For years it’s been known that acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, poses risks of overdose, particularly in children. Finally, the FDA has endorsed using a safety device to restrict the drug’s flow from bottles of the children’s medicine to prevent them from accidentally getting too much liquid. As explained by ProPublica.org, the feds took….
Continue ReadingArchives for August 2015
The Soundtrack for Surgical Healing
Research into the healing properties of music isn’t new, but the field of study recently was launched a bit farther with substantial evidence that listening to music before, during or after a surgical procedure helps patients by reducing pain, anxiety and the need for pain medication. The results of the research published in Lancet involved….
Continue ReadingQ&A on the Female Libido Drug
Last week, the FDA approved the first prescription drug aimed at boosting women’s libido. The process of approval was controversial, as we wrote recently in our blog, “An ‘Astroturf’ Grassroots Campaign for a Female Viagra.” The reference to the fake grass came from a commentator writing on HealthNewsReview.org, (HNR) whose point, with which we agree,….
Continue ReadingUnhygienic Scopes Continue to Spread Infection
In the same week in which the FDA issued warnings to companies whose invasive medical scopes are difficult to disinfect and that have spread deadly infections, another hospital’s infectious outbreak is being investigated for the same type of problem. As the Los Angeles Times reported last week, Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, Calif., informed health….
Continue ReadingThe Connection Between Medical Malpractice Caps and Medical Harm
We write often about the misguided, unfair movement to cap the amount of money plaintiffs in medical malpractice cases are allowed to receive. We’ve often detailed how these efforts, backed by the medical and insurance industries and conservative lawmakers who claim that they impair the efficient delivery of quality care, in fact do not result….
Continue ReadingA “black box” for operating room mishaps?
Patients who suspect malpractice after they’ve had an unforeseen injury from a surgical procedure quickly learn that the operating room works on a basic “honor system” for reporting errors. If something goes wrong, the surgeon is required to describe the event in his or her dictated report of the operation. Of course, that lets the….
Continue ReadingMust We Choose Between Free Speech and Patient Safety?
What do Kim Kardashian, the First Amendment and patient safety have in common? A few weeks ago, Kardashian promoted a drug called Diclegis on her Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts, which, according to the Los Angeles Times, have more than 100 million followers. Kardashian is pregnant, and her post was about the drug’s effectiveness against….
Continue ReadingMore Evidence that Breast Cancer Overtreatment Does Not Extend Life
An impressive study published last week strongly suggests that when it comes to a certain kind of breast cancer, early, aggressive intervention has no effect on a patient’s survival 10 years later. The research in JAMA Oncology reviewed the records of more than 100,000 women. After being diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), the….
Continue ReadingProtect Yourself Against Medical ID Theft
Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal published an unnerving story about what can happen to your sense of security, not to mention your actual financial security, when someone steals your medical information. “How Identity Theft Sticks YouWith Hospital Bills” (behind The Journal’s paywall) makes clear that medical identity theft is a fast-growing crime thanks….
Continue ReadingThe Greedy Root of Escalating Drug Costs
Last month, the number crunchers at Medicare determined that U.S. prescription drug costs increased last year by 12.6% over 2013. That’s five times as much as the increase from 2012 to 2013 – 2.5%. What happened? Blame hepatitis C. Or, more accurately, the availability – finally! – of drugs that not only treat the insidious….
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