Preserving Patient Dignity (Formerly Patient Modesty) Volume 127
Discussion Blog)
Source: Bioethics Discussion Blog - July 28, 2023 Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: blogs

Policies, Techies, VCS: Musings From a Futurist
By IAN MORRISON I should’ve been in Paris last week on vacation with my wife, instead I listened in to the Policies Techies VCS:  What’s Next For Healthcare conference (I’ll explain why later).  Matthew Holt and Jessica DaMassa did a magnificent job of assembling the Who’s Who of digital health tech to wax lyrical about what the new kids on the block were up to, where it is all headed, and what it will mean for the system. (Full disclosure Matthew and Jess are friends of mine, I hired Matthew from Stanford almost 30 years ago to join the Institute For The Future (IFTF) and have watched proudly as he ha...
Source: The Health Care Blog - September 14, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Health Policy Health Tech Futurists Ian Morrison Policies Techies VCs Source Type: blogs

Learn about Clostridium difficile infection with a Medcomic
Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive anaerobic bacillus which secretes toxins (A and B) that cause diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. C. difficile is the most common infectious cause of nosocomial diarrhea. Transmission of C. difficile can occur from contact with contaminated humans and fomites. The organism contains endospores that can survive the acidity of the stomach and reach the large intestine. C. difficile colonizes the intestinal tract after the normal gut flora has been altered by antibiotic therapy. It can flourish after any antibiotic therapy, but most notably occurs with broad-spectrum antibiotic...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - January 9, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/jorge-muniz" rel="tag" > Jorge Muniz, PA-C < /a > Tags: Conditions Gastroenterology Infectious Disease Source Type: blogs

Learn about Clostridium difficile infect with a Medcomic
Clostridium difficile is a gram-positive anaerobic bacillus which secretes toxins (A and B) that cause diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. C. difficile is the most common infectious cause of nosocomial diarrhea. Transmission of C. difficile can occur from contact with contaminated humans and fomites. The organism contains endospores that can survive the acidity of the stomach and reach the large intestine. C. difficile colonizes the intestinal tract after the normal gut flora has been altered by antibiotic therapy. It can flourish after any antibiotic therapy, but most notably occurs with broad-spectrum antibiotic...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - January 9, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/jorge-muniz" rel="tag" > Jorge Muniz, PA-C < /a > Tags: Conditions Gastroenterology Infectious Disease Source Type: blogs

MKSAP: 22-year-old woman is evaluated for a flare of Crohn disease
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 22-year-old woman is evaluated for a flare of Crohn disease. A colonoscopy performed 6 months ago showed moderate, patchy, left-sided colitis extending from the descending colon to the splenic flexure. She responded to therapy with prednisone but declined maintenance therapy in advance of conceiving. She is now 12 weeks pregnant and for the past 2 weeks has experienced bloody diarrhea and left-sided abdominal pain. On physical examination, temperature is 37.2 °C (99.0 °F), blood pressure is 110/66 mm Hg, and...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - December 9, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/mksap" rel="tag" > mksap < /a > Tags: Conditions Gastroenterology OB/GYN Source Type: blogs

The accused physicians who are my colleagues
From the earliest days on the clinical wards, everyone probably worked with a senior physician who knew how to game the system. It might be doing a rigid sigmoidoscopy on admission for every patient who had a rectum — something not the standard of care forty years ago. Or maybe it was accepting a pharmaceutical company subsidized tax-deductible junket under the guise of CME at a place with sparkling white sand in February — something that might have been the standard of care 40 years ago. While people would question the propriety of these things, there did not seem to be any material challenge to the legality. And the ...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - December 2, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/richard-plotzker" rel="tag" > Richard Plotzker, MD < /a > Tags: Physician Malpractice Public Health & Policy Source Type: blogs

Reaching Beyond Delivery System Walls To Improve Colorectal Cancer Screening
Conclusion Screening rates are a product of two factors: offer rates and uptake/completion rates. With our FIT campaign we have made strides in both areas. With tools built into our EHR, we can now identify and offer tests to nearly 100 percent of the eligible population, practically with the touch of a button. At the same time, patient uptake of testing has improved dramatically, despite the fact that FIT screening must be done every year, instead of the five- and ten-year intervals required for sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy, respectively. We believe the increased uptake is a testament to what happens when we “make the ...
Source: Health Affairs Blog - March 24, 2017 Category: Health Management Authors: Theodore Levin, Joanne Schottinger and Murray Ross Tags: Featured Health Policy Lab Innovations in Care Delivery Organization and Delivery Population Health capitated payment model Colorectal Cancer Screening electronic health record fecal immunochemical test Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Source Type: blogs

Your First Colonoscopy! What to Expect
Whee! Time for a Tube Up Your Tuchus!image:wikimedia commonsBy Crabby McSlackerSo, some perspective here: for people with serious illnesses who've been through hardcore, painful, debilitating, invasive medical procedures? A colonoscopy is probably child's play. (Although let's be clear, that's just an expression. If your child actually plays this way? We need to talk).But for most people, there's at least a little trepidation. And for many, if statistics are to be believed, that fear is significant enough to skip the procedure entirely! Well sure, it could save your life and all, but really? Do you have to?There are actual...
Source: Cranky Fitness - March 12, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Crabby McSlacker Source Type: blogs

Answering Your Colon Cancer Questions with Dr. Jiang
A new study released by the National Cancer Institute shows colon and rectal cancers have increased dramatically and steadily in young and middle-age adults in the United States over the past four decades. Dr. Yixing Jiang, a Medical Oncologist at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, answers all the questions you’re now asking yourself about colon cancer. Q. What are the risk factors for colon cancer? A. The risks for developing colon cancer are: obesity; insulin resistance diabetes, red and processed meat; tobacco; alcohol; family history of colorectal cancer; certain hereditary syndromes (...
Source: Life in a Medical Center - March 6, 2017 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Hannah Braun Tags: Cancer Health Tips colon cancer maryland research study treating colon cancer Source Type: blogs

Colon cancer screening: Is there an easier, effective way?
Are you, or is someone you know, postponing their colonoscopy? Maybe it’s the idea of that prep. At best, it requires being home and near a toilet for a day. Worse, it can make people feel awfully ill. Or maybe it’s the invasiveness of the test. At best, it’s unpleasant. At worst, there can be serious complications, including an instrument puncturing the bowel, bleeding, and organ damage. It’s also time-consuming, requiring time off work for you and whoever will be driving you home. Why is a colonoscopy worth the hassle? Cancers of the colon and rectum are common, and lives can be saved with early detection. Colore...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - December 5, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Monique Tello, MD, MPH Tags: Cancer Digestive Disorders Health Healthy Aging Screening Source Type: blogs

Funtabulously Frivolous Friday Five 159
Just when you thought your brain could unwind on a Friday, you realise that it would rather be challenged with some good old fashioned medical trivia FFFF…introducing Funtabulously Frivolous Friday Five 159 Question 1 What is Metamorphopsia? + Reveal the Funtabulous Answer expand(document.getElementById('ddet468834156'));expand(document.getElementById('ddetlink468834156')) Metamorphopsia is a type of distorted vision in which a grid of straight lines appears wavy and parts of the grid may appear blank. People with this condition often first notice this when looking at mini-blinds in their home. It is associated wit...
Source: Life in the Fast Lane - September 16, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Neil Long Tags: Frivolous Friday Five amyloidosis Ashmans beats Ashmans phenomenon crying Hofstadter's law Metamorphopsia periorbital purpura Source Type: blogs

Anorectal Procedures: Thrombosed Hemorrhoids
We are going to get up close and personal this month to talk about hemorrhoids. You should be familiar with these painful offenders because half to two-thirds of people between 45 and 65 will suffer from their cruelty. (Am Surg 2009;75[8]:635.) Patients may seek emergency department care if they experience bleeding or severe pain from hemorrhoids.Hemorrhoids are highly vascular structures that are round or oval in shape. They arise from the rectal and anal canal, and sometimes appear around the anus itself. It is important to note that hemorrhoids do not have arteries and veins but special blood vessels called sinusoid...
Source: The Procedural Pause - August 1, 2016 Category: Emergency Medicine Tags: Blog Posts Source Type: blogs

Know the signs of diverticulitis!
Diverticulosis is a condition that describes small pouches in the wall of the digestive tract that occur when the inner layer of the digestive tract bulges through weak spots in the outer layer. When these diverticula become inflamed, that is called diverticulitis. Diagnosis of diverticulosis/diverticulitis is made over several methods, including a physical exam which includes a digital rectal examination, blood tests, x-rays or CT scans of organs in the abdomen, a colonoscopy or a flexible sigmoidoscopy. Treatment for diverticulosis includes a diet high in fiber, fiber supplementation if needed, plenty of fluids and exerc...
Source: Nursing Comments - November 8, 2015 Category: Nursing Authors: Stephanie Jewett, RN Tags: Advice/Education Caregiving General Public Nursing/Nursing Students Patients/Specific Diseases abdominal pain bloating diverticulitis diverticulosis fever and chills gas nausea painfule urination rectal bleeding vomting Source Type: blogs

A patient presents with painless diarrhea. What should you do next?
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 67-year-old woman is evaluated for a 1-year history of loose stools. She reports approximately four episodes per day without abdominal pain. She has not had nausea, vomiting, weight loss, bright red blood per rectum, or melena. On physical examination, temperature is 36.7 °C (98.1 °F), blood pressure is 115/85 mm Hg, pulse rate is 76/min, and respiration rate is 18/min; BMI is 25. No rashes are noted. Abdominal examination is normal. Rectal examination demonstrates normal resting anal tone. Laboratory studie...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - August 29, 2015 Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Conditions GI Source Type: blogs