Obese patients appear to have a significantly increased risk of developing a surgical site infection after colectomy (procedure involving either partial or full removal of the colon), and the presence of infection increases the cost associated with the procedure, according to a report published online today that will appear in the September issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ...

Surrogate decision-makers faced with the difficult task of overseeing loved ones’ medical care may find help thanks to a new decision aid aimed at patients with prolonged mechanical ventilation. According to a study conducted by researchers in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Washington who developed and tested the aid, surrogates reported the aid significantly improved the often daunting decision-making pr ...

Sufferers of serious psychological distress spend an average of $1,735 more on health care each year compared to those without the condition. However, recognizing psychological distress and treating it is often complicated for patients and their doctors. Two researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina have found those with serious psychological distress frequent their doctors more than those wit ...

Indiana University of Pennsylvania faculty members Dr. Joann Migyanka, Dr. Susan Glor-Scheib, and Dr. Jeff Fratangeli wrote and produced the first in a series of training modules designed for first responders assisting persons with autism in emergency and crisis situations. The project was supported by an external award of $27,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. ...

The high cost of health care is deterring parents from taking their children to the doctor or buying prescription medication, regardless of how much money they make or whether they have health insurance, according to a new study to be presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Denver. ...

More than a third of Americans use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and that number continues to rise attributed mostly to increases in the use of mind-body therapies (MBT) like yoga, meditation, and deep breathing exercises. The results of the study appear in the May 9 issue of theArchives of Internal Medicine. ...

A bioethics expert from the University of Abertay Dundee has denounced the public funding of homeopathy at a time where Scotland’s health budget is under unprecedented pressure. Speaking in the esteemed journal 'Bioethics', Dr. Kevin Smith says that Homeopathy is ‘ethically unacceptable’ and should be ‘actively rejected’ by healthcare and education providers. ...

Nurses in the emergency department at NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital are pioneering techniques - including the use of iPads - to improve the patient experience by eliminating or minimizing pain. The Children's Comfort Program (CCP) has expedited assessment and treatment of pain and has implemented the use of innovative techniques, such as using an iPad, to minimize discomfort and an ...

Grouping pediatric resident physicians and nurses into unit-based teams is associated with improved frequency and quality of communication, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The need for better dialogue among health care-team members is great, according to the authors. ...

A study documents reduction in hospital mortality over ten years in a children’s hospital without a Pediatric Emergency Medical Team (PMET), according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Hospital-based PMETs have been advocated as an approach to reduce rates of in-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest and mortality (death) among children ...