There are two eye drugs that have been declared equivalently miraculous. Tested side by side in six major trials, both prevent blindness in a common old-age affliction. Biologically, they are cousins. They’re even made by the same company.
WatsonPaths: New project let IBM’s Watson work with doctors
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07XPEqkHJ6U[/youtube]
On the TV quiz show, Jeopardy!, IBM’s Watson defeated two grand-champions. Watson is the world’s smartest computer and it was matched up against two really smart humans. The quiz-show win captured peoples’ attention, but, these days, as we identify uses for Watson throughout society, it’s becoming clear that these technologies will be used primarily to augment human intelligence, not compete with people or replace us.
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Cancer care in the U.S. is failing
Communication is the key when it comes to cancer care.
A new report has been released recently by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on the state of cancer care in the United States. The IOM is a non-profit, non-governmental advisory group. To get on one of their advisory boards you have to be a national, if not international, expert in whatever field is being studied. According to the cancer advisory board, the state of cancer care in the United States is abysmal.
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Top 7 predictions for future healthcare technology
The opportunities at the intersection of health and technology will enable humanity to create health and wealth on a global scale.
Innovative technologies are going to transform healthcare in the future. They will change how we give and receive care and, ultimately, make the world a happier and healthier place to live. Here are seven predictions about where healthcare is headed:
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Giant holograms offer medical students more memorable classes
The project’s creators say their “holograms” are more memorable than two dimensional slides.
Two London-based junior doctors have pioneered a system which uses an illusionary effect to help medical students master their subject.
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When will your doctor start wearing Google Glass?
Google Glass holds a lot of promise in the medical field.
Google Glass uses augmented reality and voice activation to project data into our field of vision. The technology Google Glass is using is still in its early stages, but it holds a lot of promise in the medical field.
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Doctors are less likely to empathize with overweight and obese patients: Study
Doctors were less likely to convey “empathy, legitimation, concern, reassurance, partnership, and self-disclosure” during the course of the patient visit.
Doctors “operate at an emotional distance” from overweight and obese patients indicated by audio recordings make in exam rooms.
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51 percent of smartphone users in U.S. consult their devices for medical information
Mobile health becoming more popular among smartphone owners.
Mobile health is starting to become popular in the U.S.. In 2010, the Pew Internet and American Life Project reported that just 17 percent of cell phone owners used their devices to look up health information. But the organization said that figure has climbed to 31 percent in a new study released last week.
How easy is it for doctors to diagnose death?
How do doctors know if a patient is really dead?
This week, Newspapers reported a story about a woman who ‘returned from the dead’. Tasleem Rafiq collapsed at home and was taken to hospital in an ambulance where doctors tried to resuscitate her for about 45 minutes without success.
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Share decision making leads to better health outcomes for patients and lower costs
Shared decision making helps patients be better informed about their treatment choices and make better decisions.
Quality-improving and cost-cutting innovations don’t sit around for years while people keep muddling through with old technology in most industries. When an innovation is ready for widespread use, it disrupts the market, whether the market wants it or not. In the process, some entrepreneur usually makes a killing.
How do we stop hospitals from killing us?
Medical mistakes kill enough people each week to fill four jumbo jets
If there is even a minor airplane crash in the U.S., it makes the headlines. There is a thorough federal investigation, and the tragedy often yields important lessons for the aviation industry. Pilots and airlines thus learn how to do their jobs more safely.
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Growth of urgent care centers worries some doctors
An estimated 3 million patients visit urgent cares each week.
In Annapolis, when Emily Auerswald and her children need care for minor illnesses or injuries, they head to a shopping center that has a Starbucks, a Five Guys hamburger joint and an urgent care center. Doctors Express, an urgent care center, is open nights and weekends, and accepts walk-ins without an appointment.
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