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Video to improve patient-doctor communication

Amid growing concerns about racial, ethnic and language disparities in health care, The Joint Commission and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights have released a video, entitled “Improving Patient-Provider Communication,” which supports language access in health care organizations.

12 Nov 2009

Experts recommend nicotine replacement products and counseling to quit smoking

Whether you smoke three cigarettes or three packs of cigarettes a day, kicking the habit is difficult. Various nicotine replacement products are on the market to make quitting easier. But which product is right for you? Experts from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center are here to help.

12 Nov 2009

Obama nominates Senior USDA official to lead USAID

President Barack Obama Tuesday announced the nomination of Rajiv Shah - a medical doctor who is currently a senior official at the Department of Agriculture focusing on food security - to lead USAID, the Boston Globe reports (Smith, 11/11).

12 Nov 2009

3-D software uses real patient data; offers virtual reality technology for doctors and students

James Oliver picked up an Xbox game controller, looked up to a video screen and used the device's buttons and joystick to fly through a patient's chest cavity for an up-close look at the bottom of the heart.

12 Nov 2009

Online patient support program for ADHD patients taking Vyvanse Capsules CII medication

Shire plc (LSE: SHP, Nasdaq: SHPGY), the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, today announced the re-launch of FOCUS (http://www.vyvanseFOCUS.com), a free, online patient support program for adults taking once-daily Vyvanse® (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) Capsules CII for the treatment of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and the only online, branded personalized patient support program providing tips and tools for adults diagnosed with ADHD taking a prescription medication.

11 Nov 2009

Cancer screening methods are not perfect: Experts

In a recent New York Times article, the American Cancer Society (ACS) ignited a major controversy over the benefits of cancer screening, specifically with regards to their breast and prostate cancer guidelines. In the article, Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the ACS, responded to a study in the current issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

11 Nov 2009

e-SMART-HD technology may help in closing health disparity gap

Sometimes patients find it uncomfortable asking a doctor of another age, gender or race for information. Hopefully virtual coaching under development through the Center of Excellence for Self-Management Advancement through Research and Translation ( SMART), a National Institutes of Health-funded Center of Research Excellence in Self-management Research at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, will improve communications.

11 Nov 2009

Handbook for rural health care ethics

With an eye to small-town health professionals as well as to the people training students to practice medicine beyond metropolitan settings, Dartmouth's Department of Community and Family Medicine is unveiling the Handbook for Rural Health Care Ethics.

11 Nov 2009

Poor access to interpreters can compromise doctor-patient communication in cancer care

In a new survey of physicians who treat breast cancer patients, only one-third said they had good access to trained medical interpreters or telephone language-interpretation systems when they needed it. Poor access to interpreters can compromise physician-patient communication that is critically important in cancer care.

11 Nov 2009

Immigrant and refugee violence: Experts recommend preventive and intervention strategies

Last year, the United States provided asylum and resettlement assistance for nearly 80,700 people from other countries, an increase from 71,300 individuals in 2007, according to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. University of Missouri health experts say the increase has made issues of immigrant and refugee violence and the need for effective intervention strategies more apparent.

11 Nov 2009

Online community launched to help families affected by PTSD

Since the Vietnam Era, the American psychiatric community has recognized the returning war veterans’ affliction of what is now commonly known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

11 Nov 2009

Chronic kidney disease on the rise; preventive testing is critical for diabetic patients

New data confirms the rate of chronic kidney disease is inching upward, keeping pace with the rising rates of diabetes. In late September, the U.S. Renal Data System published its 2009 Annual Data report, which shows the incidence of chronic kidney disease in the U.S. Medicare population is now 9.8%, up from 8.7% reported in last year’s data analysis.

11 Nov 2009

Medicare Advantage plans are largely unpopular in rural states

Kansas Health Institute examines Medicare Advantage plans, which are less popular in rural areas, in a series of reports.

11 Nov 2009

Study: Face time at doctor visits expanding, not dwindling

Researchers have found that, contrary to conventional wisdom backed by "a more than 10 percent drop" in physician pay and consumer complaints, doctors are actually spending more time with their patients than they used to, the Los Angeles Times' Booster Shots blog reports.

11 Nov 2009

First Edition: November 10, 2009

As the focus of health overhaul efforts move to the Senate, abortion issues have become hot topics.

10 Nov 2009

Health care reform should benefit shift workers: Circadian Age

Circadian Age, Inc. – ‘Working Nights’ – a company dedicated to helping shift workers and their families adjust to their unique lifestyles, is concerned with making sure that any health care reform will benefit the 25 million Americans working shifts. These workers represent 10% of the insured population, but incur 17% of the health care costs.

10 Nov 2009

Non-invasive test to determine risk of sudden cardiac arrest in heart bypass surgery patients

Years after heart bypass surgery, Jim Miller was symptom free. Several measures of his heart’s functioning did not show that he was in danger of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). But Miller’s doctor decided to make sure and the quick, non-invasive test he performed may have saved Miller’s life.

10 Nov 2009

Flu-Ease provides flu shots at airports

First there was a shot and a beer, then the "shot heard around the world," and now it’s a shot on the fly. The most useful airport amenity available to air travelers this season may turn out to be flu shots.

10 Nov 2009

Geisinger launches RRVI for rural veterans and their families

Veteran's Day has a new meaning for a Geisinger team of clinicians and researchers who recently launched the Reaching Rural Veterans Initiative (RRVI). Utilizing financial grants from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Health Resources and Services Administration, the team is focused on developing a model to improve the way healthcare providers identify and care for combat stress-related injuries in returning veterans and their families.

9 Nov 2009

Chicago Prostate Cancer Center offers free prostate cancer guide

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in American men. One in six men will be diagnosed during his lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society.

9 Nov 2009