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Study finds similar health outcomes for pregnant patients receiving in-person prenatal care or a combination of virtual and in-office visits

A large new study by Kaiser Permanente found no significant differences in health outcomes between pregnant patients receiving in-person or multimodal (virtual + in-office) prenatal care. Rates of complications like preeclampsia, severe maternal morbidity, and NICU admissions remained steady across time periods.

SourceKaiser Permanente·JournalJAMA Network Open·DateJul 18, 2023

New study demonstrates how music therapy can be integrated across a large health system

A new study from University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center describes the scope and integration of their music therapy program within10 UH medical centers. The study examined 14,261 music therapy sessions provided to 7,378 unique patients who had been referred by 1,169 healthcare professionals.

SourceUniversity Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center·JournalJournal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine·TypeObservational study·DateJul 14, 2023

Significant variations in hip fracture health costs and care between NHS hospitals and regions, study finds

A new study by the University of Bristol highlights significant variations in healthcare spending and care delivery across NHS hospitals following hip fracture. The research found that patients who received timely orthogeriatrician assessment and physiotherapy had lower costs and reduced risk of delirium.

SourceUniversity of Bristol·JournalThe Lancet Healthy Longevity·TypeObservational study·DateJul 10, 2023

Health professions requiring advanced degrees have few Latinos

A new study by George Washington University researchers reveals that Mexican Americans and other Latinos face significant barriers to occupations in the healthcare field that require an advanced degree. The study found that despite being the largest Latino subpopulation, Mexican Americans represent one-quarter or less of the professions.

SourceGeorge Washington University·JournalHealth Affairs·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJul 5, 2023

Using emoji to measure health

Researchers argue that emoji-based language systems can improve communication between patients and physicians, particularly for vulnerable populations such as those with stroke or vocal impairments. The use of emoji can condense surveys and questionnaires, increasing response rates and appealing to patients.

SourceUniversity of California - Riverside·JournalJAMA Network Open·TypeSurvey·DateJun 13, 2023

Decreased decision-to-incision time for non-emergent cesarean deliveries improves maternal and fetal outcomes for Black and Hispanic patients

A new study from Boston Medical Center found that implementing a streamlined process for urgent cesarean deliveries improved infant Apgar scores, particularly for Black and Hispanic infants. The study reduced decision-to-incision time by 64% among all patients, with the largest improvements seen in Black and Hispanic patients.

SourceBoston Medical Center·JournalObstetrics and Gynecology·DateJun 12, 2023

Telemedicine visits cut health system employee care costs by nearly 25%

A study analyzing de-identified data from almost 11,000 total visits by Penn Medicine employees found that telemedicine visits were 23 percent less expensive than in-person visits for the same conditions. The per-visit costs of the telemedicine program averaged $380 while in-person encounters cost $493 to conduct.

SourceUniversity of Pennsylvania School of Medicine·JournalThe American Journal of Managed Care·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJun 9, 2023

Geisel study offers new insights into how Medicare fraud has spread across U.S. regions in recent years

A study by Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine found that Medicare fraud in home healthcare billing spread rapidly across U.S. regions between 2002 and 2009, driven by characteristics such as shared patients, high expenditures, and rapid growth in the number of home health agencies. The researchers developed a novel network analysis ...

SourceThe Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth·JournalSocial Science & Medicine·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJun 8, 2023

Increasing effectiveness of home healthcare in Japan

A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society found that home healthcare clinics, especially enhanced ones, provide better emergency and end-of-life care than general clinics. This research suggests a shift towards more effective home care support for an aging population in Japan.

SourceUniversity of Tsukuba·JournalJournal of the American Geriatrics Society·DateJun 1, 2023

Educational program helps medical students better understand the relationship between health and society

A University of Tsukuba program aims to enhance medical students' comprehension of social determinants of health. Over three years, student reports showed progressive improvement in their ability to focus on various aspects of SDH. This study emphasizes the need for increased integration between medical and social science education.

SourceUniversity of Tsukuba·JournalBMC Medical Education·DateMay 30, 2023

Too few primary care doctors address obesity with their patients, highlighting need for weight loss tool

A new weight loss tool called PATHWEIGH was developed to address clinician barriers in providing patient care that addresses weight. The tool has shown early success and has been implemented in a health system's primary care clinics, improving weight management efforts among patients with obesity.

SourceAmerican Academy of Family Physicians·JournalThe Annals of Family Medicine·DateMay 23, 2023

Primary care clinicians report benefits and challenges in using telemedicine during COVID-19 pandemic

A study of primary care clinicians reveals benefits and challenges of telemedicine, including ease of adoption depending on prior experiences, unclear visit triage rules, and positive impacts on physicians and patients. The technology also presents challenges such as conducting physical exams and diagnostic testing.

SourceAmerican Academy of Family Physicians·JournalThe Annals of Family Medicine·DateMay 23, 2023

Rising rates of induced labor need to be reconsidered in the context of the UK maternity services staffing crisis, study suggests

A new study suggests that increasing induced labor rates in UK maternity services without considering staffing workloads and patient care may have unintended consequences. The study highlights gaps in knowledge on home-based IOL services, with workload perceived to be increased in some cases.

SourceCity St George’s, University of London·JournalPLOS ONE·TypeSurvey·DateMay 18, 2023

How old are your bones?

Researchers developed a 'Skeletal Age' metric to assess impact of fractures on mortality, revealing a loss of one to seven years of life depending on gender, age, and bone site. The online calculator measures bone fragility to help doctors and patients understand fracture risks.

SourceUniversity of Technology Sydney·JournaleLife·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateMay 15, 2023

New research in JNCCN finds telemedicine consistently outperforms in-person visits for cancer care when both are available

A large-scale study of patient experiences with telemedicine and in-person visits found that telemedicine consistently outperformed in-person visits in terms of access to care and provider engagement. The study analyzed survey responses from over 39,000 patients across more than 50,000 visits.

SourceNational Comprehensive Cancer Network·JournalJournal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network·TypeSurvey·DateMay 8, 2023

Study finds ChatGTP outperforms physicians in providing high-quality, empathetic advice to patient questions

A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that ChatGPT's responses were preferred by a panel of licensed healthcare professionals 79% of the time. The AI model was also rated higher in terms of quality and empathy, with good or very good quality responses being 3.6 times higher for ChatGPT than physicians.

SourceUniversity of California - San Diego·JournalJAMA Internal Medicine·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 28, 2023