http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Routine screening for postnatal depression in primary care - as recommended in recent guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) - do not appear to represent value for money for the NHS, concludes a study published on bmj.com today. http://www.physorg.com/news180768125.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 05:22:27 EST news180768125 Most primary care physicians active in the Medicare program work in practices with too few patients to reliably measure significant differences in common measures of quality and cost performance, according to a study in the December 9 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news179513538.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:40:05 EST news179513538 Chronic pain patients with a history of depression are three times more likely to receive long-term prescriptions for opioid medications like Vicodin compared to pain patients who do not suffer from depression, according to new research. http://www.physorg.com/news177614375.html Medicine & Health Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:50:02 EST news177614375 Adult primary care visits have increased in quality, duration and frequency between 1997 and 2005, according to a report in the November 9 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news177017417.html Medicine & Health Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:50:01 EST news177017417 As health insurers require people to base more treatment decisions on out-of-pocket costs, physicians should learn to talk to patients about money, according to researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news176650902.html Medicine & Health Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:20:02 EST news176650902 Fifty-eight percent of primary care doctors in the U.S. report their patients often have difficulty paying for medications and care, and half of U.S. doctors spend substantial time dealing with restrictions insurance companies place on their patients' care, according to findings from the 2009 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey published online today in the journal Health Affairs. The responses of U.S. doctors also stand out in the 11-country survey because the vast majority (69%) report that their practices do not have provisions for after-hours care, forcing patients to seek care in emergency departments. U.S. doctors were also far less likely to use health information technology that helps reduce errors and improve care -only 46 percent of U.S. doctors use electronic medical records compared to 99 percent of doctors in the Netherlands and 97 percent of doctors in New Zealand and Norway. http://www.physorg.com/news176620665.html Medicine & Health Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:18:23 EST news176620665 Woman are at particular risk of their primary care physicians delaying diagnosis of chronic kidney disease (CKD), according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, California. The findings suggest that educating practitioners about CKD could increase the timely diagnosis of CKD, thereby leading to improvements in care to patients and savings in Medicare dollars. http://www.physorg.com/news176293639.html Medicine & Health Sun, 01 Nov 2009 10:40:01 EST news176293639 The number of children being admitted to hospitals in England for short stays increased by 41 per cent between 1996 and 2006, according to research published in PLoS One today. The authors of the study, from Imperial College London, say this increase may be linked to a shortfall in out-of-hours primary care services, but further research is needed before they can draw any firm conclusions. http://www.physorg.com/news174821849.html Medicine & Health Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:20:03 EST news174821849 (PhysOrg.com) -- African Americans enrolled in HMOs are far more likely to use the ER and to delay getting needed prescription drugs than HMO-insured members of other racial and ethnic groups, a new study has found. http://www.physorg.com/news174152410.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:00:01 EST news174152410 Primary care physicians face limitations when evaluating patients for voice problems including hoarseness (dyphonia), according to new research presented at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in San Diego, CA. http://www.physorg.com/news173988014.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:00:02 EST news173988014 Routine use of electronic health records may improve the quality of care provided in community-based primary care practices more than other common strategies intended to raise the quality of medical care, according to a new study by RAND Corporation researchers. http://www.physorg.com/news173987022.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:00:05 EST news173987022 Community health centers have become the centerpiece of the nation's efforts to provide access to primary care for all and therefore experience a greater need for primary care providers, who already are in short supply. According to researchers at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) medical education must become a core part of the community health center mission to address this need. This call to action appears as a commentary in the October 2009 issue of Association of American Medical Colleges. http://www.physorg.com/news173555490.html Medicine & Health Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:20:09 EST news173555490 German researchers from the Institutes for General Practice in Frankfurt / Main and Jena have achieved positive results from a sustainable intervention in the primary care practice (Annals of Internal Medicine, volume 151, number 6, Sep. 15, 2009). http://www.physorg.com/news172334494.html Medicine & Health Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:20:17 EST news172334494 (AP) -- When Dr. Robert Flaherty launched a private practice in 2001, he soon found himself cramming in as many patients as possible to make ends meet, leaving little time to discuss with them the steps they could take to prevent future health troubles. http://www.physorg.com/news172073718.html Medicine & Health Sun, 13 Sep 2009 15:15:53 EST news172073718 New research, led by Dr Katrina Turner from the University of Bristol Department of Community Based Medicine, has assessed primary care practitioners' views and experiences of treating childhood obesity. http://www.physorg.com/news171548226.html Medicine & Health Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:18:23 EST news171548226 A one-year evaluation at Group Health Cooperative is the first to demonstrate the measurable benefit to both patients and staff when a primary care practice adopts a "patient-centered medical home" model. This model gives patients more time with doctors, more preventive care, and improved collaboration among caregivers. The September 2009 American Journal of Managed Care will publish the results -which include significantly fewer emergency room visits and hospitalizations. http://www.physorg.com/news171048521.html Medicine & Health Wed, 02 Sep 2009 02:30:02 EST news171048521 (PhysOrg.com) -- Many women with ovarian cancer can go undiagnosed for months because their symptoms are not always being investigated promptly, warn researchers at the University of Bristol in a study published on BMJ website today. http://www.physorg.com/news170518875.html Medicine & Health Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:21:44 EST news170518875 (PhysOrg.com) -- Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) seems to be effective when delivered online in real time by a therapist, with benefits maintained over 8 months. This method of delivery could broaden access to CBT in primary care. These are the conclusions of an article in this week`s Global Mental Health special edition of The Lancet, written by Dr David Kessler, NIHR National School for Primary Care Research, University of Bristol and colleagues. http://www.physorg.com/news170077365.html Medicine & Health Fri, 21 Aug 2009 13:00:01 EST news170077365 (PhysOrg.com) -- Many patients with complex chronic illnesses are being overburdened by their treatment, according to research by a Newcastle University academic. http://www.physorg.com/news169306690.html Medicine & Health Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:39:21 EST news169306690 When hospitalists use discharge communication software, patients and the outpatient doctors who carry out the care have better perceptions of the quality of the discharge process, according to new research published in the August issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news167026777.html Medicine & Health Fri, 17 Jul 2009 05:20:02 EST news167026777 Adverse work conditions may be to blame for the decline in the number of primary care physicians nationwide, according to a study published in the latest issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news166272511.html Medicine & Health Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:20:01 EST news166272511 An electronic system with personalized patient information shared by diabetes patients and their primary care providers improved diabetes care and clinical outcomes, found a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). http://www.physorg.com/news166118291.html Medicine & Health Mon, 06 Jul 2009 23:00:01 EST news166118291 Improved communication among patients and primary care physicians increases the chances those due for colorectal cancer screening will follow their doctors' advice and complete the procedure, a University at Buffalo study has found. http://www.physorg.com/news165514161.html Medicine & Health Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:10:01 EST news165514161 Depression in older adults too often goes unrecognized and untreated, resulting in untold misery, worsening of medical illness, and early death. A new study has identified one important remedy: Adding a trained depression care manager to primary care practices can increase the number of patients receiving treatment, lead to a higher remission rate of depression, and reduce suicidal thoughts. http://www.physorg.com/news164981188.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Jun 2009 13:07:09 EST news164981188 The value and cost-effectiveness of screening for left ventricular (LV) dysfunction remains unclear, particularly since specific, evidence-based treatments are not available for the majority of patients with preserved systolic dysfunction, reports a study in the June issue of the Journal of Cardiac Failure. http://www.physorg.com/news163937418.html Medicine & Health Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:10:36 EST news163937418 Like the emergency room seen each week on ER, emergency departments in Canada increasingly seem overcrowded and chaotic. Emergency department overcrowding has been a pressing issue across the country for the last two decades. http://www.physorg.com/news163677654.html Medicine & Health Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:01:22 EST news163677654 Improving communications skills and the use of a simple blood test could help cut the growing number of inappropriate prescriptions of antibiotics, a joint Cardiff University trial has discovered. http://www.physorg.com/news162133161.html Medicine & Health Thu, 21 May 2009 13:59:59 EST news162133161 Heart patients who receive primary care at community health clinics - especially women - are less likely to have a consultation with a cardiologist than those who receive primary care at hospitals, according to a study in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. http://www.physorg.com/news160069192.html Medicine & Health Mon, 27 Apr 2009 16:40:18 EST news160069192 According to a study by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, elderly Medicare recipients transitioning from outpatient to hospital settings were more likely to experience lapses in continuity of care in 2006 than 1996. The researchers ascribe part of the reduction in continuity of care to the increasing use of hospitalists, physicians who specialize in the care of hospitalized patients. http://www.physorg.com/news159648245.html Medicine & Health Wed, 22 Apr 2009 19:44:40 EST news159648245 Oral etoricoxib is at least as effective as other drugs commonly used for pain relief after surgery. A Cochrane Systematic Review has confirmed the effectiveness of the drug, which is sold under the brand name of Arcoxia. http://www.physorg.com/news158992301.html Medicine & Health Wed, 15 Apr 2009 05:32:17 EST news158992301