Latest Articles
- Fantastic voyage: The peeping pill
In the 1966 movie Fantastic Voyage, Raquel Welch and her colleagues were shrunk and injected in a miniature submarine into the circulatory system of a comatose scientist. Now we have a disposable miniaturized television camera that can be swallowed.
- Six strategies to identify and assist patients burdened by out-of-pocket prescription costs
As many as one in five people report that they did not fill a prescription in the previous year because of the cost. Physicians can help by asking about the problem and applying simple strategies to limit the patient’s costs.
- Shared medical appointments: Increasing patient access without increasing physician hours
Physicians meet with a group of patients simultaneously during a 90-minute visit. Patients get improved access and education, and physicians improve productivity.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: More aggressive approach improves outlook
Gone is the “pyramid” approach. Now, as soon as the diagnosis is established, we start a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug, usually methotrexate.
Video capsule endoscopy: A voyage beyond the end of the scopeA tiny ingestible video camera can image the entire length of the small intestine, formerly the black box of the gastrointestinal system.
- Birds, viruses, and history: The current ‘genuine adventure’
When I went to medical school, we were taught that viruses couldn’t jump from animals to humans. It looks like you can forget that rule.
- Hypoglycemia in diabetes: Common, often unrecognized
Intensive diabetes control is beneficial but increases the risk of hypoglycemia. Over time, patients may lose the ability to sense hypoglycemia, increasing their risk.
- Avian influenza: A wake-up call from birds to humans
We can hope that a pandemic does not occur—or we can take proactive steps to prevent one. In particular, we must improve vaccination rates among patients and health care workers.
- Perioperative nutrition support: Who and how
Although nutrition support can decrease postoperative morbidity and mortality, some patients do worse with total parenteral nutrition than with standard care.
- Head injury: Which patients need imaging? Which test is best?
There is often uncertainty about which patients with a head injury need an imaging test, especially if the injury appears to be minor.