Princess Health and Unintended Consequences of Reducing Junior Doctors' Hours. Princessiccia

Princess Health and Unintended Consequences of Reducing Junior Doctors' Hours. Princessiccia

NHS UK

Gusty 18:54 Add Comment

From the Guardian, a reminder about unintended consequences.... The UK now must limit work hours of hospital house staff to the European Union limit of 58 a week. The previous limits were 72 hours "on call," and 56 working a week. Of course, the European Union regulations were not accompanied by any funds to pay for the work that house-staff could no longer do. The Guardian article describes how limitations on hospital staffing at night may mean that emergencies may not be attended by those physicians with the necessary expertise to handle them optimally. For example, the Guardian recounts how a geriatrician was required to attempt the resuscitation fo a newborn baby. Furthermore, some junior doctors charged they were coerced into falsifying reports of hours worked to avoid onerous penalties on their hospitals.

Princess Health and Unintended Consequences of Reducing Junior Doctors' Hours.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Unintended Consequences of Reducing Junior Doctors' Hours.Princessiccia

NHS UK

Gusty 18:54 Add Comment

From the Guardian, a reminder about unintended consequences.... The UK now must limit work hours of hospital house staff to the European Union limit of 58 a week. The previous limits were 72 hours "on call," and 56 working a week. Of course, the European Union regulations were not accompanied by any funds to pay for the work that house-staff could no longer do. The Guardian article describes how limitations on hospital staffing at night may mean that emergencies may not be attended by those physicians with the necessary expertise to handle them optimally. For example, the Guardian recounts how a geriatrician was required to attempt the resuscitation fo a newborn baby. Furthermore, some junior doctors charged they were coerced into falsifying reports of hours worked to avoid onerous penalties on their hospitals.

Princess Health and Guilty Plea in the Illinois Health Facilities Board Scandal. Princessiccia

Princess Health and Guilty Plea in the Illinois Health Facilities Board Scandal. Princessiccia

Chicago Medical School crime

Gusty 18:38 Add Comment

From the Chicago Sun-Times... there has been a guilty plea in the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board scandal (see our previous post here.) Jacob Kiferbaum has agreed to plead guilty to some charges, and to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. Kiferbaum was one of three indicted for a complex set of schemes allegedly to channel money from hospital construction projects, including those at Edward Hospital in Naperville, IL, and the Chicago Medical School, to the firms of the accused. (Note: the Sun-Times ran a very detailed account of the allegations here.)

Princess Health and Guilty Plea in the Illinois Health Facilities Board Scandal.Princessiccia

Princess Health and Guilty Plea in the Illinois Health Facilities Board Scandal.Princessiccia

Chicago Medical School crime

Gusty 18:38 Add Comment

From the Chicago Sun-Times... there has been a guilty plea in the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board scandal (see our previous post here.) Jacob Kiferbaum has agreed to plead guilty to some charges, and to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. Kiferbaum was one of three indicted for a complex set of schemes allegedly to channel money from hospital construction projects, including those at Edward Hospital in Naperville, IL, and the Chicago Medical School, to the firms of the accused. (Note: the Sun-Times ran a very detailed account of the allegations here.)

Princess Health and "You Smoke? You're Fired". Princessiccia

Princess Health and "You Smoke? You're Fired". Princessiccia

Gusty 09:18 Add Comment

USA Today summarizes how some companies are firing or refusing to hire workers who smoke while away from work. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle reports on a study that shows that companies who provide health insurance on average pay smokers less than non-smokers, but no such differential is seen at companies that don't provide such insurance.
Obviously, smoking is an unhealthy habit that increases risk of a number of serious disease. As a physician, I am always encouraging patients not to smoke, or to quit cigarettes. But many patients find it very hard to quit, mainly because the nicotine in cigarettes is highly addicted.
Although I continue to urge such patients to quit, and try to find ways to help them do so, I personally don't think that they deserve to be blamed or shamed.
However, the two stories above seem to illustrate, as I've said before, how companies that pay for their employees' health insurance (presumably with money that would otherwise go the employees as salary) seem to see this transfer of funds a license to control their employees' private behavior. This heavy-handed approach seems like more of an abuse of power to me than a valid approach to public health. As a physician, it's hard enough to try to get patients to quit smoking. For such a patient, losing their job because of the habit adds more than insult to injury.

Princess Health and "You Smoke? You're Fired".Princessiccia

Princess Health and "You Smoke? You're Fired".Princessiccia

Gusty 09:18 Add Comment

USA Today summarizes how some companies are firing or refusing to hire workers who smoke while away from work. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle reports on a study that shows that companies who provide health insurance on average pay smokers less than non-smokers, but no such differential is seen at companies that don't provide such insurance.
Obviously, smoking is an unhealthy habit that increases risk of a number of serious disease. As a physician, I am always encouraging patients not to smoke, or to quit cigarettes. But many patients find it very hard to quit, mainly because the nicotine in cigarettes is highly addicted.
Although I continue to urge such patients to quit, and try to find ways to help them do so, I personally don't think that they deserve to be blamed or shamed.
However, the two stories above seem to illustrate, as I've said before, how companies that pay for their employees' health insurance (presumably with money that would otherwise go the employees as salary) seem to see this transfer of funds a license to control their employees' private behavior. This heavy-handed approach seems like more of an abuse of power to me than a valid approach to public health. As a physician, it's hard enough to try to get patients to quit smoking. For such a patient, losing their job because of the habit adds more than insult to injury.

Princess Health and Wall Street Journal on "Misleading [Medical] Journal Articles". Princessiccia

Princess Health and Wall Street Journal on "Misleading [Medical] Journal Articles". Princessiccia

Gusty 13:59 Add Comment

Today's Wall Street Journal has a (front page in the print edition) article that nicely summarizes some cases of a "Worrisome Ailment in Medicine: Misleading Journal Articles." It includes such cases as the controlled trial of Celebrex that included only six-month data (when the twelve-month data failed to show a benefit). As Jeffrey Drazen, editor of the New England Journal of Medicine put it, editors have "found themselves playing a game of hide-and-seek," including "experiences where authors tried to pitch it, where they were telling you the good news and not the bad."
(NB: the link above should work without requiring a subscription.)