Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pulmonology for September 2014. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
40 States, District of Columbia Reporting Enterovirus D68
TUESDAY, Sept. 30, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Forty states and the District of Columbia now have a total of 277 confirmed cases of Enterovirus D68, the severe respiratory illness that typically targets children, U.S. health officials are reporting.
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'Just-in-Time' Methodology Can Reduce Patient Waiting Times
MONDAY, Sept. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Having trainee physicians review cases prior to clinic hours can reduce patient waiting times, flow times, and clinic session times, according to a study published online Sept. 16 in Pain Medicine. The management process studied was first popularized by Toyota in Japan.
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AMA Launches Three Programs for Physician Wellness
MONDAY, Sept. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Physicians' personal health is a global concern and three initiatives are being developed to encourage positive change, according to a report from the American Medical Association (AMA).
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Untreated Sleep Apnea May Raise Risk of Surgical Complications
FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Screening and treating patients for obstructive sleep apnea before they have surgery may reduce their risk of cardiovascular complications by more than half, according to a study published in the October issue of Anesthesiology.
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NIH Funds Study of Malpractice Risk, Cardiac Testing Incentives
FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The National Institutes of Health has granted $2 million to study the effect of malpractice risk and financial incentives on cardiac testing.
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Experiences Trump Things, Even Before Purchase
FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- People derive value from the anticipation of purchasing something, and this anticipation tends to be greater for an experiential purchase than for a material purchase, according to a study published online Aug. 21 in Psychological Science.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Beats Tai Chi for Insomnia
FRIDAY, Sept. 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is better than tai chi for late-life insomnia, according to a study published in the September issue of SLEEP.
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Can Media Multitasking Alter Your Brain?
THURSDAY, Sept. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Multitasking with smartphones, laptop computers, and other media devices could change the structure of your brain, according to a study published online Sept. 24 in PLOS ONE.
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NSAIDs Tied to Risk of Venous Thromboembolism
THURSDAY, Sept. 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may increase risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), according to new research published online Sept. 24 in Rheumatology.
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CDC: Enterovirus D68 in 29 States, District of Columbia
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Twenty-nine states and the District of Columbia now have a total of 213 confirmed cases of Enterovirus D68, the severe respiratory illness that typically targets children, U.S. health officials are reporting.
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Lung Infections May Hamper Ability to Detect Lung Cancer
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A test used to diagnose lung cancer may not be as reliable in geographic regions where certain lung infections are more common, according to research published in the Sept. 24 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Most Doctors Are Over-Extended or at Full Capacity
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Most physicians report being over-extended or at full capacity, according to a survey conducted by Merritt Hawkins for The Physicians Foundation.
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Clinical Practice Guideline Issued for Comorbid Conditions in CVD
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Comorbid conditions must be considered when applying clinical practice guidelines to the treatment of cardiovascular disease, according to an article published online Sept. 11 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Report Identifies Game Changers for U.S. Health Care
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Imagine if doctors and hospitals got paid for providing better care, not more care, and patients had better data for making informed health choices. A new report suggests that's the direction the U.S. health system is headed.
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FDA Warns Doctors of Danger From 'Fake' Drugs
TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The number of "rogue" wholesale distributors selling fake or unapproved prescription drugs is growing, so doctors need to be vigilant when purchasing medicines, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Tuesday.
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Generic Discount Drug Program Use Has Increased Over Time
TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Use of the generic discount drug program (GDDP) for filling prescriptions with generic drugs has increased since its introduction, according to a research letter published online Sept 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Reduction of Overuse of Non-ICU Cardiac Telemetry Feasible
TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Efforts to reduce overuse of non-intensive care unit (ICU) cardiac telemetry correlate with reductions in telemetry use and considerable cost savings, according to a research letter published online Sept. 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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NIH Adds $10M to Encourage Gender Balance in Clinical Trials
TUESDAY, Sept. 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. National Institutes of Health is investing $10 million in additional funding in scientific trials to encourage researchers to consider gender in their preclinical and clinical studies.
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Health Conditions Expected to Worsen Due to Climate Change
MONDAY, Sept. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new study warns that rising temperatures and altered weather patterns in the United States may soon exacerbate many existing health risks. The study was published online Sept. 22 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, ahead of the United Nations' summit on climate change, which kicks off Tuesday in New York City.
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E-Cigarettes Don't Help Cancer Patients Quit Smoking
MONDAY, Sept. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Smokers with cancer who used e-cigarettes along with traditional cigarettes were more dependent on nicotine than those who didn't use the devices, a Memorial Sloan Kettering study found. These patients were also just as likely -- or less likely -- to have quit smoking than patients who didn't use e-cigarettes.
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Redundant Antimicrobial Therapy Is Pervasive, Costly
MONDAY, Sept. 22, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Redundant use of antimicrobial therapy is pervasive in U.S. hospitals and is associated with considerable, potentially avoidable, health care costs, according to a study published in the October issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
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Systemwide Changes Needed to Restrain Health Care Spending
FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Systemwide changes are necessary to prevent excessive health care spending, and so are tools to help consumers make better, more informed medical choices, according to a white paper published in June by Vitals.
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Presence of Peers Ups Health Workers' Hand Hygiene
FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The presence of other health care workers improves hand hygiene adherence, according to a study published in the October issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.
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CDC: Add PCV13 As Routine Vaccination in Older Adults
FRIDAY, Sept. 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released a Category A recommendation for revised routine pneumococcal vaccination in older adults. The recommendation has been published in the Sept. 19 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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CDC: Almost Everyone Needs a Flu Shot
THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Less than half of all Americans got a flu shot last year, so U.S. health officials on Thursday urged that everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated for the coming flu season. "It's really unfortunate that half of Americans are not getting the protection from flu they could get," said Thomas Frieden, M.D., director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, during a morning news conference.
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Strategies Can Help Docs Lower Their Tax Burden
THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Strategies are presented to help physicians lower their tax burden in an article published Sept. 2 in Medical Economics.
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12 States Now Reporting Severe Respiratory Illness Affecting Kids
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Twelve states now have confirmed cases of Enterovirus D68, the severe respiratory illnesses that may have sickened hundreds of children, U.S. health officials report.
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Internists Report Considerable EMR-Linked Time Loss
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Use of electronic medical record (EMR) systems is associated with considerable loss of free time per clinic day, according to a research letter published online Sept. 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Doctors Promoting Transparency With Patients
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Efforts to increase transparency among doctors are underway, according to an article published in The Boston Globe.
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Combination Therapy Deemed Best for COPD
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A combination drug therapy of a long-acting beta agonist and inhaled corticosteroid appears to be the best treatment for older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), especially those with asthma, according to a study published in the Sept. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Most Treatments for Acute VTE Appear Safe, Effective
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Almost all the various treatment options for acute venous thromboembolism are equally safe and effective, according to research published in the Sept. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Prenatal Phthalate Exposure Tied to Asthma Risk in Children
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure in the womb to household chemicals known as phthalates might increase a child's future risk of developing asthma, according to research published online Sept. 17 in Environmental Health Perspectives.
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AACR: Targeted Drugs Among Successes Against Cancer
TUESDAY, Sept. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- About 14.5 million U.S. cancer survivors are alive today, compared to just three million in 1971, the American Association for Cancer Research reported Tuesday.
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Over a Quarter of Hospital Orders Classified As Defensive
TUESDAY, Sept. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- More than one-quarter of hospital medicine services were rated by ordering physicians as at least a partially defensive order, according to a research letter published online Sept. 15 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Children's Severe Respiratory Virus Confirmed in Northeast
MONDAY, Sept. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The severe respiratory virus believed to have sickened hundreds of U.S. children in Midwestern and Western states has now spread to the Northeast, health officials report.
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Antimicrobial Prescriptions for Children Higher Than Expected
MONDAY, Sept. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Just over one-quarter of U.S. children with acute respiratory tract infections (ARTI) have bacterial illness, yet antimicrobials are prescribed twice as frequently as expected during ARTI outpatient visits, according to a study published online Sept. 15 in Pediatrics.
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Errata Frequently Seen in Medical Literature
MONDAY, Sept. 15, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Errata, including those that may materially change the interpretation of data, are frequent in medical publications, according to a study published in the August issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
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New Role of Patient As Consumer Requires Market Changes
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The new consumer retail market in U.S. health care is necessary and will benefit consumers, and as consumers take on more costs of care, access to information to help them make informed decisions is crucial, according to a recent white paper published by Vitals.
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Poverty Tied to Increased Respiratory Hospitalization Rate
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Household income is tied to significant differences in hospitalizations for ambulatory-care-sensitive respiratory conditions, according to a study published in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Researchers Support Lung Cancer CT Screen in Older Patients
FRIDAY, Sept. 12, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals aged 65 to 74 years with a history of smoking should not be excluded from screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for lung cancer, according to researchers who published their study findings online Sept. 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Physician Describes Impact of Malpractice Suit
THURSDAY, Sept. 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A family doctor who was involved in a malpractice suit describes the impact on her practice of medicine in an article published online in the September/October issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
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Fear About Disease Progression Prompts ER Returns
THURSDAY, Sept. 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Perceived inability to access timely follow-up care and uncertainty and fear about disease progression are the main reasons for return visits to the emergency department, according to a study published online Sept. 2 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
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Reanalyses of RCTs Can Lead to Different Conclusions
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- More than one-third of the small number of reanalyses of randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have implied conclusions different from those of the original articles, according to a study published online Sept. 9 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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For Some, Health Insurance More Costly Than Uninsured Penalty
TUESDAY, Sept. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For some young people in the United States, the cost of paying a penalty for not buying health insurance will be lower than the lowest-cost insurance, according to a study published online Sept. 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Sleep Not Harmed by Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity
FRIDAY, Sept. 5, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Caffeine administered for treatment of apnea in premature infants does not appear to have long-term detrimental effects on sleep during childhood, according to research published online Aug. 29 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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CDC: Respiratory Virus Affecting Children in Multiple States
TUESDAY, Sept. 9, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A respiratory virus has stricken more than 1,000 children across several states, requiring hospitalization in some and prompting concerns of a wider outbreak, health officials reported Monday.
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Report Explores Patients' Portal Preferences
MONDAY, Sept. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Patients want portals that include features such as appointment scheduling, viewing test results, and checking prescription refills, and are frustrated with unresponsive staff and poor interfaces, according to a report published by Software Advice.
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Health Care Spending Expected to Rise in 2014 Through 2023
MONDAY, Sept. 8, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- While health spending growth was slow in 2013, health spending is expected to increase in 2014 and remain higher through 2023, according to a study published online Sept. 3 in Health Affairs.
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Blog: Seven Most Common Physician Social Media Misses
THURSDAY, Sept. 4, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The most common physician social media misses and missteps can be avoided, allowing doctors to take advantage of marketing opportunities on all major social media channels, according to the author of a recent Vitals blog.
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Potential Therapy Targets for Pulmonary Hypertension ID'd
THURSDAY, Sept. 4, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The high-density lipoprotein mimetic peptide 4F can successfully rescue advanced pulmonary hypertension in rodent models, according to a study published in Circulation.
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Sleep Quality Tied to Brain Atrophy Over Time
THURSDAY, Sept. 4, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Sleep quality is associated with longitudinal measures of cortical atrophy, according to a study published online Sept. 3 in Neurology.
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E-Cigarette Vapor May Be Less Toxic Than Tobacco Smoke
THURSDAY, Sept. 4, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Secondhand vapor created by one brand of electronic cigarette harbors fewer hazardous chemicals than regular cigarette smoke, although the researchers report the finding doesn't leave e-cigarettes in the clear. The study was published online Aug. 22 in Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts.
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CVS Halts Tobacco Sales
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- As of midnight Tuesday, all CVS locations across the United States stopped selling tobacco products.
Health Highlights: Sept. 3, 2014
