Disruptive Digital Technologies Will Change Blood Donation
Disruptive digital technologies could help in many ways in optimizing the process of blood donation. It could aid the recruitment of new blood donors, keep the returning donors motivated on the long run, or simplify and shorten the process of blood donation through robots or medical drones. Tissue engineers are even experimenting with artificial blood, so we might bypass blood donation in the future altogether.
Bloody business
If you cut your finger during chopping cabbage, you bleed. If you trip over a hole and fall, you bleed. This deep red fluid flowing in our veins occupies a central place in our organism – and thus ...
Source: The Medical Futurist - April 12, 2017 Category: Information Technology Authors: nora Tags: Biotechnology Future of Medicine Healthcare Design blood blood donation digital health GC1 Innovation medical drones social media tissue engineering Source Type: blogs
Medical Technology: What Changing Venture Capital Investments Signal
The market for medical devices historically has been dominated by big-ticket “physician preference items” such as artificial joints, spinal implants, and cardiac pacemakers. Venture capital and private equity investors have been eager to fund new firms in this expanding and lucrative domain. Changes in physician payment and organization are reducing the demand for these cost-increasing innovations, however, and redirecting the flow of investment capital.
For the past decade we have been studying medical device innovation (startup firms) and adoption (hospital organizations), starting from different angles but arriving ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - January 9, 2017 Category: Health Management Authors: Josh Baltzel and James C. Robinson Tags: Costs and Spending Drugs and Medical Technology Featured Health IT Health Professionals Hospitals medical devices venture capitalism Source Type: blogs
My experience as a patient has made me a better physician. Here ’s how.
The medical assistant swabbed my nose and my throat multiple times. Pricked my finger too. Then, the phlebotomist (or vampire?) drew bottles and bottles of my blood. Along with the physical discomfort, there was emotional discomfort too. What would the test results show? If they were all negative, would I be satisfied without having an answer?
Being a patient can be extremely vulnerable. Not only do you often divulge to a perfect stranger the details of your health, but also you make the choice to relinquish control and be comfortable with uncertainty. You put your trust in a physician to order the correct tests, and you a...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - December 10, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: < a href="http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/farrell-tobolowsky" rel="tag" > Farrell Tobolowsky, MD < /a > Tags: Physician Primary care Source Type: blogs
13 Scary Medical Technologies We Have to Get Used to
Disruptive technologies are taking huge leaps towards revolutionizing whole areas, also in medicine and healthcare, while we are way behind in understanding how they function and what effect they have on us. I believe we have to get used to these technologies which might turn out to be very scary at first, or even at second sight.
I cannot wait to stop wasting my time driving cars and focus on my work while my automated vehicle takes me wherever I need to go. But I’m sure I’m going to be nervous in the first few dozens of trips and I will keep my eyes on the road. Disruptive technologies take time to get comfor...
Source: The Medical Futurist - December 9, 2016 Category: Information Technology Authors: nora Tags: Future of Medicine AI artificial intelligence augmented reality exoskeletons food scanner GC1 genomics Healthcare Innovation robotics technology virtual reality Source Type: blogs
SonoraQuest Expands Its Presence in Arizona Safeway Stores
One of the more positive aspects of the Theranos"adventure" in Arizona has been that it has paved the way for Sonora Quest Laboratories to expand its direct access testing (DAT) and PSC services in the state (see:Sonora Quest Laboratories and Safeway Expand Highest-Quality Diagnostic Testing to Greater Arizona). Below is an excerpt from an article with more details:Sonora Quest Laboratories and Safeway ...[is opening] six new Sonora Quest Laboratories Patient Service Centers (PSCs) ...[in] Safeway stores.... throughout Arizona. The new locations in Arizona are in addition to th...
Source: Lab Soft News - November 4, 2016 Category: Laboratory Medicine Authors: Bruce Friedman Tags: Clinical Lab Industry News Clinical Lab Testing Direct Access Testing (DAT) Healthcare Delivery Lab Processes and Procedures Laboratory Industry Trends Medical Consumerism Source Type: blogs
Oxy-Iso Color Correction Glasses for Healthcare Workers: A Medgadget Review
Color blindness can be frustrating for those with the condition, and it can also create challenges for some medical professionals while they’re doing their daily tasks. Veins, in particular, can be hard to spot by normal seeing people, and it’s even more difficult if your color perception is off. There are also issues like noticing how flush or pale someone is and assessing dermatological problems. We were sent a pair of Oxy-Iso Color Correction Glasses from a company called O2AMP that were developed to help color blind clinicians be better at doing things like starting IV lines.
Luckily for us, we have a coll...
Source: Medgadget - September 26, 2016 Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Editors Tags: Anesthesiology Emergency Medicine Exclusive Military Medicine Surgery Source Type: blogs
Vein Scanners: Examples For Disruption
The blood draw, one of the most widespread and most feared medical tests, can be revolutionized with the help of vein scanners which ease the process for patients and doctors alike – if the technology itself is affordable and available, so disruptive enough.
There is hardly any adult in the developed world who has never been the subject of a blood draw. The easiest way to access medical information about a patient is through a blood test. There are 9 billion blood draws per year in the United States alone and blood tests inform over 70 percent of medical decisions.
However, many have serious fears about it. On the one ...
Source: The Medical Futurist - September 6, 2016 Category: Information Technology Authors: nora Tags: Medical Augmented Reality Portable Diagnostics blood draw blood test future GC1 Health 2.0 Healthcare Hospital phlebotomy technology vein scanners veinviewer Source Type: blogs
Cardiac Rehab Saves Lives. So Why Don't More Heart Patients Sign Up? : Shots - Health News : NPR
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6 { font-weight: bold; } h1 { font-size: 1.25em; line-height: 1.4em; } h2 { font-size: 1.125em; } h3 { font-size: 1.05em; } h4, h5, h6 { font-size: 1em; margin: 1em 0; } h1.title { text-align: start; -webkit-hyphens: manual; margin-bottom: 1em; } .title { display: none; } :nth-child(1 of .page) .title { display: block; } .page { text-align: start; word-wrap: break-word; } .page.rtl { direction: rtl; } a { color: rgb(65,...
Source: Dr Portnay - August 14, 2016 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr Portnay Source Type: blogs
9 Exciting Facts About Medical Robots
Medical robots do not only exist in sci-fi movies, they are coming to healthcare. If medical professionals want to utilize them successfully and do not want to fear the loss of their jobs, they should learn more about them. Here are the 9 most exciting medical robot facts.
Do you remember how Anakin Skywalker was seriously burnt and lost his legs in the third episode of Star Wars, The Revenge of the Sith? And do you also remember how robot surgeons did the best they could to save him? In the very near future, similarly amazing robots might come to healthcare to save our lives, too.
Medical robots do not only exist in sci...
Source: The Medical Futurist - June 29, 2016 Category: Information Technology Authors: nora Tags: Medical Robotics future gc4 Hospital Innovation Surgery technology Source Type: blogs
With doctors losing respect, perhaps it’s time to expose medicine’s dark side
The following is paraphrased documentation, authored by a physician I know, regarding an intoxicated patient in the ER:
1 a.m.: Patient is telling nurse, “Before I leave, I need everyone’s name for my lawsuit. Tell the phlebotomist that if he’s good, he’ll get a cut.”
1:40 a.m.: Patient is making inappropriate sexual comments and is verbally aggressive with medical staff. He is advised to stay in bed.
2:02 a.m.: Patient (who had been sleeping comfortably) wakes up and begins screaming obscenities at everyone. When a nurse asks why he was angry, he says, “What do you think, mother f*****? I will wipe your a...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 22, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Ahmad Yousaf, MD Tags: Physician Emergency Source Type: blogs
The white coat doesn’t mean much anymore
I’ll just start this off by saying that I am not exactly sure where I stand on the white coat thing. One part of me loves the white coat as a symbol, a shield against disease, and a place with pockets to put my things; and then there are other days when I just want to throw that germ-ridden cotton barrier to the doctor-patient relationship in the trash, roll up my sleeves, and just do my job without all the pomp and circumstance of an impractically-long white coat. Yes, I can opine on the history and merits of the long white coat, and then turn around and make a perfectly valid argument for why we should ditch the thi...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - May 6, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Frederick Gandolfo, MD Tags: Education Medical school Source Type: blogs
MKSAP: 68-year-old man with dyspnea on exertion
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 68-year-old man is evaluated for a 3-year history of dyspnea on exertion. He experiences no headaches or blurred vision. Medical history is notable for a stroke 2 years ago. He is a smoker with an 80-pack-year smoking history. Medications are hydrochlorothiazide, lisinopril, aspirin, and simvastatin.
On physical examination temperature is 36.7 °C (98.0 °F), blood pressure is 145/84 mm Hg, pulse rate is 88/min, and respiration rate is 16/min. Oxygen saturation breathing ambient air is 88%. He has facial pleth...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - January 23, 2016 Category: Journals (General) Authors: mksap Tags: Conditions Pulmonology Source Type: blogs
Test your medicine knowledge: 55-year-old man with elevated liver enzymes
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians.
A 55-year-old man is evaluated during a routine examination. He feels well other than mild knee pain. He drinks six to eight cans of beer per night. He has no personal history of liver disease, but his older brother was recently diagnosed with hereditary hemochromatosis.
On physical examination, vital signs are normal; BMI is 24. He is tanned on sun-exposed body surfaces. Cardiac examination is normal. Abdominal examination reveals hepatomegaly. Bilateral bony hypertrophy of the knees is noted.
Laboratory studie...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - October 10, 2015 Category: Journals (General) Authors: mksap Tags: Conditions GI Source Type: blogs
Looking a patient in the eye made all the difference in the world
“Thank you.”
Looking back on my step 1 study period, I owe my sanity to three things. Numbers 1 and 2 include my best friend and Coffee Toffee ice cream, both of whom prevented me from falling apart at the seams on multiple occasions. Number 3 is a memory from volunteering earlier in the year, and it still stands out as the sole motivating force behind me ever finding my copy of First Aid after I jettisoned it from the window in sheer disgust of biochemistry.
It was a particularly busy day at our student-run clinic, which is stationed out of a local needle exchange. Our last patient had been waiting all afterno...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - July 8, 2015 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Allison Goldberg Tags: Education Medical school Source Type: blogs
Med students are marginalized in the hospital. It’s time for that to stop.
During my third year of medical school, I would often tell my parents about my days on the clinical wards. As physicians, they were excited that I was following in their footsteps and eager to engage me in conversation about my education as doctor-in-training.
“So,” they would ask, “did you draw the blood for the labs?”
“No, I don’t think I’m allowed to do that. The phlebotomists do that job,” I’d answer.
“Wow. You guys really don’t do much,” they’d reply.
Continue reading ...
Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how. (...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - July 1, 2015 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Jennifer Adaeze Anyaegbunam Tags: Education Medical school Source Type: blogs
