July 2010
23 posts
1 tag
You Should be Able to do That on an iPad
by Jared Sinclair, RN So I’m buying a car today when I struck up idle conversation with the dealer about Macs and iPads and software.
“Every computer I have is a Mac,” he said. “At home I’ve got an iMac, a Macbook, and my wife has an iPad.” He said his wife owns an interior design business and she runs it with several iMacs.
He was telling me all this while we...
Texas Medical Board Files Complaint Against Dr.... →
The accusations against Arafiles were originally made by two nurses at Winkler County Memorial Hospital, who were fired shortly after filing their complaints. They have since been acquitted.
Arafiles is likely going to get his just desserts, but for me a looming question remains: what about the hospital administrators who, either directly or indirectly, were complicit in the firing of these...
Image-Processing Algorithm Reduces CT Radiation... →
One of the scientists explains how they overcame the image-quality drawbacks of low-dose CT scans:
“When we use very low doses, the noise gets so high that it’s hard to tell what you are seeing,” said Juan Carlos Ramirez Giraldo. “With this algorithm, we’re trying to maintain both the image quality, so that a doctor can recognize the anatomic structures, and the...
Canadian Doctors Discover Coronary Artery Disease... →
Canadian peer-review at its finest:
People with a larger waistline and high triglyceride levels are at increased risk of coronary heart disease, according to a research study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Stop the presses.
(Via Science Daily.)
The Sad State of Bad Healthcare Software →
James Kwak on the overcomplicated billing code system forced upon U.S. doctors, e.g. one particular insurer split an existing eight digit billing code for a common procedure into several unique eleven digit codes:
This is already a pain for doctors. But the kicker is that the insurer’s computer system only has space for eight characters for this particular code. So the insurer sent all of the...
Essential "Death Grip" Video Collection →
From brave [little] meme:
Now, while the HTC Evo’s top-side antenna makes the issue less likely to occur in daily use, the same cannot be said for the Nexus One and G1, both of which suffer dramatic signal drops when held in a somewhat natural fashion. Do you remember the press outrage over those two?
Nope. I wonder what Steve has to say today.
Update: Google is Evil After All →
Google has agreed to censor “law-breaking content” as part of their newly renewed relationship with the Chinese government. Shame!
iPhone, Android or Blackberry? The right... →
Iltifat Husain:
Just look at our top 10 list of free medical apps on the iPhone verse the top 5 list of free medical apps on the Android. We struggled to find quality free applications on the Android. We set out to find 10 free medical apps for the Android, but had to stop at 5 because of the lack of quality free apps.
The entire Android experience is so fractured and befuddling, from UI design...
First LRSA Outbreak Found in Spain →
Researchers have reported that twelve cases of hospital-acquired linezolid-resistant staphylococcus aureus (LRSA) were found in an ICU in Spain in 2008. Although isolated cases have been found in other countries, they believe that this is the first true LRSA outbreak.
Kristina Fiore reports on this particular hospital’s history of MRSA infections:
MRSA is endemic at the facility, the...
How to implement CPOE successfully at your... →
John Halamka, MD from Beth Israel Deaconness Hospital:
At BIDMC, we took a lesson from Amazon.com. If you can order a DVD in one click, why should a renal dosed antibiotic, heparin or insulin be any different? We engineered a quick picks system that enables a doctor to click on a drug name, then have it dosed, interaction checked and routed to the pharmacy in one click. Pick the right patient...
China Renews Google’s License →
I’m adding this story to the growing list of news items I thought I would never read regarding China. Another example is workers striking for middle-class wages. It’s no wonder Memphis public schools are replacing French classes with Mandarin.
iPads Eligible for Tennessee's Annual Tax-Free... →
I’d be buying it again if only it had a retina display.
Two HIV Antibodies Discovered, Effective Against... →
Peter Kwong, Ph.D:
The discoveries we have made may overcome the limitations that have long stymied antibody-based HIV vaccine design.
HIV is the most well-studied virus in science, yet nearly thirty years later we still don’t have a vaccine. Hopefully we’re now one giant step closer.
Bob Wachter on the Mark Midei Scandal →
Mark Midei is a cardiologist from Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Towson, Maryland who has been accused of placing more than 500 coronary stents in patients who didn’t need them. Bob Wachter, MD poses an interesting question about the cath lab nurses there, and what they might have known:
But cardiologists don’t perform caths on desert islands – they are assisted by cath techs and nurses. In my...
FDA Approves Implantable Micro-Telescope →
VisionCare’s device is designed to treat macular degeneration. Implanted behind the cornea, it magnifies the view 2.2 to 2.7 times, focussing light on the intact portion of the retina.
Man Dies Watching "Twilight: Eclipse" →
I don’t know what to say about this.
Big Bang Big Boom by BLU →
An amazing nine minute (!) animation created entirely out of enormous graffiti.
200 Patients Whose Echocardiograms Were Never Read... →
Harlem Hospital Center cardiologists allowed a backlog of 4000 echocardiograms to go unread for over three years. After this information was made public on Tuesday, the hospital finally enlisted the help of a cardiologist from another hospital to begin reading the tests:
The doctor, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared his job would be in jeopardy, said it was “preposterous”...
Murfreesboro GOP Tries to Block New Mosque →
Bill Ketron, state senator (R-Murfreesboro):
Is it truly a church or is it a training center? What if they put in something that’s dangerous to the citizens or the children of the neighborhood? There should be notice of what’s changing. Does the KKK have a church? Do snake handlers have a church? Those are things that should be brought out to the general public.
Yet another reason...
Epic: Healthcare's Best EMR Software →
Oh, man, I wish I could use their software at work. Three reasons why:
Ninety-five percent of HIMSS Stage 7 hospitals are using Epic’s software. That’s got to count for something. (Find out what the stages mean here.)
They have an iPhone app, and it looks good from here.
They’ve heard of the iPhone.
CT Scan Lab Designed by Jeff Koons →
Rx Art, a non-profit group of artists that create installations for hospitals, enlisted the help of Jeff Koons to decorate a CT lab at Advocate Hope Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Flickr set available here.
Is It Plugged In? →
A great patient story, emailed to Paul Levy, CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital:
[The doctor] gave me an EKG. She gave me another EKG. She called another doctor. She ordered a portable chest X-ray. She gave me a nebulizer treatment. This all lasts until nearly midnight….The respiratory therapy guy comes, but before he gives me the mask, he firmly attaches the oxygen tubing to the oxygen...