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Digital health tech has a bright future, but is slow to burn

Scott E. Rupp Healthcare Administration

Digital health solution technologies are the thing of dreams for physicians and patients, who expect digital technologies will "reshape healthcare" in the future, but we’re not yet to the point where intent and adoption can meet, according to the preliminary results from a new Ernst & Young (EY) global survey. EY surveyed 6,000 consumers and 500 physicians in Australia, England and the Netherlands to gauge their support for and use of digital health tools. The technology is being billed as capable of improving outcomes and even enhancing communication between physicians and their patients.

JUUL comes under federal scrutiny amid meteoric rise

Dr. Denise A. Valenti Civil & Government

JUUL Labs, whose product is an electronic smoking/vaping system, recently achieved the fastest "decacorn" valuation ever — over $10 billion in the first seven months of its first venture capital round. This is reported to have been four times faster than Facebook and five times faster than Snapchat. This comes at a time when the use of electronic cigarettes for inhaling nicotine and marijuana by teenagers is increasing at an alarming rate. The JUUL product has an appeal to adolescents and teenagers as it can be used without detection.

Help your patients comply with getting vaccinated easily

Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied Healthcare

As a primary care physician, you know the importance of making sure all of your patients are properly immunized — but in today's healthcare climate, compliance is sometimes tough to come by. Some patients don't remember they need to come in for a shot; other patients question the safety and necessity of vaccinations due to media reports. The good news: there are simple and highly effective steps you can take to ensure your patients understand the medical purpose of their essential vaccinations, and comply with receiving them.

Researchers discover genetic risk for erectile dysfunction

Tammy Hinojos Medical & Allied Healthcare

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is defined as the inability to develop and maintain an erection for satisfactory sexual intercourse. The disease is linked to many causes, such as neurological, hormonal and vascular factors. Some of the most reliable ED stats come from a large data collection effort called the Massachusetts Male Aging Study. Genetics are also suspected as a factor in about one-third of erectile dysfunction cases, but researchers have failed to make a connection with any specific genomic locations until now.

Physician burnout may affect patient care

Dorothy L. Tengler Medical & Allied Healthcare

Physicians are at high risk for burnout, which is marked by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and a lack of sense of personal accomplishment. The Minimizing Error, Maximizing Outcome (MEMO) study found that more than half of primary care physicians felt stressed because of time pressures and other work conditions. For physicians, the emotional exhaustion of burnout can have professional and personal consequences. For patients, being examined and treated by a physician dealing with burnout, manifesting in lack empathy or agitation, may result in dissatisfaction or unwillingness to comply with treatment recommendations.

5 key pieces of rehab equipment for a small or mobile clinic

Heidi Dawson Sports & Fitness

There is so much equipment available now for rehabilitation therapists. This ranges from inexpensive, even home items, up to large and expensive purpose-built equipment. As a small business owner with a low budget, or as a therapist who works remotely where size and weight are restrictions, how do you know which items to spend your hard-earned takings on? Here are my suggestions for the top five items in my equipment arsenal.

Safer strategies for patient care transitions

Lisa Mulcahy Healthcare Administration

Patient handoffs at every hospital are a constant fact of life — as an administrator, your aim is, of course, to make them as seamless as possible. Yet so many elements can go awry during any care transition. If your healthcare workers don't utilize proper communication and procedural protocol, confusion and medical errors can occur, unfortunately. Great news, though: the following research-proven strategies can protect your patients physically as they move from one provider to another, ease their stress levels regarding medical instructions, and improve comprehension of their treatment.

Study: Medicare outpatients sicker, have lower incomes than patients treated…

Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied Healthcare

Medicare patients who receive care in a hospital outpatient department are likely poorer and have more severe, chronic conditions than Medicare patients treated in independent physician offices, a study by the American Hospital Association (AHA) found. The findings of this study seem to show why proposals under consideration by Congress to reimburse hospitals the same amount as physicians’ offices "could threaten access to care for the most vulnerable patients and communities," the AHA said in a statement.

Say what?! Clear communication matters when educating patients

Tammy Hinojos Oral & Dental Healthcare

We’ve probably all experienced it to some degree. Staring, glassy-eyed and befuddled, while someone is speaking so far above our heads that there is no hope of truly understanding what is being communicated to us. It may not be a big deal in a lecture hall or an online course. But if it’s taking place in a doctor’s or dentist’s office and it’s a doctor explaining diagnosis or treatment to a patient? That’s a big deal.

Innovative ways telemedicine can benefit your patients

Lisa Mulcahy Medical & Allied Healthcare

Using videoconferencing equipment to diagnose and evaluate patients at an ER or clinic is a well-established way to help patients experiencing a medical emergency. Yet, research has also now established that telemedicine can also help patients dealing with chronic conditions manage their treatment much more easily. This will save both patients and doctors time and money. Adapt these proven facts about telemedicine to benefit your organization's patients more effectively.

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