doctors

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Docs Warn Would-Be Parents of Higher IVF Risks

Test-tube babies at 30% greater risk for genetic health conditions

(Newser) - British doctors will begin warning fertility patients about in vitro fertilization, which has been shown to increase the risk of genetic health problems in babies by 30%, the Independent reports. Experts say the “small risk” could be caused by weaker eggs in older women or fertilization medication that harms...

Obama Will Undo Abortion 'Conscience' Provision

Rule helped workers avoid aiding abortions

(Newser) - The Obama White House plans to overturn protections that President Bush extended to health workers who refuse to perform abortions or other procedures on moral grounds, the New York Times reports. Bush’s last-minute “conscience regulation” took effect on Obama’s first day in office, and now, after a...

Patients Push Fertility Docs for Extra Embryos

Though hazardous, many parents take the risk to up their odds of having kids

(Newser) - While Nadya Suleman's octuplets remain the in vitro exception, about 30% of such procedures result in multiple births. One attempt can cost $12,000, so patients regularly implore docs to up their pregnancy chances by planting multiple embryos—even though medical guidelines push for the transfer of no more than...

Drug Ads Losing Power, Study Says

Most patients don't ask for drugs by name

(Newser) - Maybe it's the extensive warnings at the end of drug commercials, but few Americans request prescription drugs by name, a new study shows. In Colorado, only 3.5% of patients—half the number of 2003—requested specific medicine from doctors. This is despite more than $5 billion pharmaceuticals pay to...

Obama Pitches Bold Plan for Health Records

President-elect wants them all digital, but hurdles remain

(Newser) - Barack Obama is hoping an ambitious health care modernization plan will help deliver on two of his promises: increasing jobs and decreasing health care costs, CNNMoney reports. Obama has said he wants all US health records computerized within five years—a huge undertaking.

ICUs Try to Get Patients Out of Bed

Mobile, lightly sedated patients fare better, study finds

(Newser) - Doctors are finding that ICU patients who are woken every day and even get up and walk around do better than those who remain heavily sedated, the New York Times reports. A recent study showed that just 5 days on a ventilator left some patients barely able to move. Problems...

Drug Companies Agree to Stop Docs' Free Goodies

Critics charged stacks of free trinkets were attempt to influence doctors' decisions

(Newser) - The piles of freebies drug companies lavish on doctors will go the way of the VHS tape as of tomorrow, the New York Times reports. The industry, facing criticism that it is trying to unduly influence doctors' decisions, has voluntarily decided to stop handing out pens, stethoscope holders, bandages, T-shirts,...

Scottish Docs Give Up Their White Coats

Dress code forbids iconic garment in effort to cut down infection

(Newser) - In a move intended to combat the spread of infections, Scotland will forbid doctors to wear the long white coats that have been a symbol of the medical profession for more than a century, the Guardian reports. The country will institute a dress code next year that bans not only...

Obnoxious Docs Linked to Dangerous Mistakes

Nurses often afraid to point out errors, ask questions

(Newser) - If your doctor's a jerk, it might be dangerous to your health. Many nurses are reporting that hostile, harried physicians often ignore their summons—or make them hesitant to questions in the first place. This "health care equivalent of road rage" causes errors, dangerous complications, and sometimes the...

Drug Companies Hide Data From Docs
Drug Companies Hide Data
From Docs
Nov 26, 2008 10:22 AM CST

Drug Companies Hide Data From Docs

Edited info could mislead those prescribing meds

(Newser) - Pharmaceutical companies aren't as upfront with doctors as they are with the government about their new products, a study finds. Though drug companies must provide the FDA with all of the data from clinical trials, related papers published in medical journals were found to omit info from 20% of the...

Chronically Ill Worse Off in US Than Elsewhere: Study

Health costs, medical errors scare more than in other rich nations

(Newser) - Chronically ill Americans are more likely to forgo medical care because of high costs or bad experiences than counterparts in a number of other rich nations, a study finds. Researchers interviewed 7,500 adults with conditions like cancer, arthritis, depression, and diabetes, and the Americans led the complaints. Dutch patients...

Doctors Fight to Beat Cultural Cancer Taboos

Stigma surrounding cancer suspected of causing higher mortality rates

(Newser) - The fight against cancer is being hindered by the stigma the illness carries in many cultures, the Wall Street Journal reports. Chinese, Russians, Muslims, and many other groups may shun treatment and try to keep their condition secret. Experts believe the taboo plays a big role in the higher cancer...

Cancer Docs Shy Away from Empathy: Study

But helping cope with existential questions is key, say experts

(Newser) - When it comes to cancer, a doctor’s ability to empathize with a patient is paramount, experts say —but a new study finds that physicians aren't feeling patients' pain, HealthDay reports. “Physicians only responded to 10% of empathic opportunities, and when patients raised existential concerns, physicians tended to...

Half in US Say God Can Save the Dying

Only 20% of doctors agree, but many want to relate

(Newser) - Many Americans believe God can intervene to save dying patients, a new survey shows. More than half say that God can revive a family member declared lost by doctors, and nearly 75% agree that patients are justified in seeking extra treatment. "Sensitivity to this belief will promote development of...

Religion No Excuse for Not Treating Gays: Calif. Court

Doctors cannot avoid homosexual patients

(Newser) - California doctors must provide services to gays and lesbians in line with all other patients, even if it conflicts with their religious beliefs, the state’s supreme court ruled today. The justices unanimously shot down an effort by a San Diego County fertility clinic's physicians to use religion as grounds...

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