Public reporting and transparency are frequent buzzwords in this consumer-directed era of patient care.

Bob Wachter wonders why patients aren’t using the data that’s already out there, as a recent study showed that most patients use word-of-mouth when choosing a doctor.

Is it because of technical limitations of websites, or something “more fundamental,” Dr Wachter asks.

I still think it’s the lack of awareness. A Read more »

by Ralph Ferriss

There are thousands of people who suffer from joint pain every day of their life whether it is due to an injury they have suffered in the past or they are victims of osteoarthritis. Joint pain is not prejudice. It affects all kinds of people, young or old, athletic or not. The pain can be treated with prescription medications. However, the side effects that accompany these drugs can make them a bad choice for long term treatment. Read more »

US researchers analysed blood samples from 1,651 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Observation Study. High fasting insulin levels were associated with a 46% greater risk of developing breast cancer.

High estrogen levels were also associated with an increased cancer risk. Levels of estrogen and insulin tend to be higher in obese women and this may largely explain the association between obesity and Read more »

Chief executive Niall Dickson tells the BBC today that there has been a deterioration in the level of compassion in the NHS in recent years.

He says: ‘It is to do with staff facing very difficult situations – because patients are sicker and hospital stays are shorter – rather than them all turning into nasty people.

‘If we can’t get compassion into our healthcare, the system is failing. It’s Read more »

Only a minority of physician practices use electronic records.

This is becoming a decisive factor when recruiting newly graduated doctors, who are groomed on digital systems in academic medical centers, and raised on the Internet.

A survey of Vanderbilt medical students found that 80 percent, when placed in environments of lower health IT utilization, reported “feeling less able to practice safe patient care, to utilize evidence Read more »

by Nathan James

Though there are quite a few acne remedies that can do an effective job in ridding one of acne, a few stands out from the rest and only these deserve to be called best acne remedy. You can choose between natural home and medicinal remedies, though the one remedy that really catches the eye is a herbal remedy. Though herbal remedy may not be useful in treating all acne cases, it can still be made to excel provided you take into Read more »

The Guardian reports a story broken by GP in April 2007 that patients are to be allowed to comment on and rate their practices on the website now run by the Capita Group.

Health minister Ben Bradshaw tells The Guardian that appropriate software will be ready next year but that content will be moderated so no individual GP or staff member is named and shamed.

He says: ‘I would never think of going on holiday without Read more »

The CDC recently reported that 49 of the 50 H1N1 flu viruses were resistant to Tamiflu (oseltamivir).

Infectious disease physician Paul Sax shares some theories on why this is happening, and cites a virologist who says “it might be the result of preventive programs in nursing home-type settings during flu outbreaks.”

Tamiflu is normally recommended during flu outbreaks in high-risk populations, like nursing homes or other long-term Read more »

by Carl-Peter

If you are really trying to understand alcoholism and drug addiction, and find yourself asking, ‘what is drug addiction and what is alcoholism?’ hopefully I can help.

You first need to know that alcoholism and drug addiction are fairly complex so if you are one of those people looking to understand them, please keep reading.

To really understand them in depth, you would need to know the causes of Read more »

The pledge was made by health minister for GPs Ben Bradshaw in a recent letter to shadow Conservative health secretary Andrew Lansley.

Labour ministers today wrote to their Conservative counterparts asking whether they would support David Cameron’s cuts to key investment projects that Labour has brought forward to help the UK through the current economic downturn.

The Tories voted against the government’s pre-budget Read more »