Second Opinion

Doctors have a moral, ethical and legal duty to inform patients of their medical results.  But, do patients have a right to NOT be told crucial medical information?

Florence Nightingale is known as a champion of  nursing  but she did much more….

The long journey for Remdesivir starting with a deadly cat disease

Medical journalists need to slow down and do their homework before reporting on new research.  Covering medicine is not a race, but a slow evolving process.    

In many of those countries stigma around the disease plays an important role.  Today we look at Tunisia and the role stigma plays in managing COVID.

Thinking about COVID-19 may different around the world

With each epidemic there are important lessons to be learned.  When we do not learn from these lessons, the next time around we are bound to make the same errors.

In some ways we have only ourselves to blames for our changing planet and its relationships with diseases.

For generations we’ve know that when we are watched, or think we are being watched, our behavior changes.  How can we use this to improve health?

The Affordability Care Act (aka Obama Care) turns ten this month.  Despite a decade of challenges and opposition from some, the bill remains broadly popular and has improved our health in many ways.  Without it, many who get sick from COVID would have been left without access to health care or with enormous bills.

No drug, no matter how good, should escape regular scrutiny in terms of whether it is still needed and do the benefits outweigh the risks.

Physicians, nurses, and others at UCD are faced with a time-honored dilemma do they assume some risk to themselves to provide care to the public?

Without more research we could be under-utilizing the benefits of cannabis or over using the drug and causing additional problems.  There’s only one way to find out, and that’s with well conducted research.

Full disclosure of hospital charges and POOMS (patient oriented outcomes that matter to us) will help drive the system toward higher quality care and lower costs.

Sometime simple solutions can have huge benefits.  A group of nurses found putting some money where the mouth is can save lives and reduce costs.  The cost?  $1.35.

Is the spread of global disease the new normal?

First SARS, then MERS, and now N-Corona suggest we have a new normal.

There are many social determinants that greatly impact health, but one that takes place within the health care system is implicit bias. 

N atural gas isn’t as healthy as producers maintain, and it’s health impacts aren’t just on humans. 

Health care costs continue to rise, and much of this is due to unnecessary tests and procedures that do not improve length or quality of life.  One area that is rarely discussed are clinical laboratories that push doctors to do tests that are simply not needed.

Americans spend twice what other developed nations spend on health care and we certainly are not any healthier because of that spending

Collecting a good family medical history can be useful for the entire family.

Schools should serve as safe places for HIV infected children - a place where they can receive support and encouragement. But, in Uganda where HIV still carries stigma schools can create havoc for infected children.

Despite large barriers, Romania struggles to provide its 20 million citizens with adequate health care.

We are more than just the sum of our genes - the environment in which those genes work can have a large impact on our physical and mental health.