They may be small. They may be in rural towns. They may only have a couple of surgeons. But for common operations, critical access hospitals may be safer and less expensive than their larger cousins, a new study finds.
In a massive analysis of DNA samples from more than 13,000 U.S. soldiers, scientists have identified two statistically significant genetic variants that may be associated with an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an often serious mental illness linked to earlier exposure to a traumatic event, such as combat and an act of violence.
A new study has found there is no decline over time in the accuracy of medical staff who analyse mammogram scans for indications of breast cancer.
Research conducted at the University of Warwick investigated whether detection rates dropped towards the end of each batch of mammogram readings.
A new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, found that a simple change to prescription default options in electronic medical records immediately increased generic prescribing rates from 75 percent to 98 percent.
ALS is a debilitating, progressive disease without a cure. Researchers now find pesticides and other environmental toxins could play a part in the disease’s onset.
Offering virtual dermatology care significantly improved access to specialized skin care for a group of patients that traditionally has limited options, according to an independent study led by researchers at the RAND Corporation and Harvard Medical School’s Department of Health. The findings appear in a JAMA Dermatology article published online May 4.
On April 18, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), announced the launch of an initiative to support research to better understand and address disparities in surgical care and outcomes for disadvantaged populations.
An analysis by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher reports in JAMA Oncology that a month of treatment with orally-administered cancer drugs introduced in 2014 were, on average, six times more expensive at launch than cancer drugs introduced in 2000 after adjusting for medical inflation. Drugs approved in 2000 cost an average of $1,869 per month compared to $11,325 for those approved in 2014.
Among female registered nurses, working a rotating night shift for 5 years or more was associated with a small increase in the risk of coronary heart disease, according to a study appearing in the April 26 issue of JAMA.
The addition of a house dust mite (HDM) sublingual allergen immunotherapy (SLIT) tablet to maintenance medications improved time to first moderate or severe asthma exacerbation during a period of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) reduction among adults with HDM allergy-related asthma not well controlled by ICS, according to a study appearing in the April 26 issue of JAMA.
In a study appearing in the April 26 issue of JAMA, Elizabeth A. Rafferty, M.D., formerly of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, and colleagues evaluated the screening performance of digital mammography combined with tomosynthesis (a type of imaging) compared with digital mammography alone for women with varying levels of breast density.
In a study appearing in the April 26 issue of JAMA, Nancy R. Kressin, Ph.D., of the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues examined the content, readability, and understandability of dense breast notifications sent to women following screening mammography.
A team of researchers who specialize in treating cancers of the eye wanted to identified EZH2 as a marker for aggressive basal cell skin cancer. It may also provide a potential target for treatment.
Researchers have developed a new method to map and track the function of brain circuits affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in boys using brain imaging.
The April 19, 2016 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) features an editorial by two Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) medical oncologists who specialize in melanoma: Dr. Shailender Bhatia and Dr. John Thompson. Their editorial addresses the state of immunotherapy drugs, specifically PD-1 blockade, in the treatment of melanoma.
New research suggests that it might be possible to create a growth chart of brain networks that could identify early signs of attention difficulties and, potentially, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Implementation of a multifaceted quality improvement intervention with daily checklists, goal setting, and clinician prompting did not reduce in-hospital mortality compared with routine care among critically ill patients treated in intensive care units (ICUs) in Brazil, according to a study appearing in the April 12 issue of JAMA.
In a study appearing in the April 12 issue of JAMA, Aaron S. Kesselheim, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, and colleagues surveyed internists and specialists to examine their knowledge about Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval standards and perceptions of the “breakthrough therapy” designation.
Decreases in ambient air pollution levels over the past 20 years in Southern California were associated with significant reductions in bronchitic symptoms in children with and without asthma, according to a study appearing in the April 12 issue of JAMA.
In the three years following bariatric surgery, the majority of patients experienced an improvement in pain and walking ability, as well as a lessening of the degree to which back or leg pain interfered with work, according a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health-led analysis of a multi-site clinical study published today (April 5) in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
A simple blood test can rapidly and accurately detect mutations in two key genes in non-small cell lung tumors, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and other institutions report in a new study – demonstrating the test’s potential as a clinical tool for identifying patients who can benefit from drugs targeting those mutations.
People with diabetes who rely on insulin have seen the cost of that drug triple in just a decade, a new study finds -- even as doctors have prescribed higher doses to drive down their blood sugar levels. Meanwhile, the cost of other diabetes drugs has stayed about the same or even gone down.
In patients with breast cancer, a short overnight fast of less than 13 hours was associated with a statistically significant, 36 percent higher risk of breast cancer recurrence and a non-significant, 21 percent higher probability of death from the disease compared to patients who fasted 13 or more hours per night, report University of California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers.
A study in JAMA Oncology online showed that an experimental urine test that detects genetic changes associated with prostate cancer identified 92 percent of men with elevated PSA levels who had more aggressive disease.
A University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center-led study has identified genetic differences in tumors of African-Americans with the most common type of kidney cancer compared with whites.
Family presence when a child is undergoing tracheal intubation in a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) can safely be implemented as part of a family-centered care model, reported a research team led by a University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) professor in the March 7 issue of JAMA Pediatrics.
One in six older adults now regularly use potentially deadly combinations of prescription and over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements -- a two-fold increase over a five-year period.
At least half of Parkinson’s disease patients experience psychosis at some point during the course of their illness, and physicians commonly prescribe antipsychotic drugs, such as quetiapine, to treat the condition. However, a new study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan Medical School, and the Philadelphia and Ann Arbor Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers and suggests that these drugs may do significantly more harm in a subset of patients.
Physicians are prescribing more opioid painkillers than ever before to patients undergoing common surgeries, according to new research from the department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Their work is published online this week in JAMA simultaneously with a major new guideline from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that calls on physicians to avoid over-prescription of opioids for surgical patients and other patients with painful conditions.
In December 2015, the FDA proposed new restrictions related to tanning bed use, including banning their use among individuals younger than 18. As the comment period on the proposal winds down, a Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey investigator who conducts research on tanning behaviors weighs in.
Nearly half of all atrial fibrillation (AF) patients at the highest risk for stroke are not being prescribed blood thinners by their cardiologists, according to a new study by researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and University of California, San Francisco.
One in four seniors is bringing along stowaways from the hospital to their next stop: superbugs on their hands.
Moreover, seniors who go to a nursing home or other post-acute care facility will continue to acquire new superbugs during their stay, according to findings made by University of Michigan researchers published in a JAMA Internal Medicine research letter.
Cancer clinical trials with negative results don’t make an immediate splash in the scientific literature, but they do have a long-term impact on cancer research, according to a new study by SWOG, the federally funded international clinical trials network.
Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have been awarded $2.4 million from the National Institutes of Health to identify the brain circuits involved in weight control and to develop novel strategies to fight obsessive eating and obesity.
Analyzing the immediate neighborhood surroundings of teenaged homicide victims, Philadelphia researchers found that neglected conditions--vacant lots, poor street lighting, fewer parks and less-traveled thoroughfares—were in much greater abundance compared to neighborhoods where adolescents were safer.
Refugees seeking asylum in the United States are twice as likely to be granted protection if their application is supported by medical documentation of torture, writes Jules Lipoff, MD, an assistant professor of Clinical Dermatology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and two colleagues in the March 7 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.
Twitter may be an effective, untapped resource to stimulate interest in cancer clinical trials and boost enrollment, physicians at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania suggest in a new research letter in JAMA Oncology.
Married physicians with highly educated spouses are less likely to practice in rural underserved areas, according to a new study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Montana State University nursing professor Peter Buerhaus is co-author on the study.
Married physicians with highly educated spouses are less likely to practice in rural underserved areas, according to a new study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Montana State University nursing professor Peter Buerhaus is co-author on the study.
A popular smartphone app purported to accurately measure blood pressure simply by placing a cellphone on the chest with a finger over the built-in camera lens misses high blood pressure in eight out of 10 patients, potentially putting users’ health at risk, according to research from Johns Hopkins.
When you buy a cup of coffee, an airline ticket or a tank of gas these days, you probably pull out a customer loyalty card without even thinking about it. You may be thinking mostly about perks. But the place you’re buying from is focused on keeping your business.
Now, a team proposes that healthcare providers should offer the same kinds of programs – for reasons that go far beyond why businesses use them.
A multinational clinical trial led by UT Southwestern Medical Center and others found that injection of a new long-acting insulin combined with another drug improves glucose control in patients with Type 2 diabetes and, additionally, is associated with weight loss.
Research led by UNC’s John Buse showed that IDegLira injections were more effective than basal insulin glargine injections at reducing the average amount of blood sugar over the course of several months. IDegLira was also associated with weight loss and a substantially lower rate of hypoglycemia.
Unpaid family and friends who assist older people with disabilities by coordinating doctor appointments and managing medications are significantly more likely to experience emotional, physical and financial difficulties than caregivers who don’t provide this type of support, new research finds.
Combined health coaching and remote monitoring did not reduce all-cause 180-day hospital readmissions among heart failure patients, and did not have significant effects on 30-day hospital readmissions, 30-day mortality, or 180-day mortality. But patients reported significantly improved quality of life.