http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Homeless people who do not get enough to eat use hospitals and emergency rooms at very high rates, according to a new study. One in four respondents to a nationwide survey reported not getting enough to eat, a proportion six times higher than in the general population, and more than two thirds of those had recently gone without eating for a whole day. The report will appear in the Journal of General Internal Medicine and has been released online. http://phys.org/news215959791.html Medicine & Health Thu, 03 Feb 2011 12:50:00 EST news215959791 A new study highlights inconsistencies in black box warnings - medication-related safety warnings on a drug's label - and argues for a more transparent and systematic approach to ensure these warnings are consistent across all drugs within a same category, and any additions to warnings, on the back of a drug withdrawal for example, are done within a reasonable and uniform time period. The work by Orestis Panagiotou and John Ioannidis and colleagues from the University of Ioannina School of Medicine in Greece and Stanford University School of Medicine in the USA is published in Springer's journal Journal of General Internal Medicine. http://phys.org/news215867258.html Medicine & Health Wed, 02 Feb 2011 11:08:14 EST news215867258 'Difficult' patient-clinician encounters have a negative impact on patients' health outcomes in the short-term, according to a new study by Sheri Hinchey from the Tripler Army Medical Centre in Honolulu and Jeffrey Jackson from the Zablocki VA Medical Centre in Milwaukee. Their findings show that nearly 18 percent of patients are perceived as difficult by their physicians and are less likely to trust or be satisfied with their doctor. Importantly, these patients are also more likely to report worse symptoms two weeks after the consultation. Hinchey and Jackson's work has just been published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. http://phys.org/news215258110.html Medicine & Health Wed, 26 Jan 2011 09:56:44 EST news215258110 Most Massachusetts physician groups are using results from a statewide patient survey to help improve patient experiences, but a significant number are not making use of the information or are making relatively limited efforts, according to a new RAND Corporation study. http://phys.org/news212065639.html Medicine & Health Mon, 20 Dec 2010 11:30:02 EST news212065639 Along with integrity and compassion, respect for patients, colleagues and other team members is an essential attribute of medical professionalism. A new study examines how medical students learn respectful or disrespectful professional behavior. http://phys.org/news211460789.html Medicine & Health Mon, 13 Dec 2010 11:06:52 EST news211460789 A new research study conducted by Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) shows that patient navigation services significantly improve biennial mammography screening rates among inner city women. The results, published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, indicate the importance of patient navigation in reducing health disparities in vulnerable patient populations. http://phys.org/news206889057.html Medicine & Health Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:11:24 EST news206889057 Only one-fifth of primary care physicians in the US follow practice guidelines for colorectal cancer screening for all the tests they recommend, according to Dr. Robin Yabroff from the National Cancer Institute and her colleagues. About 40 percent followed guidelines for some of the tests they recommended and the remaining 40 percent did not follow guidelines for any of the screening tests they recommended. Furthermore, their analysis1 of physician screening recommendations for colorectal cancer shows that many clinicians either overuse or underuse screening. Their findings appear online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, published by Springer. http://phys.org/news206274428.html Medicine & Health Thu, 14 Oct 2010 12:10:01 EST news206274428 Patients who cannot discuss their diabetes with a doctor in their own language may have poorer health outcomes, even when interpreter services are available, according to a new study by researchers at UCSF and the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research. http://phys.org/news205599305.html Medicine & Health Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:10:01 EST news205599305 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers from Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) have found that individuals who do not speak English at home are less likely to receive colorectal cancer screenings (CRC) as compared to those who do speak English at home. The findings, which currently appear on-line in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, suggest that patient-provider language barriers play a role in health-care disparities, and that providers should promote the importance of CRC screening to non-English speaking patients. http://phys.org/news204907729.html Medicine & Health Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:49:14 EST news204907729 Is the US health system comprehensively meeting the needs of returning veterans? With the recent attention to mental illness in returning soldiers, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in particular, little research has focused on the medical care needs of those returning from Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom, according to Dr. Susan Frayne, from the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University, and colleagues. http://phys.org/news204200594.html Medicine & Health Mon, 20 Sep 2010 11:50:01 EST news204200594 A new study looking at the effects of the 2006 Massachusetts Health Reform on access to care, health status and ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in healthcare, shows that the legislation has led to improvements in insurance coverage as well as a decline in financial barriers to care. However, to date, it has not increased people's access to a personal physician or improved their self-rated health. Neither has it reduced healthcare inequalities between ethnic or income groups. http://phys.org/news203247070.html Medicine & Health Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:31:21 EST news203247070 A method that is widely used to predict the risk of a major coronary event may over- or underestimate risk for millions of Americans, according to a study directed by a researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco. http://phys.org/news203242169.html Medicine & Health Thu, 09 Sep 2010 09:10:17 EST news203242169 Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) report that physicians who use an automated, electronic medical record (EMR) tracking system to follow-up on patients with an abnormal Pap test could increase the number of women who achieved diagnostic resolution and have women achieve resolution in less time than using traditional methods. These findings appear in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. http://phys.org/news201519378.html Medicine & Health Fri, 20 Aug 2010 11:10:01 EST news201519378 (PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers at UW and Group Health Research Institute have found that patients with diabetes who are also depressed had similar levels of glycemia, blood pressure and lipid control compared with counterparts without depression. Results from the study are published in the June 2010 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine. http://phys.org/news195155887.html Medicine & Health Mon, 07 Jun 2010 18:58:28 EST news195155887 Are new medical residents a threat to patients? According to Dr. David Phillips and Gwendolyn Barker from the University of California, San Diego in the US, fatal medication errors peak in July in teaching hospitals in particular, which coincides with the yearly influx of new medical residents who are given increased responsibility for patient care. Their findings are published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, published by Springer. http://phys.org/news194690519.html Medicine & Health Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:00:02 EST news194690519 A recent study by researchers at the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, suggests that patient treatment preferences play an important role in racial disparities in total joint replacement utilization observed in the US. Different attitudes toward total joint replacement procedures held by African American and white patients explained racial disparities in whether orthopedic surgeons recommended the procedure to patients. These findings by Dr. Leslie Hausmann, from the VA, and her colleagues, are published online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, published by Springer. http://phys.org/news194621466.html Medicine & Health Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:20:02 EST news194621466 Because people with depression often do not recognize they have a problem or are unable to describe their distress, many do not seek treatment. About a quarter of those with major depression are undiagnosed, according to several studies, and fewer than half receive treatment. http://phys.org/news193573504.html Medicine & Health Thu, 20 May 2010 11:50:01 EST news193573504 A survey conducted by the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) found that 9 percent of all internists originally certified between 1990 and 1995, including a significantly larger proportion of general internists (17 percent) than internal medicine subspecialists (4 percent), are no longer working in general internal medicine or one of its subspecialties about a decade after their original certification by ABIM. http://phys.org/news192447839.html Medicine & Health Fri, 07 May 2010 11:00:01 EST news192447839 A recent study conducted at Northwestern Memorial Hospital found that almost 50 percent of medication discrepancies were related to a failure to understand all of the prescription medications patients were taking at the time of hospital admission. While it's common for patients not to recall all of their medications, especially when they are not feeling well or being unexpectedly admitted to the hospital, the results can be serious. The study, one of the largest conducted among hospitalized patients, highlighted the need for hospitals to modify processes and for healthcare providers to strongly encourage patients to keep a comprehensive and up-to-date list of all medications they are taking. http://phys.org/news192293562.html Medicine & Health Wed, 05 May 2010 16:20:01 EST news192293562 Victims of domestic violence endure significantly higher health costs than other women for three years after the abuse ends, a new study finds. http://phys.org/news191505083.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Apr 2010 12:52:12 EST news191505083 (PhysOrg.com) -- More than a third of drinkers over 60 consume amounts of alcohol that are excessive or that are potentially harmful in combination with certain diseases or medications. http://phys.org/news191478762.html Medicine & Health Mon, 26 Apr 2010 06:10:01 EST news191478762 As the U.S. population keeps aging and gaining weight, diabetes is becoming increasingly common. Some research has associated diabetes with the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat, called atrial fibrillation, which can raise the risk for stroke and death. But results of past studies of diabetes and atrial fibrillation have conflicted. Now in the Journal of General Internal Medicine Dr. Sascha Dublin of Group Health Research Institute has linked diabetes to a 40 percent greater risk of developing atrial fibrillation; and she found this risk rises even higher the longer people have diabetes and the less controlled their blood sugar is. http://phys.org/news191177753.html Medicine & Health Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:10:01 EST news191177753 Doctors and patients have varying opinions on how much control a person has over their own health outcomes. A new study by University of Iowa researchers suggests that when doctor and patient attitudes on the issue match up, patients do a better job of taking their medications. http://phys.org/news191082573.html Medicine & Health Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:30:06 EST news191082573 Nearly one in ten primary care physicians in the United States has experienced a conflict with a religiously-affiliated hospital or practice over religious policies for patient care, researchers from the University of Chicago report in a paper published early online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. http://phys.org/news190034460.html Medicine & Health Fri, 09 Apr 2010 12:50:01 EST news190034460 (PhysOrg.com) -- A Cornell medical school study finds that when doctors use electronic systems to write prescriptions, they make seven times fewer errors than when they scrawl by hand. http://phys.org/news189245191.html Medicine & Health Wed, 31 Mar 2010 09:20:02 EST news189245191 If you're older, a woman, and suffering from either dementia or diabetes, you are the most likely to be exposed to unsubsidized medication costs in the US. This is known as the coverage gap for enrollees of Medicare Part D - the US federal program which subsidizes the cost of prescription drugs for Medicare beneficiaries. http://phys.org/news188739322.html Medicine & Health Thu, 25 Mar 2010 13:10:03 EST news188739322 Is it time for all community-based doctors to turn to e-prescribing to cut down on the number of medication errors? According to Rainu Kaushal and colleagues from the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, electronic prescriptions can dramatically reduce prescribing errors - up to seven-fold. Their study of the benefits of e-prescribing in primary care practices appears online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. http://phys.org/news187445420.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:20:01 EST news187445420 Adults who have both diabetes and major depression are more than twice as likely to develop dementia, compared to adults with diabetes only, according to a study published in the recent Journal of General Internal Medicine. http://phys.org/news187023085.html Medicine & Health Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:52:02 EST news187023085 About one-third of doctors and their patients with diabetes do not see eye to eye on the most important health conditions to manage, according to a survey by the University of Michigan Medical School. http://phys.org/news184337224.html Medicine & Health Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:47:17 EST news184337224 Chronically ill older adults who are closely supported by a nurse-physician primary care team are twice as likely to rate their health care as high-quality than those who receive usual care, according to a study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. http://phys.org/news183127937.html Medicine & Health Tue, 19 Jan 2010 12:55:34 EST news183127937