Women Working in Health Care Face Burnout at Higher Rates Than Men

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 26, 2024
• Full Page

Women working in health care endure significantly more stress and burnout compared to their male co-workers, a new review concludes.

Gender inequality, a poor balance between work and life and a lack of workplace autonomy all create pressure on female health care profess...

Stress, Lack of Child Care Driving Many Doctors to Quit

• Carole Tanzer Miller HealthDay Reporter
• February 15, 2024
• Full Page

Doctors are bailing on the profession for a reason that may surprise their patients.

It's not frustration with government rules or cumbersome insurance requirements, but problems securing suitable childcare for long and ever-changing working hours, a new survey published...

Half of U.S. Health Care Workers Say They've Witnessed Racism Against Patients

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 15, 2024
• Full Page

Nearly half of health care workers nationwide say they've seen discrimination against patients while on the job, a new report reveals.

While 47% of health workers said they've witnessed discrimination against patients in their facilities, 52% said racism against patients...

Doctor 'Alert' Warnings Helped One Health System Reduce Unnecessary Tests

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 12, 2024
• Full Page

The doctor tapped at his computer, ordering a routine prostate exam for an 80-year-old man, when a dramatic yellow alert popped up on the patient's electronic health record.

"You are ordering a test that no guideline recommends," it warned. "Screening with PSA can lead t...

Americans Have One Trusted Source for Info on COVID Vaccines

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 8, 2024
• Full Page

A doctor or nurse might be the only person capable of convincing a vaccine-hesitant person to get the COVID jab, a new study shows.

Those who trust the medical profession are most likely to get vaccinated against COVID, despite their initial hesitancy or resistance, acco...

Doctors Are Excited, Concerned About AI's Role in Medicine: Poll

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• December 15, 2023
• Full Page

American physicians have mixed feelings on the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) into mainstream medical practice, a new survey shows.

The survey of nearly 1,100 doctors, conducted...

ChatGPT Performs Well as 'Partner' in Diagnosing Patients

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• December 12, 2023
• Full Page

Doctor's brains are great decision-makers, but even the smartest physicians might be well-served with a little diagnostic help from ChatGPT, a new study suggests.

The main benefit comes from a thinking process known as "probabilistic reasoning" -- knowing the odds that s...

State Abortion Bans Have New Doctors Staying Away

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• December 6, 2023
• Full Page

States that ban abortion could be headed to a brain drain when it comes to up-and-coming medical professionals.

Three out of four future U.S. doctors say state access to abortion is a key factor in choosing where they'll apply for their residency training, according to a...

Doctors: Want Patients to Lose Weight? Stay Upbeat

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• November 7, 2023
• Full Page

When doctors advise patients to lose weight, an optimistic approach is more likely to get results.

Researchers found that patients were more likely to participate in the recommended program and shed pounds if doctors presented obesity treatments as an "opportunity."They ...

Many U.S. Health Care Workers Face Harassment, Burnout

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• October 25, 2023
• Full Page

Health workers are experiencing ever-increasing levels of harassment and burnout in the wake of the pandemic, a new federal survey has found.

Reports of harassment on the job more than doubled during the pandemic years, and nearly half of health care workers often experi...

A Doctor's Empathy Can Be Key to Breast Cancer Care

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 18, 2023
• Full Page

A breast cancer diagnosis often causes anxiety and depression, but an empathetic doctor can help.

Supportive communication is key to reducing patient uncertainty and promoting mental well-being, Rutgers University researchers have found.

"Our findings suggest that ...

Abnormal Result on a Cancer Screen? Your Family Doctor Could Be Key to Follow-Up

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• October 13, 2023
• Full Page

Extra efforts by primary care doctors to reach out to patients who need follow-up after an abnormal cancer test result leads to better results in getting that care, a new clinical trial shows.

The trial involved nearly 12,000 patients who were receiving care at 44 primar...

AI Gets High Marks From Doctors in Answering Medical Questions

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• October 3, 2023
• Full Page

The ChatGPT artificial intelligence (AI) program could grow into a source of accurate and comprehensive medical information, but it's not quite ready for prime time yet, a new study reports.

ChatGPT's responses to more than 280 medical questions across diverse specialtie...

Stigma, Even Harm Common When Transgender People Meet With Doctors

• Sarah D. Collins HealthDay Reporter
• September 26, 2023
• Full Page

Transgender people have a tough time receiving adequate medical care due to issues like voyeurism, being treated as abnormal and even being denied care due to their gender identity, a new study finds.

"I would say what I read was not surprising at all, based on things I...

Helping Undocumented Immigrants Find a Primary Care Doc Lowers ER Costs: Study

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 21, 2023
• Full Page

Helping undocumented immigrants in the United States connect with primary care doctors could be a money-saver, substantially reducing emergency department use and lowering health costs, a new study finds.

The findings are from a New York City program that helped arrange ...

Few Doctors, Spotty Internet: Finding Mental Health Care Tough for Many Americans

• Sarah D. Collins HealthDay Reporter
• September 20, 2023
• Full Page

Nearly one in five counties across the United States lack psychiatrists or internet service, making it difficult for around 10.5 million Americans to find mental health care, a new study shows.

The counties examined in the study were more likely to be in rural areas, ha...

Doctors Working With Trans Kids Oppose 'Unsafe' State Bans

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 19, 2023
• Full Page

A new survey of U.S. doctors specializing in the care of transgender kids finds they're alarmed by pressure to limit patient care, threats to personal and patient safety, and the possibility of legal action.

"The increasing number of bans on gender-affirming care in...

ADHD Drug Errors Among Kids Have Quadrupled in 20 Years

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 18, 2023
• Full Page

Over 3 million American children now take medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but new research shows medication errors have spiked nearly 300% in the past two decades for these kids.

The increase in ADHD medication errors parallels the increas...

Doctors Often Wary of Asking Patients About Guns in the Home

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 18, 2023
• Full Page

It's an important health topic, but both adult patients and their primary care doctors shy away from discussing firearms and gun safety, a new survey finds.

While they may discuss a variety of health risks, firearm safety isn't often one of them, the study from Michigan ...

Survey Finds Racism Against Asians Common in Medical Field

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 14, 2023
• Full Page

Asian-American medical professionals commonly experience racism from both peers and patients, claims a new survey that documented myriad slurs and a lack of support.

Researcher David Yang, an emergency medicine fellow at Yale School of Medicine, studied the issue because...

Across America, Many Who Need a Neurologist Live Too Far From Care

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 14, 2023
• Full Page

Many Medicare patients can't get help close to home for brain and nervous system issues.

Nearly 1 in 5 Medicare recipients in the United States live at least 50 miles from their neurologist.

"Our study found a substantial travel burden exists for some people with n...

Most Folks Who Need Colon Cancer Screening Aren't Reminded by Doctors

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• September 12, 2023
• Full Page

Many Americans are behind on recommended colon cancer screenings -- and their doctors often fail to remind them, a new study suggests.

The study, by the American Cancer Society, focused on a nationwide sample of more 5,000 Americans who were overdue for colon cancer scre...

Cancer Care Tougher to Access in U.S. If English Second Language

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• September 11, 2023
• Full Page

Much has been made of how a lack of English proficiency can interfere with a patient's ability to interact with their doctor and get the best health care possible.

But language barriers can prevent cancer patients from even getting in the door for a first visit with a sp...

Female Surgeons Bring Better Outcomes for Patients, Two Studies Show

• Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
• August 30, 2023
• Full Page

The field of surgery has long been dominated by men, and still is today.

But two new studies show that if patients want safe, effective long-term results, picking a female surgeon might be key.

In one study involving more than 1 million Canadian surgical patients w...

Eat Your Veggies:  Writing 'Produce Prescriptions' Could Boost Patients' Health

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 29, 2023
• Full Page

An apple a day may be just what the doctor ordered.

New research on "produce prescription"programs finds that when access to free fruits and vegetables is offered, recipients see measurable benefits in health and hunger.

"To me, this shows that there's a very stron...

1 in 5 U.S. Women Say They've Been Mistreated During Maternity Care

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• August 22, 2023
• Full Page

From receiving no response to cries for help to being verbally abused, 1 in 5 U.S. mothers say they were mistreated by a health care professional during pregnancy and delivery.

Rates of mistreatment during maternity care were higher among Black, Hispanic and multiracial ...

Nurses, Other Health Care Workers at High Risk of Drug Overdose

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• August 8, 2023
• Full Page

As the United States wrestles with soaring drug overdose deaths, new research finds that nurses, social and behavioral health care workers and health care support workers are at particularly high risk.

Compared with employed adults who are not health care workers, ...

Are These Pricey New Alzheimer's Drugs Worth It?

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• July 24, 2023
• Full Page

Breakthrough new drugs that clear amyloid beta plaques from the brain are shaking up the field of Alzheimer's disease research.

The fact that patients' mental deterioration slows when they're on anti-amyloid drugs is solid proof that abnormal amyloid proteins are one of ...

Black Patients More Likely to Trust Medical Videos When Black Doctor, Patient Is in It

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• July 20, 2023
• Full Page

The need to increase racial diversity among U.S. health care providers is important for many reasons. Among them, Black patients are more likely to believe Black physicians or patients than sources who are white, new research finds.

The race of the presenter in videos ab...

AI Came Close to Residents, Medical Students With Clinical Reasoning in Studies

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• July 19, 2023
• Full Page

ChatGPT may have some of the reasoning skills doctors need to diagnose and treat health problems, a pair of studies suggests -- though no one is predicting that chatbots will replace humans in lab coats.

In