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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.

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.

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.

The necessary work of disrupting healthcare

Keith Carlson Medical & Allied Healthcare

As in other industries, change is a constant in healthcare. New medications, treatments, and technologies continue to emerge at breakneck speed: robotics and artificial intelligence, EMRs/EHRs, video-based medical appointments, and other innovations have altered various aspects of healthcare management and delivery. Still, this particular industry can feel unadventurous, old, and out of touch when it comes to long lines in ER waiting rooms, the ubiquitously disappointing 15-minute doctor visit, and the cost of prescription drugs and health insurance.

Decreasing the risk of suicide in fibromyalgia patients

Dorothy L. Tengler Mental Healthcare

Fibromyalgia, one of the most common pain conditions, affects about 10 million adults in the U.S. About 75-90 percent of those with this condition are women, and most are diagnosed during middle age. One study of 1,269 Danish women with fibromyalgia showed that the suicide risk was 10 times that of the general population. Although the cause of fibromyalgia remains unknown, the disorder can be effectively treated and managed. A recent study showed that fibromyalgia patients who regularly visited their physicians or healthcare providers were much less likely to attempt suicide than patients who do not regularly see their physicians.

Insights from a speech-language pathologist: Semantics

Sheilamary Koch Education

Imagine a boy in a classroom who regularly raises his hand to respond to questions, yet when called on hems and haws not knowing what to say. While he claims to have the answer, no one has time to wait for him to come up with it. Meanwhile, other students shout it out and the teacher wonders why he raised his hand in the first place. One viable explanation for the boy’s actions comes from Judith O. Roman, M.A., CCC-SLP, who is a clinical faculty member at Northwestern University’s Center for Audiology, Speech, Language, and Learning. In this series, we turn to Roman, an expert in the field of pediatric speech and language pathology, who shares her experience in the area of expressive language.

Wave of complex street drugs complicates diagnosis of overdose

Lynn Hetzler Medical & Allied Healthcare

Drug overdoses are increasingly common and more lethal in nearly every area of the country. New research provides a snapshot of regional illegal drug use. The report also highlights the complexity of detecting and treating severe drug-related events at emergency departments. Begun in 2016, the study focuses on identifying illicit drugs causing patient overdoses at two hospital EDs in Maryland. At the time of the study, the emergency departments were seeing a spike in accidental drug overdoses and related deaths.

Survey: Many physicians unhappy with their hospital employer

Scott E. Rupp Medical & Allied Healthcare

A new survey with a whopping 9,000 physicians tells us that more than 30 percent (32 percent) of those surveyed said they do not see Medicaid patients, or limit the number they do see. Almost 90 percent (88 percent) of physicians said some, many or all of their patients are impacted by social determinants of health. The survey was conducted by the Physicians Foundation and also showed that 78 percent of those physicians experience burnout — which is becoming a highly covered topic of late — and 46 percent said relations between themselves and hospitals are "somewhat" or "mostly negative."

A single blood test could diagnose 8 different types of cancer

Tammy Hinojos Medical & Allied Healthcare

Cancer is such a mysterious disease. For many different types of cancer, diagnosis can be a long and challenging process. A new blood test, however, might offer a much-needed simpler and more effective diagnostic technique. Called CancerSEEK, this new blood test has the potential to identify eight cancer types using just one blood sample. In the study, researchers show how the test shows high levels of sensitivity and specificity for cancer detection in more than 1,000 participants with the disease.

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