Hospital care quality differs markedly by state: annual HealthGrades study
...nd insurance companies. HealthGrades also provides consumers access to information about health care providers ...gh its Web site. At http://www.healthgrades.com , consumers access profiles of more than 620,000 physicians, 5,000 hospitals, 16,000 nursing homes, 10,000 mammo...Actonel helped preserve bone quality at five years, new data show
...ound the world. Some of the nearly 300 P&G brands consumers know and use with confidence in over 160 countries around the world include: Pampers, Tide, Ariel, Always, Whisper, Pantene, Bounty, Pringles, Folgers, Charmin, Downy, Lenor, Iams, Crest, Olay, and Clairol Nice 'n Easy. Some of P&G Pharmaceuticals l...Nanoneurosurgery, search for E-T life, bioscan technology and home holograms at frontiers of optics
...uce holograms, the new method can potentially give consumers the ability to make 3-D movies of events, by using digital cameras and special computer software. Conventional holographic recording requires lasers and complicated optical systems. In contrast, Rosen and his students, David Abookasis and Youzhi Li,...Sept/Oct Annals of Family Medicine tip sheet
...ing Health System Change found that one out of six consumers with private coverage changed health plans over a one-year period, with 68 percent of those changes due to either employers changing plan offerings or individuals switching jobs. The study was based on a household survey conducted between 1996 and 19...Report cites risks associated with over-the-counter cosmetic contact lenses
...icularly among teenage girls and young women, with consumers spending approximately $180 million on them so far. Colored contact lenses are one of the fastest growing segments in the contact lens market. Because of the growing market, the report states: "American young people remain at risk as a major target o...Halloween can be dangerous for those wearing illegal costume contact lenses
... of Ophthalmology, the Eye M.D. Association, warns consumers about the dangers associated with illegally sold costume contact lenses. The over-the-counter contact lenses have been sold by unlicensed vendors at beauty salons, video stores, gas stations and flea markets. A study appearing in this month's issue ...Alcohol use increases the risk of hormonally sensitive breast cancers in postmenopausal women
...lular, or histologic, breast-cancer type. "Current consumers of two or more drinks per day had more than three times the risk of lobular cancer (a 330 percent increased risk) and a 50 percent increased risk of ductal cancer," Li said. While lobular breast cancer, which involves the lobules, or chambers in the ...Survey on total cardiovascular risk shows significant gap between patient education and action
...consumer public. Survey results also indicate that consumers perceive themselves to be healthier than in the aggregate they actually may be. When contrasting these survey results with recent CDC statistics about health habits in America, there is a significant gap between perception and reality: While 64% of...'Musical fruit' rich source of healthy antioxidants; black beans highest
...t pack even more disease-fighting power. U.S. consumers gobble up an estimated 8 pounds of beans per person each year, with pinto beans and navy beans being the most popular. Red beans also enjoy immense popularity, particularly during colder months, as a staple of chili. Although not as popular in the U....Antibiotic use on swine farms increases efficiency, profits
...ion is more efficient, there are more products for consumers at lower prices. Improved efficiency also means that fewer numbers of animals are needed to provide the same amount of product. Using less resources takes fewer farms to produce the same amount of pork, less manure is generated and you see a reductio...National vaccine advisory committee issues recommendations to strengthen supply of routine vaccines
...ketplace; improve communications among leaders and consumers - provide accurate information about vaccine supply; initiate a national campaign to emphasize the safety and benefits of recommended vaccines for the public good. Several strategies that require further study are: evaluation of appropriate financial...Trials on hormone therapy and hypertension treatment change practice, medication usage of patients
...y markets its wares relentlessly to physicians and consumers alike and exerts its own steering effects on basic and clinical research. Third-party payers are pressing for drug cost containment, patients' expectations have increased rapidly, and medicolegal pitfalls are omnipresent. Moreover, pharmacogenomics h...Drop in hormone therapy use shows physicians heed clinical trial findings, Stanford researchers say
...of the two studies, said the findings suggest that consumers and the media play a pivotal role - one that is of..."That suggests a remarkably important role for the consumers as well as the media. I think people considering health policy don't often give credence to that lev...Nutrition 21 seeks FDA approval of diabetes-related health claims
...t April that, ' . . . better health information to consumers is needed now more than ever, as the problem of obesity worsens and as millions of Americans suffer from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses that can be prevented by changes in their behavior.'" "Human clinical studies evaluating th...Study shows how well heartburn sufferers follow directions for over-the-counter Prilosec OTC
... Some health professionals have questioned whether consumers will use the over-the-counter product as intended....tion with their physicians." "The study shows that consumers can use Prilosec OTC correctly to manage their frequent heartburn", said co-author Greg Allgood, Ph....AGA launches Obesity and Nutrition Education Initiative
... issues. Educational programs will be produced for consumers in collaboration with Healthology and distributed ...health crisis by providing gastroenterologists and consumers with an array of educational and counseling tools. We believe that it is important for gastroenterol...Dietary supplements containing ephedra and caffeine may cause heart problems
...ng in $7 billion in sales," the authors write."... consumers are drawn to herbal preparations because of their nonprescription status, direct-to-consumer advertising, and the perception that natural products are innately safe. Unfortunately, the perception of safety may be the result of a lack of data." Brian ...Measures of healthcare quality are of little use to patients
...ge and inadequacy of the data available means that consumers cannot yet choose between providers on the basis of quality. In a commentary, Professor Martin McKee argues that similar problems apply to the publication of healthcare outcomes in the U.K. The Californian example shows that even with high levels of...UCSF launches comprehensive HIV website in South Africa
... physicians, researchers, policymakers, educators, consumers and others needing timely, reliable, and unbiased information about HIV/AIDS. They are continually updated and edited by internationally recognized HIV experts. More than 100 authors have contributed to the sites' content. Establishing the mirror ser......olicy Institute at Rutgers' Cook College. "Unlike consumers in many countries, Americans have a history of tru... not decrease at all, and may actually increase as consumers respond to lower prices." Consumer confidence seems to have been buoyed by the belief that farmers a...