Doctors more likely to recommend antihistamines rather than cough & cold medicine for kids

For respiratory infections in children under 12, physicians are increasingly more likely to recommend antihistamines and less likely to recommend cough and cold medicines, a Rutgers study found. Antihistamines are widely used over-the-counter to treat various allergic conditions. However, these medicines have little known benefit for children with colds, and some older antihistamines cause sedation and occasionally agitation in children. […]

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Breast cancer screening: New emphasis on shared decision-making between women and their doctors

An updated guideline on screening for breast cancer emphasizes shared decision-making between women and their doctors, supporting women to make an informed decision based on personal preferences when the balance between benefits and harms is uncertain. The guideline, released by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care, is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Based on the latest […]

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Doctors issue caution over missed cancer diagnoses tied to immune disorder

Physicians who specialize in a devastating and aggressive immune disorder called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) report in a new study that extra care should be taken to ensure an HLH diagnosis doesn’t obscure possible underlying cancers. Because HLH is dangerously aggressive in its progression and attack on vital organs—often causing death—doctors frequently pursue immediate treatment for the immune disorder after a […]

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Doctors can help children, teens adhere to eczema treatment plan

(HealthDay)—Physicians can create an adherence protocol for patients, particularly children and teens, receiving treatment for atopic dermatitis, according to an article published in Dermatology Times. Lack of adherence to treatment protocols can arise for many reasons, including a lack of motivation or laziness, giving up after trying the treatment (e.g., thinking the treatment is worse or more burdensome than the […]

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Nurses outperform doctors in colorectal cancer surveillance model

Putting nurses in charge of colorectal cancer surveillance instead of doctors has shown to reduce the number of unnecessary colonoscopies and the number of cases progressing to cancer. The South Australian audit of 732 colonoscopies over three months in 2015 found that 97 per cent of procedures adhered to Australian guidelines in the nurse-led model while compliance was just 83 […]

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Doctors in California Are Prescribing Food as Medicine, and It's Keeping Patients out of Hospitals

You are probably aware that healthy eating can prevent a lot of illnesses, but it turns out that receiving proper nutrition can actually make the chronically sick healthier too. That’s why some Medicaid patients suffering from chronic or life-threatening illnesses are now being prescribed food in addition to medicine. It’s part of an effort to increase health and reduce health […]

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Payments to doctors linked to prescription practices for two cancer types

Physicians who received payment from pharmaceutical companies for meals, talks and travel were more likely to prescribe those companies’ drugs for two cancer types, a University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center-led study has found. The study was published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine. The preliminary findings were presented last year at the […]

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Payments to doctors linked to prescription practices for two cancer types

Physicians who received payment from pharmaceutical companies for meals, talks and travel were more likely to prescribe those companies’ drugs for two cancer types, a University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center-led study has found. The study was published Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine. The preliminary findings were presented last year at the […]

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Primary care doctors may be unsure when kids’ bad moods are serious or not

All children have moments of moodiness, but family medicine doctors and pediatricians may doubt their abilities to tell the difference between normal irritability and possibly bigger issues, according to Penn State researchers. When the researchers interviewed a group of health care providers, they found that the primary care providers and pediatricians were less confident than the child and adolescent psychiatrists […]

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