikes develop because of the constant hunched-neck position we all take as we pore over our devices for hours a day. The spike is most common in younger people – 1 in 4 people aged 18-30 years had it. This calls for a LOT more yoga.
The nose knows cancer
Just when you thought man’s best friend couldn’t get any better, they go and learn how to smell cancer.
According to a study published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, researchers trained a group of beagles – noted for their superior sense of smell – to sniff out differences in blood samples from healthy patients and those with lung cancer. Snoopy and friends correctly identified the cancerous samples 97% of the time and are now learning how to identify lung, breast, and colorectal cancer using breath samples.
The researchers argued that their findings could pave the way for an over-the-counter test, similar to that used for pregnancy – but where the patient breathes into a device, and it tells them whether they’re positive for cancer or not. However, we suspect the researchers just want to give everyone a dog. There are worse ideas.
And that’s not even the only bit of olfactory-related cancer news we’ve got this week. We’re moving from lung cancer to brain tumors, as a group of researchers at Tampere University in Finland have developed an artificial nose to literally sniff out malignant tissue during surgery.
Electrosurgical resection is common during brain operations, and this process gives off smoke. The nose can detect differences in the smoke from malignant tissue and healthy tissue, allowing the surgeons to more precisely remove tumors from the brain.
No word yet as to whether the surgeons actually have to wear the nose on top of their own, but we can only hope.
Legalizing a not-so-straight flush
How many times has this happened to you? You get up early, hoping to be the first one to the sewage treatment plant so you can get the really fresh wastewater samples. But when you get there, all they have is frozen.
Or maybe you’re part of the research team that analyzed the wastewater of Tacoma, Wash., to determine marijuana usage before and after it became legal in the state. In that case, you’re used to the frozen stuff. Those scientists spent 3 years looking for THC-COOH, which is produced when the psychoactive THC in cannabis is metabolized in the human body, to determine if users were switching from the illegal to the legal market.
Turns out they did. THC-COOH in wastewater increased by 9% per quarter from December 2013 to December 2016, while sales increased by nearly 70% per quarter from Aug. 1, 2014, when legal sales went into effect, to December 2016.
“Given that wastewater represents a total population measure, these findings suggest that many established users switched very quickly from the illegal to the legal market,” team leader Dan Burgard, PhD, of the University of Puget Sound, said in a written statement. “This is the strongest statement possible regarding displacement of the illegal market.”
And the frozen samples? Over the course of the study, the investigators made 387 trips to the two sewage treatment plants. We’ll let MyNorthwest.com explain the rest: “The scientists would pick up a cooler full of frozen wastewater samples, thaw them, and analyze them using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.”
Mmm, frozen sewage. Who says science isn’t glamorous?
Measles incidence has slowed as summer begins
There were 33 new measles cases reported last week, bringing the U.S. total to 1,077 for the year through June 20, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The number of new cases is an increase from the 22 reported the week before, but weekly incidence has been trending downward since hitting a high of 90 in mid-April, CDC data show.
The two continuing outbreaks in New York State made up more than half of the new cases, as Rockland County reported nine cases and New York City reported eight (seven in Brooklyn and one in Queens). Only one new case was reported in California as of the CDC’s June 20 cutoff, but the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said on June 22 that it was assessing two possible cases, with potential public exposures occurring in a theater and a restaurant.
In a survey conducted in April, a majority of physicians with experience treating measles said that summer travel would lead to increased measles outbreaks and deaths.
There were 33 new measles cases reported last week, bringing the U.S. total to 1,077 for the year through June 20, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The number of new cases is an increase from the 22 reported the week before, but weekly incidence has been trending downward since hitting a high of 90 in mid-April, CDC data show.
The two continuing outbreaks in New York State made up more than half of the new cases, as Rockland County reported nine cases and New York City reported eight (seven in Brooklyn and one in Queens). Only one new case was reported in California as of the CDC’s June 20 cutoff, but the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said on June 22 that it was assessing two possible cases, with potential public exposures occurring in a theater and a restaurant.
In a survey conducted in April, a majority of physicians with experience treating measles said that summer travel would lead to increased measles outbreaks and deaths.
There were 33 new measles cases reported last week, bringing the U.S. total to 1,077 for the year through June 20, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The number of new cases is an increase from the 22 reported the week before, but weekly incidence has been trending downward since hitting a high of 90 in mid-April, CDC data show.
The two continuing outbreaks in New York State made up more than half of the new cases, as Rockland County reported nine cases and New York City reported eight (seven in Brooklyn and one in Queens). Only one new case was reported in California as of the CDC’s June 20 cutoff, but the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said on June 22 that it was assessing two possible cases, with potential public exposures occurring in a theater and a restaurant.
In a survey conducted in April, a majority of physicians with experience treating measles said that summer travel would lead to increased measles outbreaks and deaths.
Patients concerned about clinician burnout
Almost three-quarters of Americans are concerned about burnout among health care professionals, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
The public is aware “that burnout among pharmacists, physicians, nurses, and other professionals can lead to impaired attention and decreased functioning that threatens to cause medical errors and reduce safety,” the ASHP said when it released data from a survey conducted May 28-30, 2019, by the Harris Poll.
Those data show that 23% of respondents were very concerned and 51% were somewhat concerned about burnout among health care providers. Just over half (53%) of the 2,007 adults involved said that they could tell when a provider was burned out, suggesting that health care professionals “may be conveying signs of burnout to their patients without knowing it,” the society noted.
A majority of respondents (80%) felt that the quality of their care was affected when their physician, nurse, pharmacist, or other health care professional was burned out, and almost half (47%) said that they would avoid asking questions if their provider appeared burned out because they wouldn’t want to add to that person’s stress, the ASHP said.
“A healthy and thriving clinician workforce is essential to ensure optimal patient health outcomes and safety,” said Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, chief executive officer of the ASHP. “Within the healthcare industry, we are working to help build a culture of resilience and well-being to ensure that no patient or clinician is harmed due to burnout; but it takes a concerted effort from all entities involved – providers and healthcare organizations.”
Almost three-quarters of Americans are concerned about burnout among health care professionals, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
The public is aware “that burnout among pharmacists, physicians, nurses, and other professionals can lead to impaired attention and decreased functioning that threatens to cause medical errors and reduce safety,” the ASHP said when it released data from a survey conducted May 28-30, 2019, by the Harris Poll.
Those data show that 23% of respondents were very concerned and 51% were somewhat concerned about burnout among health care providers. Just over half (53%) of the 2,007 adults involved said that they could tell when a provider was burned out, suggesting that health care professionals “may be conveying signs of burnout to their patients without knowing it,” the society noted.
A majority of respondents (80%) felt that the quality of their care was affected when their physician, nurse, pharmacist, or other health care professional was burned out, and almost half (47%) said that they would avoid asking questions if their provider appeared burned out because they wouldn’t want to add to that person’s stress, the ASHP said.
“A healthy and thriving clinician workforce is essential to ensure optimal patient health outcomes and safety,” said Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, chief executive officer of the ASHP. “Within the healthcare industry, we are working to help build a culture of resilience and well-being to ensure that no patient or clinician is harmed due to burnout; but it takes a concerted effort from all entities involved – providers and healthcare organizations.”
Almost three-quarters of Americans are concerned about burnout among health care professionals, according to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
The public is aware “that burnout among pharmacists, physicians, nurses, and other professionals can lead to impaired attention and decreased functioning that threatens to cause medical errors and reduce safety,” the ASHP said when it released data from a survey conducted May 28-30, 2019, by the Harris Poll.
Those data show that 23% of respondents were very concerned and 51% were somewhat concerned about burnout among health care providers. Just over half (53%) of the 2,007 adults involved said that they could tell when a provider was burned out, suggesting that health care professionals “may be conveying signs of burnout to their patients without knowing it,” the society noted.
A majority of respondents (80%) felt that the quality of their care was affected when their physician, nurse, pharmacist, or other health care professional was burned out, and almost half (47%) said that they would avoid asking questions if their provider appeared burned out because they wouldn’t want to add to that person’s stress, the ASHP said.
“A healthy and thriving clinician workforce is essential to ensure optimal patient health outcomes and safety,” said Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, chief executive officer of the ASHP. “Within the healthcare industry, we are working to help build a culture of resilience and well-being to ensure that no patient or clinician is harmed due to burnout; but it takes a concerted effort from all entities involved – providers and healthcare organizations.”
Many doubt Medicare-for-all would bring universal coverage
Does Medicare-for-all mean that everyone gets health insurance coverage?
The public is not convinced that this would be the case, and Republicans are even more skeptical, according to a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
and there is a sizable split between Republicans and Democrats on the issue. Republicans, in fact, were more likely to say that all residents would not have coverage, with less than 49% of people identifying as Republican having answered “no” to the question and 45% having answered “yes”, Kaiser reported in its latest Health Tracking Poll.
Democrats were much more optimistic but not all were certain that all U.S. residents would have health insurance coverage. While 76% of Democrats responded yes when queried about whether all residents would get coverage, 21% answered no to the question. Responses to the question from independents – 61% said yes and 35% said no – very closely reflected the overall vote of 62% yes and 34% no, Kaiser said.
The partisan divide appeared again when respondents were asked if physicians and hospitals would be paid less under a national health plan: 64% of Republicans said payments would be reduced versus 42% of Democrats. Similarly, more than half of Republicans (53%) said that people who buy their own insurance would not be able to keep their current plans, compared with 24% of Democrats, the poll data show.
Those looking for common ground can point to responses regarding a couple of other potential effects of a national health plan. Republicans (57%) and Democrats (52%) largely agreed that private health insurance companies would not be the primary way Americans get health coverage, and they agreed that people would continue to pay deductibles and copays when they used health care services (68% for Republicans, 71% for Democrats), Kaiser said.
The poll was conducted from May 30 to June 4, 2019, and involved responses from 1,206 adults. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Does Medicare-for-all mean that everyone gets health insurance coverage?
The public is not convinced that this would be the case, and Republicans are even more skeptical, according to a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
and there is a sizable split between Republicans and Democrats on the issue. Republicans, in fact, were more likely to say that all residents would not have coverage, with less than 49% of people identifying as Republican having answered “no” to the question and 45% having answered “yes”, Kaiser reported in its latest Health Tracking Poll.
Democrats were much more optimistic but not all were certain that all U.S. residents would have health insurance coverage. While 76% of Democrats responded yes when queried about whether all residents would get coverage, 21% answered no to the question. Responses to the question from independents – 61% said yes and 35% said no – very closely reflected the overall vote of 62% yes and 34% no, Kaiser said.
The partisan divide appeared again when respondents were asked if physicians and hospitals would be paid less under a national health plan: 64% of Republicans said payments would be reduced versus 42% of Democrats. Similarly, more than half of Republicans (53%) said that people who buy their own insurance would not be able to keep their current plans, compared with 24% of Democrats, the poll data show.
Those looking for common ground can point to responses regarding a couple of other potential effects of a national health plan. Republicans (57%) and Democrats (52%) largely agreed that private health insurance companies would not be the primary way Americans get health coverage, and they agreed that people would continue to pay deductibles and copays when they used health care services (68% for Republicans, 71% for Democrats), Kaiser said.
The poll was conducted from May 30 to June 4, 2019, and involved responses from 1,206 adults. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Does Medicare-for-all mean that everyone gets health insurance coverage?
The public is not convinced that this would be the case, and Republicans are even more skeptical, according to a new survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
and there is a sizable split between Republicans and Democrats on the issue. Republicans, in fact, were more likely to say that all residents would not have coverage, with less than 49% of people identifying as Republican having answered “no” to the question and 45% having answered “yes”, Kaiser reported in its latest Health Tracking Poll.
Democrats were much more optimistic but not all were certain that all U.S. residents would have health insurance coverage. While 76% of Democrats responded yes when queried about whether all residents would get coverage, 21% answered no to the question. Responses to the question from independents – 61% said yes and 35% said no – very closely reflected the overall vote of 62% yes and 34% no, Kaiser said.
The partisan divide appeared again when respondents were asked if physicians and hospitals would be paid less under a national health plan: 64% of Republicans said payments would be reduced versus 42% of Democrats. Similarly, more than half of Republicans (53%) said that people who buy their own insurance would not be able to keep their current plans, compared with 24% of Democrats, the poll data show.
Those looking for common ground can point to responses regarding a couple of other potential effects of a national health plan. Republicans (57%) and Democrats (52%) largely agreed that private health insurance companies would not be the primary way Americans get health coverage, and they agreed that people would continue to pay deductibles and copays when they used health care services (68% for Republicans, 71% for Democrats), Kaiser said.
The poll was conducted from May 30 to June 4, 2019, and involved responses from 1,206 adults. The margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Residents are drowning in job offers – and debt
Physician search firm Merritt Hawkins did – actually, they heard from 391 residents – and 64% said that they had been contacted too many times by recruiters.
“Physicians coming out of training are being recruited like blue-chip athletes,” Travis Singleton, executive vice president of Merritt Hawkins, said in a statement. “There are simply not enough new doctors to go around.”
Merritt Hawkins asked physicians in their final year of residency about career choices, practice plans, and finances. Most said that they would prefer to be employed by a hospital or group practice, and a majority want to practice in a community with a population of 250,000 or more. More than half of the residents owed over $150,000 in student loans, but there were considerable debt differences between U.S. and international medical graduates.
The specialty distribution of respondents was 50% primary care, 30% internal medicine subspecialty/other, 15% surgical, and 5% diagnostic. About three-quarters were U.S. graduates and one-quarter of the residents were international medical graduates in this latest survey in a series that has been conducted periodically since 1991.
The survey was conducted in April 2018.
Physician search firm Merritt Hawkins did – actually, they heard from 391 residents – and 64% said that they had been contacted too many times by recruiters.
“Physicians coming out of training are being recruited like blue-chip athletes,” Travis Singleton, executive vice president of Merritt Hawkins, said in a statement. “There are simply not enough new doctors to go around.”
Merritt Hawkins asked physicians in their final year of residency about career choices, practice plans, and finances. Most said that they would prefer to be employed by a hospital or group practice, and a majority want to practice in a community with a population of 250,000 or more. More than half of the residents owed over $150,000 in student loans, but there were considerable debt differences between U.S. and international medical graduates.
The specialty distribution of respondents was 50% primary care, 30% internal medicine subspecialty/other, 15% surgical, and 5% diagnostic. About three-quarters were U.S. graduates and one-quarter of the residents were international medical graduates in this latest survey in a series that has been conducted periodically since 1991.
The survey was conducted in April 2018.
Physician search firm Merritt Hawkins did – actually, they heard from 391 residents – and 64% said that they had been contacted too many times by recruiters.
“Physicians coming out of training are being recruited like blue-chip athletes,” Travis Singleton, executive vice president of Merritt Hawkins, said in a statement. “There are simply not enough new doctors to go around.”
Merritt Hawkins asked physicians in their final year of residency about career choices, practice plans, and finances. Most said that they would prefer to be employed by a hospital or group practice, and a majority want to practice in a community with a population of 250,000 or more. More than half of the residents owed over $150,000 in student loans, but there were considerable debt differences between U.S. and international medical graduates.
The specialty distribution of respondents was 50% primary care, 30% internal medicine subspecialty/other, 15% surgical, and 5% diagnostic. About three-quarters were U.S. graduates and one-quarter of the residents were international medical graduates in this latest survey in a series that has been conducted periodically since 1991.
The survey was conducted in April 2018.
Vaping among teens increased significantly from 2017 to 2018
according to data from national cross-sectional surveys.
The prevalence of vaping in the past 30 days rose from 11% to 16% in the United States and from 8% to 14.6% in Canada, while use in England showed an nonsignificant increase of 8.7% to 8.9%, David Hammond, PhD, of the University of Waterloo (Canada) and associates said in the BMJ.
Embedded in those U.S. and Canadian increases is the recent evolution of the vaping market brought about by “the growth of JUUL e-cigarettes and similar products [that use] benzoic acid and nicotine salt technology to deliver higher concentrations of nicotine than conventional e-cigarettes,” they explained.
In England, the JUUL system is limited to less than half the nicotine concentration, at 20 mg/mL, compared with more than 50 mg/mL in the United States and Canada, and it was not available at all types of retail outlets at the time of the surveys. That situation changed in March 2019, when the company expanded to convenience stores, the investigators noted.
In the United States, JUUL was the second-most popular product among past–30-day vapers who had a usual brand in 2017, with 9% reporting use. In 2018, JUUL was the most popular brand and use was up to 28%. In Canada, the brand was not among the top five in 2017, but was third in 2018 at 10% in those who reported vaping in the past 30 days. The leading Canadian brand in 2018 was Smok, which released a nicotine-salt version in March of 2018, Dr. Hammond and associates reported.
“Before 2018, there was relatively little evidence of regular vaping among adolescents that might be indicative of nicotine addiction; however, the emergence of JUUL and nicotine salt–based products might signal a change,” they wrote.
The International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project’s Youth Tobacco and Vaping Survey was conducted online in each country in two waves – July to August 2017 and August to September 2018 – with a sample size of approximately 12,000 for each.
The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hammond is supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research–Public Health Agency of Canada applied public health research chair. The investigators said that they had no other financial disclosures to report, but several have served as paid witnesses in legal challenges against tobacco companies.
SOURCE: Hammond D et al. BMJ 2019 Jun 19. doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2219.
according to data from national cross-sectional surveys.
The prevalence of vaping in the past 30 days rose from 11% to 16% in the United States and from 8% to 14.6% in Canada, while use in England showed an nonsignificant increase of 8.7% to 8.9%, David Hammond, PhD, of the University of Waterloo (Canada) and associates said in the BMJ.
Embedded in those U.S. and Canadian increases is the recent evolution of the vaping market brought about by “the growth of JUUL e-cigarettes and similar products [that use] benzoic acid and nicotine salt technology to deliver higher concentrations of nicotine than conventional e-cigarettes,” they explained.
In England, the JUUL system is limited to less than half the nicotine concentration, at 20 mg/mL, compared with more than 50 mg/mL in the United States and Canada, and it was not available at all types of retail outlets at the time of the surveys. That situation changed in March 2019, when the company expanded to convenience stores, the investigators noted.
In the United States, JUUL was the second-most popular product among past–30-day vapers who had a usual brand in 2017, with 9% reporting use. In 2018, JUUL was the most popular brand and use was up to 28%. In Canada, the brand was not among the top five in 2017, but was third in 2018 at 10% in those who reported vaping in the past 30 days. The leading Canadian brand in 2018 was Smok, which released a nicotine-salt version in March of 2018, Dr. Hammond and associates reported.
“Before 2018, there was relatively little evidence of regular vaping among adolescents that might be indicative of nicotine addiction; however, the emergence of JUUL and nicotine salt–based products might signal a change,” they wrote.
The International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project’s Youth Tobacco and Vaping Survey was conducted online in each country in two waves – July to August 2017 and August to September 2018 – with a sample size of approximately 12,000 for each.
The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hammond is supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research–Public Health Agency of Canada applied public health research chair. The investigators said that they had no other financial disclosures to report, but several have served as paid witnesses in legal challenges against tobacco companies.
SOURCE: Hammond D et al. BMJ 2019 Jun 19. doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2219.
according to data from national cross-sectional surveys.
The prevalence of vaping in the past 30 days rose from 11% to 16% in the United States and from 8% to 14.6% in Canada, while use in England showed an nonsignificant increase of 8.7% to 8.9%, David Hammond, PhD, of the University of Waterloo (Canada) and associates said in the BMJ.
Embedded in those U.S. and Canadian increases is the recent evolution of the vaping market brought about by “the growth of JUUL e-cigarettes and similar products [that use] benzoic acid and nicotine salt technology to deliver higher concentrations of nicotine than conventional e-cigarettes,” they explained.
In England, the JUUL system is limited to less than half the nicotine concentration, at 20 mg/mL, compared with more than 50 mg/mL in the United States and Canada, and it was not available at all types of retail outlets at the time of the surveys. That situation changed in March 2019, when the company expanded to convenience stores, the investigators noted.
In the United States, JUUL was the second-most popular product among past–30-day vapers who had a usual brand in 2017, with 9% reporting use. In 2018, JUUL was the most popular brand and use was up to 28%. In Canada, the brand was not among the top five in 2017, but was third in 2018 at 10% in those who reported vaping in the past 30 days. The leading Canadian brand in 2018 was Smok, which released a nicotine-salt version in March of 2018, Dr. Hammond and associates reported.
“Before 2018, there was relatively little evidence of regular vaping among adolescents that might be indicative of nicotine addiction; however, the emergence of JUUL and nicotine salt–based products might signal a change,” they wrote.
The International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project’s Youth Tobacco and Vaping Survey was conducted online in each country in two waves – July to August 2017 and August to September 2018 – with a sample size of approximately 12,000 for each.
The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hammond is supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research–Public Health Agency of Canada applied public health research chair. The investigators said that they had no other financial disclosures to report, but several have served as paid witnesses in legal challenges against tobacco companies.
SOURCE: Hammond D et al. BMJ 2019 Jun 19. doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2219.
FROM THE BMJ
Key clinical point: Recent increases in vaping prevalence among teens “might be indicative of nicotine addiction.”
Major finding: Vaping prevalence increased from 11% to 16% in the United States and from 8% to 14.6% in Canada.
Study details: Two waves of a national, cross-sectional survey that included approximately 12,000 respondents each.
Disclosures: The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. Dr. Hammond is supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research–Public Health Agency of Canada applied public health research chair. The investigators said that they had no other financial disclosures to report, but several have served as paid witnesses in legal challenges against tobacco companies.
Source: Hammond D et al. BMJ. 2019 Jun 19. doi: 10.1136/bmj.l2219.
Prophylactic rudeness, surgical barbecue, and MRI-ectomy
Stay rude, stay alive
Middle fingers up! Did you know there’s a biological theory that proposes rudeness as a mechanism for health?
The theory proposes that the single most important factor of determining human behavior is disease. Where disease flourishes, humans are meaner to strangers. This is a self-preservation tactic – strangers could carry sickness, so it’s best to steer clear. As people continue to avoid strangers (and potential new diseases), larger divides develop between language and culture.
Researchers looked at countries and cultures around the world and found that their theory held true: Locations that had less disease tended to have less diversity in language and culture, while higher disease rates coincided with more cultural diversity.
Can disease really be the sole factor for all human behavior, however? Tough to say, but in the meantime we’ll endorse never talking to strangers – just in case.
Facebook fires
If you’re a health care provider, you’ve probably had a difficult patient experience or two … or 7,000. In the olden days before the Internet, perhaps you turned to a trusted friend to vent your frustrations. Maybe you were an avid journaler, furiously sharing your problems with the page. With the advent of social media, however, you can publicly exorcise your doctor demons for your whole network to share!
In case you weren’t sure, this is a terrible idea – and now there are the data to prove it.
Participants in a recent study rated (fake) Facebook profiles of medical professionals who posted comments about their workday. Some comments were ambiguous, such as, “Started with new electronic patient charts today ... interesting experience for sure.” Other comments were blatantly frustrated, saying things like “What is it with some people?? I know I only went through 9 years of university ... but really, I know what I’m talking about ... yeesh!!!”
Unsurprisingly, the Facebook profiles with the obviously frustrated comments were rated “significantly less credible” than profiles with ambiguous comments, and they negatively affected willingness to become a patient of the fake doctor.
All this to say, when you get the urge to angrily post on Facebook about that overprotective parent in your office, perhaps turn to your diary instead.
Saying goodbye to a 12,000-lb friend
Lots of physicians have ordered MRI scans for their patients, but how many have performed an MRI-ectomy?
What? No, no, NO! We’re not talking about removing one from a patient! How would that even work? You do know that the patient goes inside the machine, right?
Okay, let’s try again.
How do you remove an MRI machine from a medical center? Verrrry carefully … with a forklift … after you’ve cut a big hole in the side of the building. That’s what they did at OSF HealthCare’s Center for Health – Glen Park in Peoria, Ill., on June 10. They had a party first, though, and someone brought one of those giant cookies, which said, “We will miss you, Open MRI,” the Pekin Daily Times reported.
Photos were taken, cookie was eaten, and tears were shed. “It’s definitely kind of bittersweet that it’s going away,” said Jamie White, manager of CT and MRI outpatient diagnostics.
On the day of the actual removal, a small crowd gathered outside to watch the experts who were brought in to extract the 6-ton machine. “I just took it off life support,” said Eddie Rivera, an engineer with ATI-Advanced Technologies, Miami, when he disconnected the electricity.
We’re tearing up a bit ourselves, actually, but there is some good news. The machine is not headed to that big imaging center in the sky just yet. Like the saying goes: Old MRIs never die, they just get hauled off to Arizona for refurbishment.
A bad case of heartburn
You would think that your day couldn’t get much worse than having to undergo emergency surgery. That’s a pretty rough time, no matter what. But for a 60-year-old man receiving a repair of an ascending aortic dissection, his doctors managed to add insult to a very serious injury: They lit a fire inside their patient.
According to a case study presented at the 2019 Euroanaesthesia Congress in Vienna, it all started with the patient’s history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Bullae in the lungs caused by the disease were stuck to the sternum, and during an attempt to separate the lung from the sternum, a bulla was punctured, causing an air leak. To compensate, the surgeons boosted the proportion of oxygen to 100%.
In retrospect, what happened next almost seems predictable. A spark from the electrocautery device ignited a dry surgical pack, and with the assist of that extra oxygen, the doctors immediately had a fire on their hands, localized within their patient’s chest cavity. We believe this is what the medical community calls a “complication.”
To the surgeons’ credit, the fire was extinguished immediately, and after they presumably took a break to change into clean underwear, the rest of the operation went without incident. Though we imagine the patient was a bit confused when he woke up to the smell of barbecue.
Stay rude, stay alive
Middle fingers up! Did you know there’s a biological theory that proposes rudeness as a mechanism for health?
The theory proposes that the single most important factor of determining human behavior is disease. Where disease flourishes, humans are meaner to strangers. This is a self-preservation tactic – strangers could carry sickness, so it’s best to steer clear. As people continue to avoid strangers (and potential new diseases), larger divides develop between language and culture.
Researchers looked at countries and cultures around the world and found that their theory held true: Locations that had less disease tended to have less diversity in language and culture, while higher disease rates coincided with more cultural diversity.
Can disease really be the sole factor for all human behavior, however? Tough to say, but in the meantime we’ll endorse never talking to strangers – just in case.
Facebook fires
If you’re a health care provider, you’ve probably had a difficult patient experience or two … or 7,000. In the olden days before the Internet, perhaps you turned to a trusted friend to vent your frustrations. Maybe you were an avid journaler, furiously sharing your problems with the page. With the advent of social media, however, you can publicly exorcise your doctor demons for your whole network to share!
In case you weren’t sure, this is a terrible idea – and now there are the data to prove it.
Participants in a recent study rated (fake) Facebook profiles of medical professionals who posted comments about their workday. Some comments were ambiguous, such as, “Started with new electronic patient charts today ... interesting experience for sure.” Other comments were blatantly frustrated, saying things like “What is it with some people?? I know I only went through 9 years of university ... but really, I know what I’m talking about ... yeesh!!!”
Unsurprisingly, the Facebook profiles with the obviously frustrated comments were rated “significantly less credible” than profiles with ambiguous comments, and they negatively affected willingness to become a patient of the fake doctor.
All this to say, when you get the urge to angrily post on Facebook about that overprotective parent in your office, perhaps turn to your diary instead.
Saying goodbye to a 12,000-lb friend
Lots of physicians have ordered MRI scans for their patients, but how many have performed an MRI-ectomy?
What? No, no, NO! We’re not talking about removing one from a patient! How would that even work? You do know that the patient goes inside the machine, right?
Okay, let’s try again.
How do you remove an MRI machine from a medical center? Verrrry carefully … with a forklift … after you’ve cut a big hole in the side of the building. That’s what they did at OSF HealthCare’s Center for Health – Glen Park in Peoria, Ill., on June 10. They had a party first, though, and someone brought one of those giant cookies, which said, “We will miss you, Open MRI,” the Pekin Daily Times reported.
Photos were taken, cookie was eaten, and tears were shed. “It’s definitely kind of bittersweet that it’s going away,” said Jamie White, manager of CT and MRI outpatient diagnostics.
On the day of the actual removal, a small crowd gathered outside to watch the experts who were brought in to extract the 6-ton machine. “I just took it off life support,” said Eddie Rivera, an engineer with ATI-Advanced Technologies, Miami, when he disconnected the electricity.
We’re tearing up a bit ourselves, actually, but there is some good news. The machine is not headed to that big imaging center in the sky just yet. Like the saying goes: Old MRIs never die, they just get hauled off to Arizona for refurbishment.
A bad case of heartburn
You would think that your day couldn’t get much worse than having to undergo emergency surgery. That’s a pretty rough time, no matter what. But for a 60-year-old man receiving a repair of an ascending aortic dissection, his doctors managed to add insult to a very serious injury: They lit a fire inside their patient.
According to a case study presented at the 2019 Euroanaesthesia Congress in Vienna, it all started with the patient’s history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Bullae in the lungs caused by the disease were stuck to the sternum, and during an attempt to separate the lung from the sternum, a bulla was punctured, causing an air leak. To compensate, the surgeons boosted the proportion of oxygen to 100%.
In retrospect, what happened next almost seems predictable. A spark from the electrocautery device ignited a dry surgical pack, and with the assist of that extra oxygen, the doctors immediately had a fire on their hands, localized within their patient’s chest cavity. We believe this is what the medical community calls a “complication.”
To the surgeons’ credit, the fire was extinguished immediately, and after they presumably took a break to change into clean underwear, the rest of the operation went without incident. Though we imagine the patient was a bit confused when he woke up to the smell of barbecue.
Stay rude, stay alive
Middle fingers up! Did you know there’s a biological theory that proposes rudeness as a mechanism for health?
The theory proposes that the single most important factor of determining human behavior is disease. Where disease flourishes, humans are meaner to strangers. This is a self-preservation tactic – strangers could carry sickness, so it’s best to steer clear. As people continue to avoid strangers (and potential new diseases), larger divides develop between language and culture.
Researchers looked at countries and cultures around the world and found that their theory held true: Locations that had less disease tended to have less diversity in language and culture, while higher disease rates coincided with more cultural diversity.
Can disease really be the sole factor for all human behavior, however? Tough to say, but in the meantime we’ll endorse never talking to strangers – just in case.
Facebook fires
If you’re a health care provider, you’ve probably had a difficult patient experience or two … or 7,000. In the olden days before the Internet, perhaps you turned to a trusted friend to vent your frustrations. Maybe you were an avid journaler, furiously sharing your problems with the page. With the advent of social media, however, you can publicly exorcise your doctor demons for your whole network to share!
In case you weren’t sure, this is a terrible idea – and now there are the data to prove it.
Participants in a recent study rated (fake) Facebook profiles of medical professionals who posted comments about their workday. Some comments were ambiguous, such as, “Started with new electronic patient charts today ... interesting experience for sure.” Other comments were blatantly frustrated, saying things like “What is it with some people?? I know I only went through 9 years of university ... but really, I know what I’m talking about ... yeesh!!!”
Unsurprisingly, the Facebook profiles with the obviously frustrated comments were rated “significantly less credible” than profiles with ambiguous comments, and they negatively affected willingness to become a patient of the fake doctor.
All this to say, when you get the urge to angrily post on Facebook about that overprotective parent in your office, perhaps turn to your diary instead.
Saying goodbye to a 12,000-lb friend
Lots of physicians have ordered MRI scans for their patients, but how many have performed an MRI-ectomy?
What? No, no, NO! We’re not talking about removing one from a patient! How would that even work? You do know that the patient goes inside the machine, right?
Okay, let’s try again.
How do you remove an MRI machine from a medical center? Verrrry carefully … with a forklift … after you’ve cut a big hole in the side of the building. That’s what they did at OSF HealthCare’s Center for Health – Glen Park in Peoria, Ill., on June 10. They had a party first, though, and someone brought one of those giant cookies, which said, “We will miss you, Open MRI,” the Pekin Daily Times reported.
Photos were taken, cookie was eaten, and tears were shed. “It’s definitely kind of bittersweet that it’s going away,” said Jamie White, manager of CT and MRI outpatient diagnostics.
On the day of the actual removal, a small crowd gathered outside to watch the experts who were brought in to extract the 6-ton machine. “I just took it off life support,” said Eddie Rivera, an engineer with ATI-Advanced Technologies, Miami, when he disconnected the electricity.
We’re tearing up a bit ourselves, actually, but there is some good news. The machine is not headed to that big imaging center in the sky just yet. Like the saying goes: Old MRIs never die, they just get hauled off to Arizona for refurbishment.
A bad case of heartburn
You would think that your day couldn’t get much worse than having to undergo emergency surgery. That’s a pretty rough time, no matter what. But for a 60-year-old man receiving a repair of an ascending aortic dissection, his doctors managed to add insult to a very serious injury: They lit a fire inside their patient.
According to a case study presented at the 2019 Euroanaesthesia Congress in Vienna, it all started with the patient’s history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Bullae in the lungs caused by the disease were stuck to the sternum, and during an attempt to separate the lung from the sternum, a bulla was punctured, causing an air leak. To compensate, the surgeons boosted the proportion of oxygen to 100%.
In retrospect, what happened next almost seems predictable. A spark from the electrocautery device ignited a dry surgical pack, and with the assist of that extra oxygen, the doctors immediately had a fire on their hands, localized within their patient’s chest cavity. We believe this is what the medical community calls a “complication.”
To the surgeons’ credit, the fire was extinguished immediately, and after they presumably took a break to change into clean underwear, the rest of the operation went without incident. Though we imagine the patient was a bit confused when he woke up to the smell of barbecue.
Physical activity prevalence shows urban/rural divide
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The prevalence of meeting the aerobic and muscle-strengthening recommendations in the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans rose from 18.2% of adults in 2008 to 24.3% in 2017, but despite that increase, “insufficient participation in physical activity remains a public health concern,” Geoffrey P. Whitfield, PhD, and his associates said in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
There was progress among both urban and rural residents, but those in rural areas were behind at the start of the study period in 2008 and remained behind in 2017. The prevalence of meeting the activity guideline started at 13.3% for rural residents and 19.4% for urbanites and rose to 19.6% and 25.3%, respectively, in 2017 – that’s an annual percentage point change of 0.5% for each population, the investigators reported. Rates among women were well below those of men in both populations.
Rural communities may lack the infrastructure, such as sidewalks, schoolyards, and parks, to support physical activities, or rural residents may get more exercise through occupational and domestic tasks, rather than through the leisure-time activities that are the focus of the National Health Interview Survey, which was the source of the study data, Dr. Whitfield and his associates suggested.
The 2008 federal guidelines recommend that adults get 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, along with muscle-strengthening activities of at least moderate intensity involving all major muscle groups on 2 or more days each week.
SOURCE: Whitfield GP et al. MMWR. 2019 Jun 14;68(23):514-8.
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The prevalence of meeting the aerobic and muscle-strengthening recommendations in the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans rose from 18.2% of adults in 2008 to 24.3% in 2017, but despite that increase, “insufficient participation in physical activity remains a public health concern,” Geoffrey P. Whitfield, PhD, and his associates said in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
There was progress among both urban and rural residents, but those in rural areas were behind at the start of the study period in 2008 and remained behind in 2017. The prevalence of meeting the activity guideline started at 13.3% for rural residents and 19.4% for urbanites and rose to 19.6% and 25.3%, respectively, in 2017 – that’s an annual percentage point change of 0.5% for each population, the investigators reported. Rates among women were well below those of men in both populations.
Rural communities may lack the infrastructure, such as sidewalks, schoolyards, and parks, to support physical activities, or rural residents may get more exercise through occupational and domestic tasks, rather than through the leisure-time activities that are the focus of the National Health Interview Survey, which was the source of the study data, Dr. Whitfield and his associates suggested.
The 2008 federal guidelines recommend that adults get 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, along with muscle-strengthening activities of at least moderate intensity involving all major muscle groups on 2 or more days each week.
SOURCE: Whitfield GP et al. MMWR. 2019 Jun 14;68(23):514-8.
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The prevalence of meeting the aerobic and muscle-strengthening recommendations in the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans rose from 18.2% of adults in 2008 to 24.3% in 2017, but despite that increase, “insufficient participation in physical activity remains a public health concern,” Geoffrey P. Whitfield, PhD, and his associates said in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
There was progress among both urban and rural residents, but those in rural areas were behind at the start of the study period in 2008 and remained behind in 2017. The prevalence of meeting the activity guideline started at 13.3% for rural residents and 19.4% for urbanites and rose to 19.6% and 25.3%, respectively, in 2017 – that’s an annual percentage point change of 0.5% for each population, the investigators reported. Rates among women were well below those of men in both populations.
Rural communities may lack the infrastructure, such as sidewalks, schoolyards, and parks, to support physical activities, or rural residents may get more exercise through occupational and domestic tasks, rather than through the leisure-time activities that are the focus of the National Health Interview Survey, which was the source of the study data, Dr. Whitfield and his associates suggested.
The 2008 federal guidelines recommend that adults get 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75-150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, along with muscle-strengthening activities of at least moderate intensity involving all major muscle groups on 2 or more days each week.
SOURCE: Whitfield GP et al. MMWR. 2019 Jun 14;68(23):514-8.
FROM MMWR
Survey puts a price on health improvement
according to a survey by UnitedHealthcare.
More than half (54%) of the 1,006 respondents said that they didn’t need a financial incentive to get that much exercise, but 21% said that $1-$3 a day would be necessary and 19% said that they would need $4-$5 per day, the company said in its 2019 Wellness Checkup Survey.
Women were more likely than men to say that they needed an incentive (42% vs. 36%). Among age-related subgroups, there was a clear progression from youngest to oldest: The youngest age group (18-34 years, 47%) and youngest generation (Millennials, 46%) in the study were the most likely to require an incentive, while the oldest age group (65 years and older, 30%) and generation (Baby Boomers, 31%) were the least likely, UnitedHealthcare said.
A majority (57%) of respondents said that it was important – either very important (19%) or somewhat important (38%) – for a fitness routine to have a social component, either in-person or virtual. Almost two-thirds of respondents expressed support for wearable fitness-tracking devices: 42% would use one if it was provided by their employer, and 22% said that they already had one, the survey results show.
“This year employers are expected to invest an average of more than $3.6 million on their respective well-being programs, and over 60% of employees are interested in engaging in these initiatives. [This] survey provides insights that we hope can be helpful to enhance the design and implementation of well-being programs, which may help improve employees’ health, reduce absenteeism, and curb care costs,” Rebecca Madsen, UnitedHealthcare’s chief consumer officer, said in the company’s written statement.
The survey was conducted April 11-15, 2019, and the margin of error was plus or minus 3.1%.
according to a survey by UnitedHealthcare.
More than half (54%) of the 1,006 respondents said that they didn’t need a financial incentive to get that much exercise, but 21% said that $1-$3 a day would be necessary and 19% said that they would need $4-$5 per day, the company said in its 2019 Wellness Checkup Survey.
Women were more likely than men to say that they needed an incentive (42% vs. 36%). Among age-related subgroups, there was a clear progression from youngest to oldest: The youngest age group (18-34 years, 47%) and youngest generation (Millennials, 46%) in the study were the most likely to require an incentive, while the oldest age group (65 years and older, 30%) and generation (Baby Boomers, 31%) were the least likely, UnitedHealthcare said.
A majority (57%) of respondents said that it was important – either very important (19%) or somewhat important (38%) – for a fitness routine to have a social component, either in-person or virtual. Almost two-thirds of respondents expressed support for wearable fitness-tracking devices: 42% would use one if it was provided by their employer, and 22% said that they already had one, the survey results show.
“This year employers are expected to invest an average of more than $3.6 million on their respective well-being programs, and over 60% of employees are interested in engaging in these initiatives. [This] survey provides insights that we hope can be helpful to enhance the design and implementation of well-being programs, which may help improve employees’ health, reduce absenteeism, and curb care costs,” Rebecca Madsen, UnitedHealthcare’s chief consumer officer, said in the company’s written statement.
The survey was conducted April 11-15, 2019, and the margin of error was plus or minus 3.1%.
according to a survey by UnitedHealthcare.
More than half (54%) of the 1,006 respondents said that they didn’t need a financial incentive to get that much exercise, but 21% said that $1-$3 a day would be necessary and 19% said that they would need $4-$5 per day, the company said in its 2019 Wellness Checkup Survey.
Women were more likely than men to say that they needed an incentive (42% vs. 36%). Among age-related subgroups, there was a clear progression from youngest to oldest: The youngest age group (18-34 years, 47%) and youngest generation (Millennials, 46%) in the study were the most likely to require an incentive, while the oldest age group (65 years and older, 30%) and generation (Baby Boomers, 31%) were the least likely, UnitedHealthcare said.
A majority (57%) of respondents said that it was important – either very important (19%) or somewhat important (38%) – for a fitness routine to have a social component, either in-person or virtual. Almost two-thirds of respondents expressed support for wearable fitness-tracking devices: 42% would use one if it was provided by their employer, and 22% said that they already had one, the survey results show.
“This year employers are expected to invest an average of more than $3.6 million on their respective well-being programs, and over 60% of employees are interested in engaging in these initiatives. [This] survey provides insights that we hope can be helpful to enhance the design and implementation of well-being programs, which may help improve employees’ health, reduce absenteeism, and curb care costs,” Rebecca Madsen, UnitedHealthcare’s chief consumer officer, said in the company’s written statement.
The survey was conducted April 11-15, 2019, and the margin of error was plus or minus 3.1%.