Health Care Through the Back Door: The Dangers of Nurse Visits
By HANS DUVEFELT
In some practices, patients with seemingly simple problems are scheduled to be seen by a nurse or medical assistant. Sometimes they can even just drop off a urine sample in case of a suspected urinary tract infection.
This is a dangerous trap. What if the patient rarely gets urinary infections, has back pain and assumes it is a UTI instead of a kidney stone or shingles on their back just where one kidney is located; what if they have lower abdominal pain from an ovarian cyst or an ectopic pregnancy?
Another dangerous type of “nurse visit” is when patients focus on one symptom or parameter, thi...
Source: The Health Care Blog - May 12, 2022 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Primary Care Hans Duvefelt Source Type: blogs
How to Convince a Older Adult with Incontinence to Wear Adult Diapers
Photo credit Mathias Konrath
Incontinence is a condition that is often difficult for a person to accept and deal with. Many seniors try to ignore this new development and carry on with their lives, but a head-in-the-sand approach usually draws more attention to the problem. There are ways to encourage a loved one to address this issue, but they require patience, understanding and a commitment to upholding your loved one’s dignity.
Pro Tip: Strike the Word Diaper from Your Vocabulary
“My parent won’t wear adult diapers and it drives me nuts!”
This is a common complaint from family caregivers whose loved ones are suf...
Source: Minding Our Elders - May 11, 2022 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Welcome To The Virtual Ward!
The expression ‘virtual ward’ is trending. But is it just the expression we hear about more often, or is there a real trend? And by the way: what is a virtual ward? And what is it good for?
It is yet difficult to find one, generally accepted definition for the new phenomenon. The same phrase is used for a number of quite different solutions. For the sake of understanding, here is what we think about when we speak of virtual wards.
“A virtual ward is a solution that supports patients who would otherwise be in hospital to get the acute care, remote monitoring and treatment in their own homes, with the use o...
Source: The Medical Futurist - April 5, 2022 Category: Information Technology Authors: Andrea Koncz Tags: TMF Artificial Intelligence in Medicine Digital Health Research E-Patients Future of Medicine Health Sensors & Trackers Healthcare Policy Telemedicine & Smartphones virtual ward Source Type: blogs
EMPEROR-Preserved Clinical Trial Review
EMPEROR-Preserved Clinical Trial is an important study which has shown benefit in patients with heart failure and a preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) [1].
It was a double blind randomized trial in which 5988 patients with class II-IV heart failure and ejection fraction above 40% were allocated to receive empagliflozin 10 mg daily or placebo, in addition to usual therapy.
The median ejection fraction noted in the study patients was 54%, with two thirds of patients having a left ventricular ejection fraction of 50% or more.
Primary outcome measure in the study was a composite of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for...
Source: Cardiophile MD - September 2, 2021 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs
Bladder-on-a-Chip and Bladder Organoids Reveal Dynamics of UTIs
Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland developed two complementary benchtop bladder models that could help in understanding the mechanisms behind recurring urinary tract infections (UTIs). The first involves bladder organoids, which allow the researchers to study bacterial-bladder cell interactions under realistic conditions, which include the 3D multi-layered architecture of the bladder wall. The second is a bladder-on-a-chip, which includes additional features that mimic the bladder environment, including the mechanical effects of bladder filling and voiding and bladder vasculature. ...
Source: Medgadget - August 3, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Materials Medicine Urology Source Type: blogs
Undetected Urinary Tract Infection
When a urinary tract infection goes undetected in an Alzheimer's patient they can become mean, delusional, dull, disoriented or worse. Undetected UTIs are common in Alzheimer's and dementia patients.Bing recommendsUrinary Tract Infection, You Can Learn From My ExperienceTo learn more about Alzheimer's and Dementia care visit theAlzheimer's Reading Room (Source: CareGiver, The)
Source: CareGiver, The - June 25, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Alzheimer's Reading Room Source Type: blogs
Rapid Diagnosis of Infectious Disease at Point of Care: Interview with Shawn Marcel, CEO of Torus Biosystems
Torus Biosystems, a medtech startup that spun out of Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, has developed the Synestia system, a point of care diagnostic tool for infectious disease. The system aims to provide rapid, point-of-care identification of pathogens, and incorporates microarray and qPCR technology.
The company reports that the system allows a clinician to run multiple tests on one device to detect all the pathogens associated with a specific disease. The run-time is rapid, with the device providing results in as little as 30 minutes, and for each sample over 1000 targets can ...
Source: Medgadget - June 24, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Diagnostics Exclusive Medicine Public Health torusbiosystems Source Type: blogs
Rapid Diagnosis of Infectious Disease at Point of Care: Interview with Shawn Marcell, CEO of Torus Biosystems
Torus Biosystems, a medtech startup that spun out of Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, has developed the Synestia system, a point of care diagnostic tool for infectious disease. The system aims to provide rapid, point-of-care identification of pathogens, and incorporates microarray and qPCR technology.
The company reports that the system allows a clinician to run multiple tests on one device to detect all the pathogens associated with a specific disease. The run-time is rapid, with the device providing results in as little as 30 minutes, and for each sample over 1000 targ...
Source: Medgadget - June 24, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Diagnostics Exclusive Medicine Public Health torusbiosystems Source Type: blogs
Did Covid and Telemedicine Finally Make the Physical Exam Obsolete?
By HANS DUVEFELT
Left to my own devices, I would be selective about when and how much of a physical exam I do: either not at all or very detailed for just those things that can help me make the diagnosis. I have no patience for boilerplate normal exams. Any doctor who uses the term PERRLA (pupils equal, round, reactive to light and accommodation) is probably faking it. First, most of the time this isn’t actually tested completely and, second, even if it’s done correctly, it has no relevance in the majority of chart notes I have found it in. I have actually seen it in office note templates for urinary tract infection...
Source: The Health Care Blog - June 18, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Physicians Primary Care COVID-19 Hans Duvefelt physical exam physical examination Telemedicine Source Type: blogs
Has Your Older Adult Experienced Sudden Personality Changes? Possible Causes
When someone we care about suddenly acts like a different person we're rightfully alarmed. Medications are frequently the cause and this can happen with anyone at any age. Since older adults generally have more fragile systems, these reactions may occur in that age group more often. Additionally, a urinary tract infection (UTI) might cause a similar reaction in an older adult.
While any time you see this, it's essential to contact a medical professional, if you're mostly looking for information, you can read more on the Egsancares blog:
Minding Our Elders: Caregivers Share Their Personal Stories. “I hold onto your book a...
Source: Minding Our Elders - June 10, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Carol Bradley Bursack Source Type: blogs
Engineered Surfaces Reduce Bacterial Attachment and Growth
Researchers at Monash University in Australia have developed a technique to create 3D engineered surfaces that reduce bacterial growth. Their approach could lead to frequently touched surfaces in healthcare facilities that result in less bacterial transmission. This should lead to a reduction in the incidence of hospital acquired infections, such as urinary tract infections in patients with urinary catheters.
Approximately 20% of patients are fitted with a urinary catheter during hospitalization, meaning a huge number of people suffer urinary tract infections. Such infections can be difficult to treat, particularly if a...
Source: Medgadget - May 24, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Materials Public Health Source Type: blogs
Wireless Smart Catheter for Bladder Control: Interview with Matt Monarski, CEO of UroDev Medical
UroDev Medical (formerly Spinal Singularity), a medtech company based in Minneapolis, has developed the IntelliFlow Bladder Management System, a wireless urinary catheter that can be controlled with the touch of a button on a remote control.
At present, patients with urinary retention may have to use up to 200 disposable urinary catheters a month. This is not only inconvenient, but can cause complications, including infection. It can also be expensive.
To address these issues, UroDev Medical has created the Intelliflow. The catheter can reside in place for a week, meaning much fewer catheter changes. A magnetic valv...
Source: Medgadget - February 23, 2021 Category: Medical Devices Authors: Conn Hastings Tags: Exclusive Urology Source Type: blogs
Will AI-Based Automation Replace Basic Primary Care? Should It?
By KEN TERRY
In a recent podcast about the future of telehealth, Lyle Berkowitz, MD, a technology consultant, entrepreneur, and professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, confidently predicted that, because of telehealth and clinical automation, “In 10-20 years, we won’t need primary care physicians [for routine care]. The remaining PCPs will specialize in caring for complicated patients. Other than that, if people need care, they’ll go to NPs or PAs or receive automated care with the help of AI.”
Berkowitz isn’t the first to make this kind of prediction. Back in 2013, when mo...
Source: The Health Care Blog - October 7, 2020 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Artificial Intelligence Health Tech AI Ken Terry primary care Source Type: blogs
Penicillin: the accident that saved many lives
Alexander Fleming in his laboratory, 1881 – 1955
There have been many happy accidents in science. Several of these were of great benefit to medicine.
For example, in 1895, a German physicist working with a cathode ray tube happened to place his hand in front of the rays and found that he could see his bones in the image projected onto the screen. Soon after that, the first X-ray images were produced.
There have been other instances where serendipity played a role in unearthing effective treatments against diseases.
THE FIND OF THE 20TH CENTURY
The most famous of these happy accidents is the discovery ...
Source: GIDEON blog - September 28, 2020 Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Kristina Symes Tags: Microbiology News Source Type: blogs
Suspension Therapy for Pressure Injuries: A Rediscovered Footnote to Nazi Medicine
Shortly after the end of WWII, a British medical officer inspecting a military hospital in Germany observed a treatment for pressure injuries developed by Nazi doctors. The officer’s name was Captain James Fulton Neil and his case report was published in the British Medical Journal along with a photograph of the unfortunate patient reproduced above. The treatment employed suspension by wires drilled into pelvic bones, and I discovered Captain Neil’s article while researching the history of wound care. This post is a summary of my paper recently published in Advances in Skin & Wound Care that describes the a...
Source: Jeffrey M. Levine MD | Geriatric Specialist | Wound Care | Pressure Ulcers - September 14, 2020 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Jeffrey M Levine Tags: Featured Medical Articles Geriatric Medicine Pressure Injuries & Wound Care bedsore bedsores decubiti decubitus ulcer Jeff Levine MD Jeffrey M Levine MD medical history pressure sore pressure sores pressure ulcer pressure ulcers Source Type: blogs
