Scientists at the University of Leeds investigated the hypothesis that forced air hand dryers, touted for their greenness, might spread bacteria due to aerosolization of contaminated particles. E.L.Best, et.al., recently published a study in the Journal of Hospital infection comparing the propensity of three common hand drying techniques Continue reading
Beware the drug sample trap
Drug samples are insidious. They may seem benign. They are just small quantities of a medication, dropped off in medical offices by drug company representatives, to be handed out to patients who may benefit from them. What could be more harmless than that?
Well, let’s start by defining the term “Trojan horse.” Continue reading
A long evening in the Emergency Department
It took me several days to recover from my recent long evening in the ED. I have a harder time staying up till 2:00 am on weekdays than I used to. My old body and brain do better on seven hours sleep than on four. The night started when my sister called at 6:30 pm, Continue reading
Continuing to Choose Wisely
For those who are regular readers, we have previously discussed the Choosing Wisely campaign from the ABIM Foundation and its goal to reduce unnecessary and potentially harmful testing. Some experts estimate 30% of health care spending is considered Continue reading
I am thinking about going to medical school
I recently spoke with the bright young son of a physician who is thinking about going to medical school. He spent a year in Peru after college helping people and thinks medicine would be a good life choice for him. He then spoke with several physicians Continue reading
Wikipedia is not a trustworthy colleague
The internet! It is a boon and a bane. It is a blessing and a curse. But when it comes to dispensing medical advice, the scales tip towards the negative. We have all had patients come to our offices citing information they gleaned from the internet. Some patients will Continue reading
Room to improve on antibiotic prescribing
Primary care clinicians are often caught between a rock and hard place. Antibiotic prescribing offers a classic example. The rock – patients often want antibiotics for common infections, are happier with their PCP if she or he gives them antibiotics, and Continue reading
The dose makes the poison – Paracelsus
The MMWR recently reported that in the current problem with the abuse of prescription drugs, alcohol plays a significant role in ED department visits, including opioid pain reliever (OPR) and benzodiazepine (BZP) drug-related deaths. Using the Continue reading
Influenza immunization for children
The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued this year’s policy statement recommending annual influenza immunization for all people six months of age and older.
Children under age two years are at high risk of hospitalization and complications from Continue reading
I want you to eat more fruits and vegetables…
How often have we given this advice to our patients? Fruits and vegetables offer our patients a wholesome low calorie source of color, flavor, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber. So we tell them to eat apples, strawberries, grapes, celery, and peaches and we think we are doing a great service to our patients. The problem is Continue reading