Volunteer speaks of “horror” effects in drug trial (Alternate coverage in German) - “First they began tearing their shirts off complaining of fever, then some screamed out that their heads felt like they were going to explode.” And people wonder why almost no medications are “Pregnancy Category A” (meaning that drug trials in pregnant humans have proven the drug safe). What drug company would want to double their liability risk? Post a Comment
Healthcare at the push of a button - “… a video-telemonitoring unit, she’s not only able to meet with her nurse and dietician by video conference, she’s also able to have her vital signs checked. The information is then sent to her doctor.” Post a Comment
Great, these are the monitor/defibrillator that my ambulance squad uses: F.D.A. Warns Medtronic on External Defibrillators - “Federal regulators have warned Medtronic that it has failed to complete legally required steps to deal with reported flaws in one of its best-selling external defibrillators.” Post a Comment
Prescription for doctors: E-mail - “In a 2002 survey by Harris Interactive, 90% of adults with Internet access indicated they want to communicate with their physicians via e-mail. But a survey last year by Manhattan Research, a marketing information and services firm, found that less than 20% of physicians communicate via e-mail.” Doctor Bob is for allowing patients email access, as am I, but Kevin, MD is mindful of two big problems: liability and reimbursement. Post a Comment
Panel Aims for Digital Health Files: “Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced Monday that he would head a new panel that would push for a national system to exchange medical records electronically.” This would make things easier for health care providers, but how would HIPPA compliance be worked in?
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“A medical device maker, the Guidant Corporation, did not tell doctors or patients for three years that a unit implanted in an estimated 24,000 people that is designed to shock a faltering heart contains a flaw that has caused a small number of those units to short-circuit and malfunction. The matter has come to light after the death of a 21-year-old college student from Minnesota, Joshua Oukrop, with a genetic heart disease.” More: NYTimes. 1 Comment