Medical Practice
GPs seeing twice as many patients as safe-limit — UK survey
May 15th, 2019 GPs in the UK are seeing up to 60 patients a day, double the number they consider safe, as services struggle with staff shortages and a rising demand for care. The Guardian reports that the findings of a survey of family doctors prompted a warning...
'I’m afraid I have some bad news...'
May 15th, 2019 Both researchers and medical schools have tried to figure out how doctors should communicate with patients to deliver hard-to-swallow information. There is little evidence that they are getting it right. “I’m afraid I have some bad...
Anti-vaxxers target doctors on social media and rating websites
May 15th, 2019 More doctors are being attacked online for recommending parents vaccinate their children as part of a coordinated effort by anti-vaccine groups. Fictitious patient reviews are just one tactic. Dr Monique Tello was attending a medical conference...
US opioid prescription guidelines 'wrongly implemented'
May 1st, 2019 The authors of influential US guidelines for opioid prescriptions for chronic pain say that doctors and others in the health care system had wrongly implemented their recommendations and cut off patients who should have received pain...
Large UK study finds statins fail to lower cholesterol in over half of patients
April 17th, 2019 Experts have warned a more tailored approach is needed to the prescribing of statins, following a study suggesting they are ineffective at lowering cholesterol to target levels in more than half of patients. The research by primary care experts...Women in ob/gyn earn less money than men in US
While women outnumber men in the US as obstetrics and gynaecology (ob/gyn) practitioners, they still make significantly less money and the pay gap extends to sub-specialties like reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI), according to...
The legal permutations of being a Good Samaritan
March 13th, 2019 SA doctors have a constitutional duty of care, writes Dr Tony Behrman, consultant for the Medical Protection Society. But unlike some countries where if they provide emergency aid, Good Samaritan legislation protects doctors from subsequent...Over 40% of GPs intend to quit within five years: UK survey
A University of Warwick survey of GPs in the UK has revealed that over 40% intend to leave general practice within the next five years, an increase of nearly a third since 2014. The survey of 929 GPs conducted by the University of Warwick has...
Video of Australian chiropractor's 'very disturbing' treatment of 2-week-old baby
February 27th, 2019 An Australian chiropractor has sparked criticism after a video of him performing controversial spinal treatments on a two-week-old baby was posted online, reports 2gb. The footage shows Dr Andrew Arnold lifting the baby upside down and...
Expert panel strongly recommends against almost all shoulder pain surgery
February 13th, 2019 Surgery should not be performed in almost all patients with a common cause of shoulder pain known as subacromial pain syndrome or SAPS (also called shoulder impingement or rotator cuff disease), say a panel of international experts. Their strong...Complementary medicine use often not disclosed to medical providers
Research reveals that 1 in 3 complementary medicine (CM) users do not disclose their use of these medicines to their medical providers, posing significant direct and indirect risks of adverse effects and harm due to unsafe concurrent use of CM and...
Missed GP appointments 'substantially' increase all-cause mortality
January 16th, 2019 Missing GP appointments is associated with early death, and those with long-term mental health conditions are at particular risk, according to a large Scotland study over three-years. Dr Ross McQueenie led the study from the University of Glasgow...Discrimination a reality for most female surgeons
More than half of female surgeons have faced or witnessed discrimination in the workplace, with orthopaedics was seen as the most sexist of all the surgical specialities, a UK survey found. The researchers were from Imperial College Healthcare...Medical providers most likely to be the culprits in health data breaches
Personal identity may fall at the mercy of sophisticated hackers on many websites, but when it comes to health data breaches, hospitals, doctors’ offices and even insurance companies are oftentimes the culprits, a US study found. Research from...
Why patients lie to their doctors
December 5th, 2018 A study has found that 60% to 80% of people surveyed have not been forthcoming with their doctors about information that could be relevant to their health. Besides fibbing about diet and exercise, more than a third of respondents didn't speak up...