ZaggoCare

Roberta's Blog

• Roberta’s Blog

  New Site for Finding Clinical Trials

  April 11, 2013

  It can be very overwhelming to deal with a serious illness.  As you are researching  potential treatments, you can find an endless amount of information on-line.  It can be stressful to figure out what clinical trials are are underway at facilities throughout the U.S. and the world. Now there is a My Clinical Trial Locator – a free, easy to use site to search for information on clinical trials.  You can search: For information on clinical trials, clinical research and observational studies in the U.S. and world – even those that are not open to new patients – learn: eligibility guidelines contact information Search by disease, condition, or location Find information on many types of clinical trials, including: drugs and medications medical devices medical procedures and interventions lifestyle/behavioral studies, such as those evaluating diet and exercise Visit www.MyClinicalTrialLocator.com for plenty more »

  Category: Understanding Your Diagnosis and Treatment Options

  Doctors Missing Test Result Alerts Due to Overload

  March 22, 2013

  It is common to assume that “no news is good news” when it comes to medical test results.  Don’t count on it! A study published March 4, 2013 in JAMA Internal Medicine found that some doctors are so overloaded with abnormal test result alerts, that they sometimes overlook important alerts.    This is clearly a major health issue. The study was conducted at the VA Medical Center in Houston, and involved a survey of 2,590 primary care practitioners.  A summary of the findings: Median number of alerts was 63 per day/per doctor. 86.9% of the doctors felt this was an “excessive” number of alerts. 69.6% stated that they felt they were receiving more alerts than they could effectively manage. 29.8% reported that they had personally missed abnormal test result alerts that led to delays in patient care. What can you more »

  Category: Communicating with Your Healthcare Team

  Medication Errors Common at Hospital Discharge

  January 30, 2013

  When you (or a loved one) are being discharged from the hospital, there is a lot to keep track of, including medications, home care needs, follow up appointments, etc.  Unfortunately, there is frequent misunderstanding regarding which medications to take and how to take them. A recent study led by Dr. Leora Horwitz at Yale-New Haven Hospital reviewed 377 patients (age 64+) who had been admitted with heart failure, acute coronary symptoms or pneumonia, who then were discharged to home. Findings: 81% experienced a medication error due to provider error, or because the patient had no understanding of at least one intended medication change. 24% of the medication errors were due to provider error. 60% did not understand at least one of their medication changes (a new or altered prescription, or a discontinuation of a medication, based on their recent hospitalization). more »

  Category: Hospital Issues, Medications