Canadian Physicians: No To Genital Mutilation, Yes To Decapitation?

The Canadian Medical Association’s abortion policy is self-serving and lethal. BY Stephanie Gray Tweet In a contradiction of great proportion, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has passed a motion to foster a public debate on end-of-life care, yet they are closed to debating when the very lives some doctors may end first began. The Globe and Mail reported, At the general council meeting of the [CMA] on Wednesday, delegates called on the federal government to reject attempts by a Conservative backbench MP to amend the Criminal Code so that a fetus is defined as a human being. The CMAs own report said that Quebec physician, Dr. Genevieve Desbiens, who brought the motion, said the aim was to prevent a backdoor attempt to reopen the abortion debate. What is she afraid of? Canadians realizing that where you are does not determine what you are? Canadians realizing that since the pre-born are human and abortion slaughters those humans, that any physician involved with killing would be, uh, I guess guilty of killing? That wouldnt reflect so well on the profession that is supposed to shed blood to heal, not shed blood to kill. And people might want to pick another doctor. Oh waitthey would be forced to, for the doctor wouldnt be available to practice medicine from jail. And it seems incarceration is a concern for this Quebec physician: The Globe reported that Dr. Desbiens also warned that doctors who counsel or provide abortion services could become criminals. Wait a minute: If the pre-born are human, and if abortion dismembers, decapitates, and disembowels those humans, whats wrong with classifying those who do the cold-hearted deed as criminals? Dr. Desbiens attitude is self-serving and lethal. Dont consider whether abortion kills the youngest of our kind. No, just make sure you dont put her or her profession-betraying friends in jail. That wouldnt be very nice. Just let them continue to shred the youngest of our kind in peace. Delivering babies involves working at all hours of the night; killing them, however, is a quick way to make cash during regular business hours. If some physicians wish to choose the latter instead of the former, shouldnt they be allowed? Actually, not according to the CMAs Code of Ethics. Clause 9 of their Code clearly states that physicians must refuse to participate in or support practices that violate basic human rights. And the right to life, which abortion violates, is guaranteed in both our Charter as well as the UNs Declaration of Human Rights. Further, the UNs Declaration of the Rights of the Child goes so far as to say the child, by reason of his physical and mental immaturity, needs special safeguards and care, including appropriate legal protection, before as well as after birth. The UN considers that prenatal protection is so important, that in article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a document it adopted, it says capital punishment shall not be carried out on pregnant women. What makes a pregnant woman different from a non-pregnant one? The existence of another individual. And this is where Dr. Desbiens would do well to read her own code of ethics. In Policy 4 of the Quebec Code of Ethics of Physicians it says, A physician must practice his profession in a manner which respects the life, dignity, and liberty of the individual. Now perhaps Dr. Desbiens would say the pre-born arent individuals. Well if they arent, then what are they? And how is her definitionsiding with the Criminal Codethat they arent human until out of the mothers body, at all scientific? She would do well to also heed Policy 6 of the code which says, A physician must practice his profession in accordance with scientific principles. Science clearly teaches that if something is growing its alive, and if you have human parents you are human offspring. Science teaches that life begins at fertilization. Finally, it is worth noting that while some physicians seem okay with killing children, most are not okay with mutilating them: Consider the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC and Ontario which have policies against female circumcision. Ontario goes so far as to say performance of, or referral for, [female genital cutting/mutilation] procedures by a physician will be regarded by the College as professional misconduct. Lets get this straight: Its professional misconduct to mutilate but okay to decapitate? Stephanie Gray is the co-founder and executive director of the Canadian Centre for Bioethical Reform, and author of A Physicians Guide To Discussing Abortion .

click to read http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/canadian-physicians-no-to-genital-mutilation-yes-to-decapitation

US physician practices spend 4 times Canadian practices

Administrative costs incurred by U.S. physicians and staff are estimated to be at least $82,975 per physician each year. “If U.S. physician practices had administrative costs similar to those in Canada, the total savings for U.S. health spending would be about $27.6 billion per year,” says senior author Dr. Lawrence Casalino, chief of the Division of Outcomes and Effectiveness Research in the Department of Public Health at Weill Cornell Medical College. “Many factors contribute to the high cost of health care in the United States, but there is broad consensus that administrative costs are high and could be reduced,” Dr. Casalino continues. “Short of adopting a single-payer system, reducing these costs can be achieved by realizing efficiencies, such as by adopting standardized rules for transactions between physicians and health plans and communicating through electronic systems.” The authors provide several specific recommendations, including standardizing transactions as much as possible and conducting them electronically rather than by mail, fax and phone. These measures would not only reduce costs but would also reduce the so-called “hassle factor” of physician and staff interruptions for phone calls that interfere with patient care, say the authors. In addition, the authors cite Affordable Care Act changes such as bundled payments, and the creation of accountable care organizations as potentially decreasing administrative burdens over the long term. Additional findings from the study, “U.S. Physician Practices Spend Nearly Four Times as Much Money Interacting With Health Plans and Payers Than Do Their Canadian Counterparts”: On average, U.S. doctors spent 3.4 hours per week interacting with health plans while doctors in Ontario spent about 2.2 hours. Nurses and medical assistants in the U.S.

discover this info here http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-08/nyph-upp080411.php

Obama: 9 Million Covered By Health Reform. Well Maybe.

Obamacare got a bad rap after the disastrous launch of the federal and state exchanges in October. But enrollment has since improved, but not quite to the level that the president extolled. Obama said Tuesday that more than 9 million people have signed up for insurance thanks to Obamacare. Here’s how it breaks down: Some 2.1 million had signed up for private insurance through the state and federal exchanges as of Dec. 31. This figure was updated to 3 million last week. However, it includes both people who have paid their first month’s premium and those who have not yet fully enrolled. Those who don’t pay by their insurers’ deadline will not be covered. More than 3 million young adults under age 26 obtained insurance through their parents’ policies. This provision was one of the earliest ones to take effect, starting in September 2010. And another 3.9 million people learned they’re eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in October and November. But this final figure is pretty squishy since it includes people who already had Medicaid and were simply renewing. Administration officials could not give the percentage of renewals. Experts say renewals could be a sizable chunk of that figure.

webpage http://money.cnn.com/2014/01/28/news/economy/obamacare-enrollment/index.html

Better health care policy

However, the focus remains on providing clinical or curative treatment without giving much attention to other sectors of the health care industry e.g. preventive, rehabilitative and palliative care. The flaws in health care policies structure can better be envisaged by having a brief retrospective view of the health tragedies brought to light by the media. Deaths of hundreds of patients in various health tragedies like that of PIC-drug related deaths, TYNO syrup-related deaths and Gujranwala health incident are some to mention here. Various surveys and researches, conducted over the past many years, conclusively highlight two main areas: lack of coordination between research institutions and the health care industry, and, second, absence of a drug monitoring system in Pakistan. Without identifying vulnerable areas and filling them with the latest research input, the contemporary health care structure cannot deliver. Similarly, in the absence of a centralised drug monitoring system, drug-related deaths are inevitable. Whenever authorities witness any health emergency in the form of post-flood contagious outbreak, dengue or cholera, billions are spent to save face under public pressure. Political insensitivities and misplaced priorities are clearly visible. As provinces are going to have local bodies elections, districts must be allowed to have a share in health policy making. A top-down approach has been tried, now its the time for a bottom-up methodology. Dr. Zaib Ali Shaheryar

next page http://www.dawn.com/news/1083415/better-health-care-policy

Waits Are Excessive For Digestive Checkups

The association’s study of 5,500 patient visits to nearly 200 Canadian gastroenterologists shows that 70 per cent of patients referred by family doctors wait more than two months to see a gastroenterologist and have a diagnostic test, while 50 per cent wait more than four months and 20 per cent wait more than 10 months. Continued Below Among these patients, more than one-third have alarm symptoms, which may indicate serious underlying disease such as cancer. Even patients classified as urgent are waiting two to five times longer than best practice targets recommend. Dr. Desmond Leddin, the association president and an associate professor of medicine at Dalhousie University in Halifax, calls the situation “unacceptable.” “We are able to see patients in a time frame that expert review would suggest is only appropriate 20 per cent of the time. There really is a severe problem in terms of wait times for gastroenterology and consultations.” Based on the results of the study, Leddin has asked Prime Minister Paul Martin to incorporate gastroenterology as a priority into the federal government’s program to reduce waiting times. “Patients are suffering while they’re on wait lists,” Leddin says. “And we quite frankly don’t understand why the first ministers and the federal government have identified five areas as a priority for wait time management but gastroenterology is not on that list.” Those five key areas are: cancer treatment, cardiac care, diagnostic imaging, joint replacements and sight restoration. A simple cash infusion to bolster human and technical resources will not remedy the current wait list situation, Leddin says. “Canadian gastroenterologists will need to work hand-in-hand with federal and provincial governments … and move toward the improved use of these resources.

get the facts http://www.macleans.ca/science/health/article.jsp?content=20050928_173926_5724

Canadian Association of Gastroenterology: Open Letter to Canadians

Canadian gastroenterologists and the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG) know Canadians have reason to worry. Digestive diseases represent 15% of the total economic burden of Canadian health costs and cause a loss of productivity reaching $1.14 billion annually. That’s more than mental, cardiovascular, respiratory or central nervous system diseases. Meanwhile, Canadians have told Statistics Canada that waiting lists and wait times rank among their top health concerns. Despite the harsh realities surrounding digestive disease, Canadians must wait an inordinate amount of time for gastro-intestinal consultations and access to specialized testing. Case in point: 25% of patients with alarm symptoms, indicators of disease such as cancer, are forced to wait 4 months before their case is seen by a specialist. That’s far longer than the 3 weeks Canadians have told us that they’re willing to wait. Frankly, four months is unacceptable. It is time we got our priorities straight. Surprisingly, in developing its wait list reform of the Canadian health care system, Paul Martin’s government overlooked digestive disease. The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology has sent a call to action to Prime Minister Paul Martin, urging him to include digestive disease as a health-care priority and ensure Canadian patients obtain necessary and timely access to our specialists. Canadian gastroenterologists are already out of the starting block. The Canadian Association of Gastroenterology has done its homework, talked to patients, and is now armed with information that will be crucial in improving the Canadian health care system. We have developed 24 recommended targets for medically-acceptable wait times for gastroenterology, based on a study conducted by nearly 200 Canadian GI specialists who captured data on 5,500 patient visits.

no title http://www.marketwired.com/press-release/Canadian-Association-of-Gastroenterology-Open-Letter-to-Canadians-554684.htm

Worms Linked To Coeliac Relief

Now a new Australian study has lent some credence to that hypothesis. Researchers at Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital have shown for the first time that parasitic hookworms could hold the key to treating coeliac disease, which is caused by gluten intolerance. The scientists recruited 20 participants for their human trial through the Coeliac Society. They infected half of them with live human hookworms. The parasites burrowed into participants’ skin and entered the bloodstream after being applied to the forearm. They then travelled via the lungs to the gut where they happily colonised. For 21 weeks, the coeliac patients were fed white bread each day and were examined for a reaction. The study’s co-author, Dr James Daveson, says patients with the parasitic gut worm fared dramatically better to gluten exposure than those without. “They experienced less inflammation and less damage was seen in the intestinal wall,” he said. At the end of the trial, the volunteers were offered worm medication to rid themselves of the parasites, but all chose to keep their worms. The study will be presented at the Australian Gastroenterology Week conference in Sydney. The researchers say further trials are needed, but they believe the findings could help in the treatment of other auto-immune diseases including Crohn’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

try this http://www.abc.net.au/news/2009-10-22/worms-linked-to-coeliac-relief/1113232

Crohn’s Disease – Professor Thomas Borody Of Australia Comes To New York To Discuss Significant New Findings

He will deliver data from a clinical study of 213 patients in Australia along with the responses to treatment of over 50 of Prof. Borody’s own patients, to his anti-mycobacteria therapy research. According to Prof. Borody’s report, as many as 95% of his patients have responded to treatment with full remission achieved by 65% of these patients. Dr. Borody says, “These results exceed all documented evidence of response to Crohn’s Disease therapies and promise significant relief for a large number of the estimated one million Crohn’s patients around the world.” Dr. Borody MD PhD FRACP, a graduate of the University of New South Wales, from which he holds a doctorate in medicine, will be presenting his findings in an open forum at: The Suffolk Y Jewish Community Center 74 Hauppauge Road in Commack, Long Island March 20, 2006 from 7-9 PM. Suggested donation $3 As the founder and current Medical Director of the Centre for Digestive Diseases (CDD), Dr. Borody has created a unique medical institution, internationally regarded for its novel approaches in research, diagnosis and the treatment of gastrointestinal conditions. He has been a recipient of the Winthrop Traveling Fellowship, the Neil Hamilton Fairly Fellowship and the Marshall & Warren Prize, and was a Clinical Fellow in Gastroenterology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester in 1983. He is a member of the Australian Medical Association, the Gastroenterological Society of Australia, the European Gastroenterology Society, the Functional Brain-Gut Research Group and Fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology and the American College of Physicians. Prof. Borody supervises a number of major research programs as well as being involved as a reviewer for the American Journal of Gastroenterology, Digestive Diseases and Sciences, Endoscopy, Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Medical Journal of Australia and Digestive and Liver Diseases. He has published in excess of 120 scientific papers. In 2004 he was appointed an Adjunct Professor of the Faculty of Science at the University of Technology, Sydney.

via this link http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/38664.php

Specialist to help ease wait times

September figures show priority-one gastroenterology patients waited an average 47 days to be seen at the outpatient clinic – 50 per cent longer than the recommended 30-day maximum – and category-two patients waited an average 16 weeks. But waiting times have improved since a year ago, when some children waited up to a year to be assessed because of an acute shortage of gastroenterologists. It prompted the State Government to launch an urgent recruitment drive for specialists. The hospital says progress has been made after finding a gastroenterologist to fill a vacant position but it will have to take on more staff. A spokeswoman said PMH expected waiting times to improve further with a new part-time gastroenterologist due to start this month. Another 0.5 full-time equivalent position was in the appointment process and PMH was optimistic about appointing someone early next year. The Australian Medical Association welcomed the recent addition of a specialist but said it was clear more were needed to keep up with demand in the highly specialised area. WA president Richard Choong said gastroenterology was historically a difficult specialty to staff, which led to long delays for patients to be assessed and treated. “The fact PMH has managed to find someone recently and is close to more appointments is good news and very encouraging,” he said. “This is an area of medicine that is very specific and there are many conditions that need to access its services, but it’s a classic example of where there just aren’t enough people to do the jobs required.” Dr Choong said as a result many children were waiting too long, often in pain and discomfort, to be diagnosed and treated. “What I really hope is that the hospital will be able to recruit the extra staff it needs so children can be seen even more quickly,” he said.

this hyperlink http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/latest/a/19770024/specialist-to-help-ease-wait-times/

Why We Have Too Many Medical Specialists: Our System’s An Uncoordinated Mess

Unemployed Doctors? 1 In 6 New Specialists Can’t Find Work, Study Says

The numbers of both entering practice here have also increased dramatically over the past decade, and there is considerable pressure, particularly from Canadians who have gone abroad for training (currently about 3,500, with more joining every year) and organizations representing them, to increase numbers even further. It is not that the one in six implies that Canada now has an overall surplus of specialists, any more than the widespread claims of shortage in the mid-1990s meant, then, that we had an overall shortage of physicians. We had then, and we have now, an inability or unwillingness as a country to develop plans and policies designed to train and deploy physicians in a sensible manner. The reports author is correct in noting that there is no quick fix here. The Royal Colleges plan to convene a meeting early next year to discuss a nationally co-ordinated approach to health system work force planning may be a useful start. It is difficult to imagine the recommendations that might emerge from such a meeting being worse than the current uncoordinated mess. At present, policy decisions, or often the lack thereof, are failing to meet the needs of new trainees or of patients. For example, there are no national (and few provincial) mechanisms in place to channel new graduates into the specialties where they are likely to be most needed rather than into the specialties most needed by teaching hospitals or most favoured by students. And despite the fact that we live in a hyper-active era of tweets and blogs in which the new generation seems to be constantly connected, there is no structured electronic meeting place for job hunters and job seekers. New graduates are somehow failing to figure out where the jobs are (and there are, in fact, plenty of communities desperately seeking specialists). In some cases, at least, the new specialists are simply the victims of the completely predictable fallout from that earlier medical school expansion. When those ministers of health agreed to fund an approximate doubling of medical school places, what did they think would happen when those students started graduating? Was there a plan in place to ensure that the complementary resources that are required for their practices would also be funded and in place? In a word, no. For example, operating room capacity or at least working capacity, meaning an available operating suite plus the funds, supplies and complementary staff to operate it has not kept pace. To make matters worse, the capacity is not used efficiently, and some of those who control that capacity are not all that keen to share with their younger brethren. The consequences in our future many more new physicians looking for practice opportunities each year, than old physicians retiring are as predictable as what we are seeing in the Royal College findings today.

you could try here http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-debate/surplus-of-medical-specialists-should-come-as-no-surprise/article15136241/

Frechette suggested, however, that a national health systems workforce planning body would be an important start. Australia, Britain and the U.S. all have such an entity. The report pointed to a number of factors that have contributed to the oversupply of specialists. Poor stock market returns in recent years have meant that some older doctors most of whom must finance their own pension plans have delayed retirement. And there has been a realignment or rationalization of tasks in health care, with nurses and physician assistants taking on responsibilities that were once left to doctors, freeing them up to do some tasks that used to fall to specialists. That effect, which Lewis called sensible, will only accelerate as less invasive treatments are brought on line. For instance, angioplasty opening blocked cardiac arteries with balloons and stents has replaced many open heart surgeries to bypass blocked arteries. Lewis suggested the cycle of training specialists which typically takes about nine years is out of sync with the cycle of assessing future medical system requirements. “Forecasting health human resource needs more than three or four or five years out is a fool’s game, because medical science changes, health needs can change, technology can change and so on.” But Frechette said there are some low hanging fruit problems that should be relatively easy to address. For instance, her study noted there are jobs going for the asking.

find out here now http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/10/10/unemployed-doctors-canada_n_4074976.html

Canadian Doctor Total At Record High

But the numbers alone don’t present the full picture. It’s important to ask not just how many doctors are needed, but where are they most needed and in what specialties, said Geoff Ballinger, CIHI’s manager of physician information. Kristin Speth, 35, of Toronto, has been looking for a regular doctor since she moved from Alberta four years ago. She’s had headaches since childhood and has been going to walk-in clinics but is frustrated with the experience. She’s tried the provincial service to find a doctor but keeps getting notices saying there are no leads. “It is extremely frustrating,” said Speth. “It’s just so hard to find someone who will just stay longer than the one year that I need for my physical. They just don’t stick around or you know, you can’t find anyone who is taking new patients.” In 2011-12, clinical payments to doctors’ offices also increased nineper cent over the previous year to more than $22 billion, the institute reported. In the two previous years, the increases were 6.1 per cent and 7.9 per cent, respectively. How doctors are paid is also changing. Fee-for-service payments that reimburse doctors for each clinical service they provide continued to be the majority, at 71 per cent, last year. The average cost per service paid was $56.99.

sneak a peek at these guys http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/canadian-doctor-total-at-record-high-1.1869346

Canadian doctors say fee cuts, pay inequalities will spur exodus

After-hours surgery: Premium for operations done between 5 p.m. and 7 a.m. cut to 40% from 50%, saving $13-million. Minimally invasive surgery: Premium for key-hole operations cut to 10% from 25%, saving $1-million. This is by no means the first time doctors and provincial governments have been at loggerheads over how much the profession earns. Rightly or wrongly, provinces identified the rising costs of physician services in the early 1990s as a key and unjustifiable drain on resources, triggering a somewhat-disastrous curb in medical-school enrolments, as well as billing caps and other free restrictions. From 1975 to 1998, doctor compensation rose by less than the rate of inflation, CIHI reports. The austerity measures helped fuel a flood of physicians south of the boarder, with an average of 186 Canadian-trained doctors a year ending up in the U.S. from 1996 to 2004, according to a study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Shaken by a growing shortage of physicians and expanding patient wait lists, governments in the 2000s started boosting medical school enrolment again, while approving sweeter pay deals. Fees rose by an average of 3.6% a year, CIHI says. How much, then, do Canadian doctors make? Taking CIHI figures on gross billings in 2009-10 and subtracting the 40% in overhead costs often cited by medical associations, average net incomes range from $124,000 for psychiatrists to $143,000 for family doctors, $224,000 for neurosurgeons, $228,000 for dermatologists, $280,000 for cardiac surgeons, and $374,000 for ophthalmologists.

view site? http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/05/12/canadian-doctors-warn-fee-cuts-pay-inequalities-will-spur-exodus/

Canadian Doctor Guilty Of Molesting 21 Women

Canadian doctors barred from performing ‘virginity tests’

(Colin McConnell/Toronto Star via Getty Images) | Colin McConnell via Getty Images Get World Newsletters: Canadian Doctor Molests Women , George Doodnaught , George-Doodnaught-Guilty , Sex Assault Toronto Doctor , Toronto Doctor Sex Assault , World News A Canadian anesthesiologist was found guilty Tuesday of sexually assaulting 21 women while they were helplessly under anesthetic but aware of what was happening. George Doodnaught was accused of kissing, fondling and forcing oral sex on the patients at North York General Hospital in Toronto during a four-year period that ended in 2010. The victims were aware of what was happening but could not move, the court heard. The defense argued that the victims actually had vivid sexual dreams caused by sedatives known to play tricks with memory, and that Doodnaught could not have assaulted them undetected by others separated only by a surgical screen in the operating room. A researcher confirmed at trial that the drugs can cause hallucinations. But he added that it is unlikely that all of the women, who did not know each other, would come forward separately with similar accusations against the same doctor. The prosecution said Doodnaught was an experienced doctor who knew the routines of a busy operating room, and timed the brief assaults to avoid detection. “He had control over their level of anaesthesia and would have known that they could not openly resist,” Ontario Superior Court Judge David McCombs said in his ruling. “He relied on the amnesiac effects of the drugs to shield him from complaints.” Doodnaught is scheduled to return to court next month to set a date for sentencing. Copyright (2013) AFP. All rights reserved. Contribute to this Story:

view site? http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/19/canadian-doctor-guilty-of-molesting_n_4304920.html

The Montreal Gazette reports the Quebec College of Physicians issued the decree after two University of Montreal ethics specialists were alerted by school staff to separate incidents involving the matter. Imagine a doctor who does a gynecological examination with the sole purpose of … it goes beyond the imagination. And its degrading to women, Charles Bernard, president of the College des medecins, told The Gazette. The Quebec College of Physicians is, among other things, responsible for dispensing ethical guidance on medical issues for its many member physicians. The Gazette writes University of Montreal ethicists were contacted by a clinic nurse after a young woman asked the health professional during a routine medical exam whether, she was still marriageable. But by then, it seems the ethicists were already grappling with the issue. Two weeks prior, the same researchers reportedly fielded a call concerning an adolescent whose family had forced her to undergo a chastity test at a local clinic. The girl subsequently told her school nurse, who then contacted the university. We got the impression that the physician was pressured by the family in the emergency room. The father was very insistent about having the certificate, and to get rid of the problem, the doctor did it, University of Montreal researcher Marie-Eve Bouthillier reportedly said. The Gazette writes Canadian officials have focused on the issue of late, or since the bodies of four women of Afghan descent were discovered in Ontario in 2009. They were reportedly murdered by relatives in so-called honor killings.

additional resources http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/10/13/canadian-doctors-barred-from-performing-virginity-tests/

Specialist Websites Provide Key Support For Male Sexual Abuse Survivors, Uk

This is the conclusion of research by Duncan Craig, Founder of and Service Director for Survivors Manchester, which was presented on Saturday 7 May, at the 17th Annual BACP Research Conference. The event, which was co-hosted bythe Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR) UK, took place at the Liverpool Marriott Hotel City Centre, Liverpool, on 6-7 May 2011. The study revealed three main overriding reasons why online resources were being used. These were: the use of online anonymity to discuss issues, often shrouded in shame, that participants find difficult to discuss face-to-face in an offline environment; the importance of being able to connect with others that have had similar experiences to one’s own that allow one to feel less isolated, whilst still retaining a level of anonymity; and most interestingly, and contradicting the need for anonymity, the fact that there is little or no face-to-face or offline alternative to online support as a male survivor of childhood sexual abuse. The research found that 73% of participants stated they still use the site they originally found citing “sharing takes away the loneliness”; “I feel I learn from others experiences”; “I would be dead without the support I receive”. Whilst 87% of people found that specialist sites helped – “Put me in contact with others to begin breaking the isolation”, and “allowing me to discuss online with fellow survivors things I couldn’t talk to my friends and family about.” Duncan Craig said: “Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is one of the most under-reported crimes worldwide, especially if the victim is male. Unable to speak out, many boys carry this ‘secret’ into adulthood, remaining silent through the use of maladaptive coping mechanisms. “This study has found that although some male survivors desire face-to-face support in their healing at some point, the Internet and specialist websites are providing an important step in the healing journey. Providing that websites are both functional, informative, inclusive and easy to navigate, male survivors of CSA are beginning their healing journey using the internet and online resources. Further research in the areas of help for male survivors and use of technology in men’s health has to be explored.” Source:

read the article http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/224615.php

Good News For Health Care: Medical Connectivity To Grow Over 800 Percent In 7 Years

Even worse, there is some evidenc e that EHRs make it easier for physicians to order superfluous tests, thereby raising health costs. Further, the government-driven implementation is hitting roadblocks. Stages 2 and 3 of meaningful use include more challenging targets than stage 1 (for which providers are currently being paid). Especially, stage 2 requires the ability for an EHR to participate in a health information exchange, which facilitates the flow of patient data seamlessly between providers. Because this conflicts with each providers business goal of making patient data sticky and increasing patients switching costs, they have resisted going this far. As a result the federal government has delayed the deadline for meeting the requirements of stages 2 and 3. Analyst Michael Cherny of International Strategy & Investment Group notes that various stakeholders (both elected officials as well as industry organizations) have lobbied CMS for a delay in the timeline, and anticipates that the delay will likely give slightly incremental protection to the smaller and undercapitalized niche players, but believes that the EHR market will continue to see a migrate towards larger vendors. Connectivity is a different opportunity. Rather than taxpayer-fueled installation of EHRs containing patient data mostly entered by humans, and which cannot talk to their competitors, connectivity follows a more natural (but not friction-free) course. A recent report from the West Health Institute anticipates $36 billion savings annually from successful adoption of medical-device connectivity. Will this prediction be regretted, like RANDs 2005 forecast? The incentives for medical-device connectivity are much more likely to succeed than those for EHRs exchanging information across providers.

visit us http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2014/01/03/good-news-for-health-care-medical-connectivity-to-grow-over-800-percent-in-7-years/

An Australian Audit Of Vaccination Status In Children And Adolescents With Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Serological testing, reviewing historical protection from VPD, identified 18% (17/94) with evidence of at least one serology sample. Having serology testing was not associated with age (2 for trend = 1.7; p = 0.42). For the patients who had varicella serology, 18% (2/11) were negative. Pre-diagnosis varicella vaccine had been received by 8 participants, with an additional 30 confirming pre-diagnosis clinical infection. There were four participants (none currently on infliximab) who had hepatitis B serology documented, all were negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HepBsAg) and seropositive for protective anti-HepB surface antibody. On Hepatitis B vaccination history, immunization was confirmed in 93% (39/42), including 86% (6/7) of those currently on infliximab. The quadrivalent human papillomavirus (4vHPV) vaccine had been administered to 14 young women. There were no documented safety concerns or flares of inflammatory bowel disease notified following immunization. Discussion This study highlights good compliance with routine childhood immunizations, with the 90% up-to date status equivalent to the coverage rates of 93.6% at seen in Victoria, Australia overall [ 20 ]. The uptake of recommended additional vaccines such as annual influenza vaccination and pneumococcal vaccine boosters was low. There are very few published studies on compliance guidelines on immunizations in IBD patients [ 2 , 21 ].

like this http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-230X/11/87