Sunday, September 11, 2011

Medical news

Since I had to spend yesterday outside at a park, I dragged a pile of dusty old journals with me to do some reading. And I learned that:


Patients who have migraines with nausea are more miserable than patients who have migraines without nausea (though neither group liked having them).

Pain Medicine News, August 2011


The best predictor for improvement in a chronic migraine patient is that they have fewer migraines.

Neurology, February, 2011.



Cancer patients with frequent pain have a lower quality of life than cancer patients with no pain.

Pain Medicine News, April, 2010



People on higher doses of narcotics are more likely to accidentally overdose than people on low-dose narcotics.

Pain Medicine News, April, 2010




14 comments:

Tracy said...

Were all these articles written by Captain Obvious, MD? Hey, I've got one: More women will come to the ER to have an object removed from their vajayjay than men.

Julie said...

surplus grant money results in useless studies?

Anonymous said...

I'm a nursing student, though at times I think I should have opted for a course in mortuary cosmetology. Each semester we are required to write a review of a selected article from a nursing journal. Last semester I reviewed a research study which sought to find the key term that defined the nurse patient relationship in a clinic for patients with eating disorders. The researchers created a questionnaire to collect data, and then coded the results. The data was then fed them into a computer for analysis. The dedicated research team reviewed these results using a methodology which was described in several incomprehensible pages which I assume were supposed to give credibility to this experiment Their conclusion was that CARING was the key word in the nurse patient relationship. Part of our assignment is to explain what we learned from the selected article. I repeatedly have points removed for failing to answer the question. If I chose to answer honestly, I would be at high risk for expulsion. Gag me with a speculum

Library-Gryffon said...

It's part of the "you must publish to keep your position/get promoted" mentality. I remember reading in a Library Science journal a study on browsing habits in public libraries which concluded that people were more likely to check out books shelved between waist and eye height, an amazing piece of info that retail sales figured out a century or more earlier. Which is one reason why I never applied for a library job at a university where librarians are faculty - I didn't want to have to do a stupid study to justify my existence.

clairesmum said...

oy vey, our tax dollars at work! the kin to these medical researchers are the strategy researchers and the policy analysts!!
all the buzz right now is care transitions and care across settings - at least in the geriatric care world. I feel like a dinosaur when I say 'what about giving nurses in the hospital, VNA, and nursing home TIME to do this teaching/planning/coordinating?" Everyone is big on collaborating and creating interagency networks, etc. - to access federal money that is coming - but no one is looking at improving the actual interactions with the patient and family. A new batch of acronyms, forms, slogans, etc. means not one thing to an older person with CHF who just wants to go home!
thanks for the temporary use of your soapbox, Dr. Grumpy.

thethingspatientssay said...

There was a study back in 2008 that said college students get drunker the cheaper the drinks are. Amazing results...

Loren Pechtel said...

Are these by any chance reprints from Duh!

Anonymous said...

Wow. Bet you're glad you spent time reading those. That's an hour of your life you will never get back.

Anonymous said...

Double Duh!

cliffintokyo said...

Good topic. Great comments.
Another Duh!?
The more pressure we put on people to publish, the greater the amount of stunningly brainless drivel they produce?

WV "Suirs"
I have a fancy to pronounce this as 'sewers', but perhaps that's a bit too facile, in this context?

Anonymous said...

Astounding!

Subspecialists out there.....has this quarters US News Report come out yet (I think I have the exact title wrong)? The next issue includes the top 1% doctors in the country!

Check and see if your listed Ibee?

Hope this week's patients are gentle on your mind. Maybe Annie and Mary could spread they crazies out a little bit??? Unless you have too many for that!

Packer said...

Well, am I the only one who is slapping his forehead with the palm of right hand this AM to learn of all these wonders.

Anonymous said...

yes, I wrote that study on migraines. it is true that people with migraines that have nausea and vomiting feel worse than anything... especially when you get splashed with your own vomit while heaving over the toilet. I can't imagine why people wouldn't like a migraine... I mean DUH!

Anonymous said...

sounds like the pharmacy studies that show that a patient who is on triple therapy with warfarin, aspirin, and clopidigrel is more likely to have a serious bleed than a person on just aspirin or warfarin. Well, DUH.

wv: stattous. Publishing drivel will up your stattous within academia

 
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