It turns out that electronic medical test results are a lot like email: many get lost in the digital shuffle.
Clinical Practice
One Colonoscopy May Be Enough to Prevent Colon Cancer for Some
Colonoscopies prevent cancer and save lives, but patients don’t like them. Could less invasive screening tests work just as well?
TIME’s Mobile Tech Issue: Better Care Delivered by iPad, M.D.
In hospitals, tablets save serious time — and let patients see their health in high res
Prostate Cancer Screening: Why Can’t Doctors Agree?
According to a U.S. government advisory panel, almost no one should get screened for prostate cancer. But a new study this week reflects the continued view of many physicians — that screening does help to catch tumors earlier. …
Diagnosing Heart Disease, Faster
Adding a test can help doctors diagnose heart disease among people who arrive in the emergency room with chest pains. The test helps patients get home faster — but the jury’s still out on whether it’s good for them overall
Prescriptions for Kids: ADHD Meds and Birth Control Pills Are Up, Antibiotics Are Down
The FDA reports that drug prescriptions for kids have dropped overall since 2002, but while the use of certain drugs like antibiotics fell, prescriptions for others, including ADHD meds, increased significantly.
CT Scans in Childhood Can Triple the Risk of Cancer
Children who underwent multiple CT scans had three times the risk of brain cancer and leukemia later on. Overall, however, researchers say the risk of cancer is still small, while getting a necessary scan can potentially save a …
The Chronic Fatigue Retraction: Good Science Takes Time
It was a long time coming: a journal retracts a controversial 2009 paper linking a virus to chronic fatigue. The good news? Faulty data can’t hide.
House Watch: The Return to Princeton Plainsboro
A football game pushed House M.D. out of its time slot last night, so my DVR missed it. I watched this morning on iTunes, so sorry for the delay. And a serious spoiler alert this week: if your DVR also had Terra Nova where House …
House Watch: The Return of TV’s Most Important Medical Drama
With its eighth-season premiere on Monday night, House M.D. graduated into an elite status of TV dramas that survive beyond seven years. Among the others are Law & Order, E.R. and C.S.I. — all of them procedurals.
Anesthesia May Put Kids at Risk for Learning Disabilities
It’s not often that infants need multiple surgeries in the first two years of life, but for those who do, there may be long-terms risks associated with visits to the operating room, a new study finds.
Scientists Back Down From Viral Cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
A new paper published online in Science on Thursday has failed to confirm a link between a mouse retrovirus called XMRV and chronic fatigue syndrome. Along with the new study, the authors of the controversial original study that …
House Watch: The Season Finale Edition
House M.D. completed its seventh season last night with a giant crash, one that would seem to divide House from Princeton-Plainsboro forever. More details (and diagnoses in bold) below — but first:
