Sponsored • Patient positioning
Relief for radiographers: The Get Up holding system for back-friendly repositioning
Discover in only one minute, how the Get Up holding system sustainably assists both patients and medical staff.
Patient management
News • Analytics of patient outcomes
Hospital uses AI platform to achieve ‘extreme transparency’
Karolinska University Hospital is among the most transparent hospitals worldwide. Using AI, the hospital can accurately demonstrate where lives have been saved, and harm avoided for patients.
News • Finnish approach
Epilepsy care pathway as potential model for healthcare systems
Finland introduces a new care pathway for epilepsy. This could serve to model how integrated healthcare systems can effectively manage complex conditions, the coordinators hope.
News • Do no harm
“Never words” in doctor-patient communication (and what to say instead)
“There’s nothing else we can do”, “Why did you wait so long to come?” – doctors should avoid using such phrases. A new study points out the destructive potential of “never words”.
News • Double-edged sword
Remote medical interpreting might impede healthcare communication
Remote medical interpreting saw a huge boost during the Covid-19 pandemic – but despite its benefits, the technology could also have a negative impact on healthcare communication, experts argue.
News • Know thy patients' symptoms
Questionnaire + spine MRI = better diagnosis
Not every spine abnormality shown in an MRI scan causes pain for a patient. To diagnose correctly, researchers advocate the use of questionnaires to match the images with reported symptoms.
News • Discussion on nomenclature
“Prostate cancer” or “incidentaloma”: What should early findings be called?
Certain early-stage changes to the prostate very rarely develop into aggressive cancer, but are still called that. Would it create a false sense of security to not call these “cancer” at all?
News • Checkpoint inhibitor research
Five key factors predict response to cancer immunotherapy
Only 20-40% of patients respond positively to immunotherapy, and these rates vary across different types of cancer. Researchers now identified five key factors that determine response and survival.
News • Circadian-based therapeutic strategies
Cancer drugs more effective when the time-of-day is right, study finds
The time of day can be an important aspect to consider for cancer therapy. Researchers from Charité are developing new methods to use the internal clock inside tumor cells to optimize treatments.
News • Cholecystectomy
Gallstones and abdominal pain: Surgery not always the best option
Even years after the removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy), one-third of patients still experience persisting abdominal pain. Better selection criteria for surgery are needed, say researchers.
News • Time loss vs. life expectancy gains
Dialysis: Is the tradeoff always worth it?
New research sheds light on the tradeoffs between survival and time spent in inpatient care that dialysis might entail. This could help patients with kidney failure make more informed decisions.
News • Patient-written symptom descriptions
ChatGPT struggles when medical questions are put in layman's terms
Enter symptoms into ChatGPT, receive an accurate diagnosis? Research reveals that LLM AI models are not quite there yet, struggling to identify genetic conditions from patient-written descriptions.
Article • Institutional setup guide at SNMMI 2024
How to establish a hospital theranostics treatment centre
The nuclear medicine global market is projected to see a significant increase in the coming years, with the lion's share being attributed to radiotherapeutics. So, how to set up a dedicated theranostics centre? At the annual meeting of the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) in Toronto, Ontario, an entire session was dedicated to planning logistics, radiation safety, and…
News • Infection control
C. diff: diagnostic stewardship reduces unnecessary testing
A new study describes the outcome of a new approach to testing for Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) guided by the principles of diagnostic stewardship, to help rein in the overtreatment of patients.
Article • Professional perspectives
Theranostics: A career opportunity for Nuclear Medicine Technologists
What is an advanced clinical practitioner (ACP) and why should nuclear medicine technologists strive to become one? At the 2024 annual meeting of the SNMMI in Toronto, ACP Luisa Roldão Pereira outlined the position and its importance in the clinical context.
Article • Benefits of seated placement
Patient positioning during cancer radiotherapy: Upright is alright
The concept of delivering radiation therapy to cancer patients seated in an upright position is undergoing a major resurgence. Evidence is already highlighting that patients feel more comfortable seated upright and enjoy better communication with radiotherapists during their care. In addition, there are indications of less internal organ movement, enabling more accurate treatment delivery.…
News • Language barriers for health information
Chatbots get less accurate when health queries are not in English
Chatbots like ChatGPT generally deliver servicable results when asked for healthcare advice. However, new research suggests that the LLM's accuracy drops when languages other than English are used.
Interview • Documentation assistance
Virtual scribes free up physician's time from eHR
Physicians using a virtual scribe spend significantly less time in the eHR, a new study finds. This reduces their burden and frees up time for patient care – and AI could push this even further.
Article • Transformative technology
Generative AI in healthcare: More than a chatbot
‘Computer, why did the doctor take that MRI scan of my leg? And what did it show?’: Popularized by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, generative artificial intelligence (AI) is already beginning to see practical applications in medical settings. The technology holds immense potential, with benefits for patients, clinicians, and even hospital administration, according to Shez Partovi, MD.
News • Mobile health technologies
Contraception counseling: Doctors shy away from digital methods
Pregnancy prevention apps, fertility-tracking wearables and more: Digital tools have expanded the range of contraceptive methods – but are rarely discussed at the GP's office, a new study shows.
Article • UK research project
"Our Future Health": Shifting from curative to preventive care
As a result from better living standards and medical advances, population longevity increases – a development which, paradoxically, current healthcare systems are ill-prepared for, Sir John Bell points out. The UK’s Our Future Health programme, which he chairs, exemplifies the paradigm shift to a prevention-centered healthcare approach.
News • Telemedicine study
Most patients in favor of online GP consultations
The largest-ever study of patient views on online GP consultations saw a strong backing for the new option. Important benefits named were greater convenience and flexibility, but also efficiency.
News • Medical communication
Research shows why doctors should listen more to their patients
Clinicians tend to disregard patient self-assessments for their diagnostic decisions, new research suggests – a mistake that might cause those patients unnecessary harm.
News • Playkits ahead of medical scan
Reducing kids' MRI anxiety with papercraft and VR
Giving children a virtual/augmented (mixed) reality playkit to use ahead of an MRI scan seems to ease both their and their parents’ anxieties about this procedure, a new study suggests.
News • Interaction with cancer patients
Experts raise ethics concerns posed by patient-facing AI in oncology
Bioethics researchers call on medical societies, government leaders, clinicians, and researchers to work together to ensure AI-driven healthcare preserves patient autonomy and respects human dignity.
