Medscape Experts & Viewpoints

Physicians Are Talking About: The Audacity That Physicians Should Take the Helm of Healthcare Reform As the US healthcare reform movement gains momentum, Medscape Physician Connect commentators propose their own strategies for change.
Commentary, July 2009
Who's to Blame for Our High Healthcare Costs? Payer, Payee, or Another Culprit? Robert Morrow, MD, responds to "The Cost Conundrum," an article published in The New Yorker which blames high healthcare costs on excessive overuse of medicine.
Commentary, July 2009
Crying Babies: How Should They Be Assessed? Medical history and a physical are the keys to identifying serious underlying conditions in crying infants.
Viewpoint, July 2009
Determining the Genetic Origin of the 2009 A(H1N1) "Swine" Flu Dr. Ali Torkamani comments on a study published in Science discussing the genetic origin of the 2009 "swine flu" and the implications for future flu surveillance.
Viewpoint, July 2009
Effect of Maternal Psychopathology on Behavioral Problems in Preschool Children Exposed to Terrorism Is maternal psychopathology related to behavioral problems in children exposed to terrorism?
Viewpoint, July 2009
Effectiveness of Pneumococcal Pneumonia Vaccine This study sought to clarify inconsistent outcomes reported by various clinical trials and analyses. Commentary offered by John G. Bartlett, MD.
Viewpoint, July 2009
Efficacy of HPV Vaccine Confirmed for Women Over 25 Years of Age Initial studies of HPV vaccines were conducted in very young subjects. Now, a trial confirms that infection can also be prevented in those older than 25, says Dr. Maurie Markman in this video blog.
Commentary, July 2009
Health Services for Low-Income and Uninsured Women In this video blog, Dr. Andrew Kaunitz responds to a reader's comment and discusses 3 nationwide programs that provide family planning and other health services to low-income and uninsured women.
Commentary, July 2009
What Should We Tell Patients About the Insulin Glargine (Lantus®) Controversy? Some patients with diabetes are panicking about reports that insulin glargine (Lantus®) may be associated with an increased risk for cancer. In this video blog, Dr. Anne Peters discusses how clinicians can best address those concerns.
Commentary, July 2009
The Ongoing Challenges of PPI Use Is the use of proton-pump inhibitors in cirrhotic patients with ascites associated with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis? David A. Johnson, MD, discusses the latest evidence in this video blog.
Commentary, July 2009
Carbapenemase-Producing Bacteria on the Rise? Learn the latest on highly resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC). In this video blog, Paul G. Auwaerter, MD, MBA, offers advice on testing, antibiotic therapy, and infection control.
Commentary, July 2009
Mental Health Issues in Pregnancy and Options for Treatment Lean about the Edinburgh scale, risk factors for pregnancy-related depression, when to use psychotropic meds during pregnancy, and more.
Expert Column, July 2009
Early Transition to Oral Antibiotics or IV Therapy in Children With Uncomplicated Osteomyelitis A large retrospective study compares outcomes of children who received a prolonged IV course vs those of children who had early transition to oral antibiotics.
Viewpoint, July 2009
How Can I Conquer My Fear of Surgical Mistakes? A certain amount of concern may actually help prevent complications.
Ask the Expert, July 2009
Burden Felt by Family Members of Patients With Mental Illness Care of the mentally ill has moved from the institution to the home, posing difficulties for family caregivers.
Viewpoint, July 2009
Prolong Your Life. Run Hard, Run Fast -- If You Can. Henry Black, MD reports from a study in Hypertension that exercsie capacity is the strongest predictor of all-cause mortality.
Commentary, July 2009
Two Strategies to Treat Humoral Rejection In this video blog, Ron Shapiro, MD, University of Pittsburgh, discusses results of a study that compared high-dose IVIG with plasmapheresis/IVIG in the treatment of antibody-mediated rejection.
Commentary, July 2009
Aspirin or Anticoagulation? Preventing Cerebral Ischemic Events After Carotid Artery Dissection In this video blog, Dr. Mark Alberts discusses the results of a study comparing the efficacy of aspirin and anticoagulation treatment in patients with dissection involving the carotid artery.
Commentary, July 2009
Stimulant Use Linked to Sudden Death in Pediatric Patients In his latest video blog, Dr. Robert Findling comments on a new study that reveals a significant association between the use of stimulants and sudden unexplained death in children and adolescents.
Commentary, July 2009
New Direction at the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS): An Expert Interview With President Renato Saltz, MD New President, Dr. Renato Saltz, discusses the current and future goals of the ASAPS.
Expert Interview, July 2009

POLL

A study published last month in the Archives of Internal Medicine reveals primary care practices sometimes do not inform patients of abnormal lab results or do not keep a record of the patient being informed. About 1 of every 14 abnormal tests was not reported to the patient. How likely or not likely is this to happen in your practice?

Featured Viewpoint

Efficacy of HPV Vaccine Confirmed for Women Over 25 Years of Age Initial studies of HPV vaccines were conducted in very young subjects. Now, a trial confirms that infection can also be prevented in those older than 25, says Dr. Maurie Markman in this video blog.
Commentary, July 2009

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CLOSE [X]
SPECIALTY SITES Allergy & Clinical Immunology Anesthesiology Cardiology Critical Care Dermatology Diabetes & Endocrinology Emergency Medicine Family Medicine Gastroenterology General Surgery Hematology-Oncology HIV/AIDS Infectious Diseases	Internal Medicine Lab Medicine Nephrology Neurology Ob/Gyn & Women's Health Oncology Ophthalmology Orthopaedics Pathology & Lab Medicine Pediatrics Plastic Surgery & Aesthetic Medicine Psychiatry & Mental Health Public Health & Prevention Pulmonary Medicine	Radiology Rheumatology Surgery Transplantation Urology Women's Health OTHER SITES Business of Medicine Medscape Today Med Students Nurses Pharmacists