Having to go to the hospital is not something people look forward to. It typically is done with a doctor’s direction and with some forethought as to what the problem is and what treatment will be delivered. If the problem that you’re experiencing is an emergency, chances are you don’t even give a lot of thought about what hospital...
Read MoreAs much as we might want eliminate every risk of a deadly mistake being made in the delivery of medical care or the performance of a surgical operation, the fact is that medical professionals are only human. That does not mean that we can’t and shouldn’t do all we can to create systems aimed at reducing the chance of...
Read MoreAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were about 4 million children born in the United States in 2012. Most of those children were born without trouble. The CDC says that about one in every 33 of those babies was born with a birth defect. Some of those conditions couldn’t have been prevented. But in other...
Read MoreIn 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act became law. The world of health care has not been quite the same since. Some may argue that most of the resulting change has been for the better. Many others, including some patients, might argue that HIPAA is more trouble than it’s worth. Every time you see a doctor it...
Read MoreThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates more than 20 million people in the United States suffer from chronic kidney disease. Diabetics or individuals with elevated blood pressure are considered to be at higher risk than others of suffering the condition. In fact, the American Diabetes Association says diabetes is the main cause of end-stage kidney disease and...
Read MoreA new study has found that even mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can lead to permanent cognitive impairment. The study, published in a recent edition of the medical journal Neurology, focuses on the use of a very specialized form of MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging. The test, called DTI, or diffusion tensor imaging, provides an image of the brain...
Read MoreMany doctors consider their profession an art. Medicine has its creative aspects to be sure, but it is more deeply rooted in science. Anatomy, biology, chemistry are all aspects of medical practice and discoveries mean diagnostic methods and standards of care are constantly being refined. Today, we are at a point where nearly every specialty has its own set...
Read MoreResearchers who study patient safety say that hundreds of thousands of Americans die every year as a result of errors in care delivered in the nation’s hospitals. Depending on who is offering up the numbers, death estimates run anywhere from about 200,000 to 440,000 annually. Making the numbers all the more disturbing is that these deaths are considered preventable....
Read MoreIt sounds like something out of science fiction but brain researchers at a number of centers around the country hope to make it science fact. The question they are tasked with answering is whether it is possible to create a device that would help victims of severe brain injury recover one of the most elusive of faculties — the...
Read MoreWhen the car is broken, you take it to the mechanic. When your body is broken, you take it to the doctor. Sadly, though, it is probably fair to say that when it comes to gauging the quality of care we receive in either instance, chances are good we’re more confident in the value our mechanic is delivering to...
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