Docnotes

Suctioning Meconium

OBGYN.net - Suctioning Doesn't Alter Meconium Aspiration Risk

Suctioning Doesn't Alter Meconium Aspiration Risk

SARS Toronto

 The Society of Teachers of Family Medicine won't be holding its Annual Spring Meeting this week.  I guess I won't be going to Toronto after all.

AMNews: Medlogs

In next week's American Medical News appears an interesting article on medical weblogs.

Bob Cook's the author. He's got things mostly right .. 'cept ...

a) David Theige's MedEdNEws was the first medical Weblog (1998!)  .. though it's now dormant.  You can see the early stuff here on the Internet Archive

b) No mention of Family Medicine Notes ... ;-( .. I'm sooo insulted.  (And this was the second medical weblog)

c)  He's "outed" out another medical weblogger's real identity .. something I've been careful not to do.

Anonymity was important to her .. and I think that it's an interesting component of what medical weblogging is for this weblogger:  an opportunity to discuss and inform .. without being concerned that the opinions she voices on the web will cause her patients to respond to her differently.

I hadn't thought about this until I had an e-mail conversation with her about it a few weeks ago -- but it does make sense:  The opinions that we physicians share on our weblogs do reveal how we feel about certain issues.  Sex, drugs, Rock 'n roll, vaccinations, antibiotic overuse, abortion, etc etc etc. 

I've had many patients comment on the weblog postings on Docnotes .. and the feedback is always positive .. but what have I said on the weblogs that has alienated my patients? How would I know? 

So I am respectful of those who choose to 'blog' anonymously ...  I wonder if Bob asked if it was OK ...

Cervical Cancer Screening

An Editorial in last week's American Family Physician on the recent USPSTF guidelines for cervical cancer screening.

 Advances in understanding the natural history of HPV infection and cervical cancer biology have revealed that HPV infections generally are transient. Among high-risk HPV subtypes, 70 percent of infections regress within two years, suggesting that less aggressive testing among younger women will allow for the spontaneous regression of HPV-associated abnormalities before screening is initiated.

I've been discussing these revised guidelines with patients since early this year. 

AHRQ Screening Guidelines

AHRQ's Put Prevention Into Practice page. I often pull up the screening guidelines in the office wth patients.

Medlogs

Medlogs is getting bigger - so I've cut the "last n" posts from five to three .. and I've added the Reuters Health RSS feed.  I think I have to come up with a way to sort these ...

SARS Travel Kit

New from our friends at the CDC:

Guidelines for Persons Traveling to SARS-Affected Areas - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)

If I go to Toronto next week .. I think I will pack one. (thanks to SARSWatch.org)

Flumist - for Winter 2003-2004

.. and the New York Times also reports that F.D.A. Approval of Nasal Vaccine for Flu Expected.

Flumist - developed at the University of Michigan - and to be sold by MedImmunie - will be indicated for people 5 to 50 years old.

Yes .. you heard that right.  The populations for whom influenza vaccine is reccomended are the populations for whom Flumist is not indicated.

It'll also cost much more. 

We lost about $1500 last season on flu shots that we bought and never gave to people .. so I don't think I'll invest in any flumist this coming winter

 

Topamax and Zonegran for eating disorders.

New York Times: To Curb Cravings, and Maybe More

An interesting look at the use of Topamax and Zonegran for eating disorders.

Alternative Medicine

Brad's CAM links has pointers to many resource for information on complimentary and alternative medicine. Brad's using MyHQ .. a wonderful "bookmark" site with no advertising and a very good user interface. I updated my "MYHQ" today  -- an annual event.