Too many patients get liver tests they don't need, which can raise fears and costs
Posted: 02 Mar 2017 06:09 AM PST
Doctors are ordering too many liver-related blood tests at the same time, new research shows, which may lead to unneeded worry, biopsies and costs. Instead of 'overtesting', the researchers say, doctors should exclude common liver issues before testing for the uncommon ones, and healthcare computer systems should help them.
Minority colorectal cancer patients report higher burden of poor quality-of-life than whites
Posted: 27 Mar 2017 11:36 AM PDT
A study of racial disparities in health-related quality of life of colorectal cancer patients revealed among several findings, that Hispanics and blacks had a higher burden of poor health-related quality-of-life (HR-QoL) than white patients and that poor HR-QoL resulted in shorter median survival. Yet Hispanics had an average survival time of 85.4 months as compared to blacks at 47.8 months and whites at 43.2 months.
Widespread conflicts of interest among patient-advocacy organizations uncovered
Over the past few decades, hundreds of patient-advocacy organizations have emerged in the United States, promoting disease research and influencing FDA and health insurer policies. Now, a new study reveals a large proportion of these organizations have funding or other connections with drug or medical device makers, yet do not adequately disclose the details of these connections or have publicly accessible policies in place describing how they manage them.