Acute sinusitis is often treated with antibiotics, and possibly also a topical steroid. However, a recent study found this common treatment to be no more effective than a placebo. Commenters on the study have noted that there may be some patients for whom antibiotics might help, but there is no reliable way for a clinician….
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Checklists to Save Lives in the ICU
An article in the New Yorker by Atul Gawande highlights the simple ways in which hospitals can be made less dangerous places for their patients. A checklist to make sure intensive care doctors and nurses handle catheters correctly has been proven to dramatically reduce the risk of deadly infections. Gawande focuses on the work of….
Continue ReadingNew Study: Doctors Reluctant to Report Errors
A new study shows that although an overwhelming majority of doctors believe they should report colleagues who make serious medical errors or otherwise violate professional standards, most do not actually do so. This hesitance to report colleagues is understandable. But it makes detecting, tracking and studying medical error very difficult. The senior author of the….
Continue ReadingHospitals Try to Combat MRSA
Hospitals have been getting some negative attention recently as a result of their high rates of infection. That is why it is good to hear that they are stepping up efforts to fight MRSA, one of the worst “superbugs” that infect patients in hospitals. Their efforts can be boiled down to two categories: testing and….
Continue ReadingNew Factors for Breast Cancer Risk for African-American Women
When breast cancer experts recently reassessed their risk-evaluation formulas, they found that they were significantly underestimating the risks for African-American women. This reevaluation is likely to result in changes in counseling for women in this demographic, including more recommendations to go for mammograms and more encouragement to sign up for studies of breast cancer. This….
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