Weekly Roundup – November 21, 2013

Happy almost Friday! Obamacare continues to get top billing in health care news. Below are some of the non-Obamacare health care stories that we hope you will find interesting.
The medical profession has issued new guidelines for fighting the nation’s obesity epidemic. These guidelines recommend physicians be more aggressive about helping their patients lose unneeded pounds. The Washington Post has more on what this might mean for you at your next doctor’s appointment.
The New York Times published an article about Jorge Odón, a car mechanic who developed a tool that eases births. The device whose idea came from a YouTube video he had seen on extracting a lost cork from a wine bottle and whose prototype was developed on his kitchen counter will be manufactured by Becton, Dickinson and Company. Doctors believe it has the potential to save babies in poor countries, and possibly reduce cesarean section births in rich ones.
Some hospitals are experimenting with using probiotics as a preventive measure for patients who are on antibiotics. A Wall Street Journal article describes how this idea began in 2011 when there was an increase in cases of one of the most virulent hospital infections, despite measures to battle the bug by scrubbing surfaces with bleach and isolating affected patients. Holy Redeemer Hospital drove down the cases using probiotics.
According to a Washington Post article, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases noted the importance...

Source: Disruptive Women in Health Care - November 21, 2013 Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Authors: dw at disruptivewomen.net Tags: Roundup American Academy of Pediatrics health new york times USA Today Wall Street Journal Washington Post Source Type: blogs