A pilot project at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center allows patients to read their therapists’ notes. Tom Delbanco, the Richard A. and Florence Koplow-James L. Tullis Professor of General Medicine and Primary Care, is one of the leaders of OpenNotes. Kenneth Duckworth, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry, and Michael W. Kahn, assistant professor of psychiatry, are also quoted.
Many kids today don’t get outside enough, especially those without generous backyards or parents eager to lead them on nature walks. So area pediatricians are increasingly writing prescriptions to encourage kids and teens to spend time outside, particularly during the summer months, when the weather is good and the lack of structured activity can lead to weight gain. Christina Scirica, HMS instructor at MGH, is quoted.
New software could give people greater control over how their personal health information is shared between doctors and medicalinstitutions—provided that enough health providers decide to use the system. John Halamka, HMS professor of medicine at BIDMC, is quoted.
Medicare spending on breast cancer screening for women age 65 and older has jumped nearly 50 percent in recent years. But the rise in price was not associated with an improvement in the early detection of breast cancer. Daniel Kopans, HMS professor of radiology at MGH, is quoted.
Tibetans are comfortable at high altitudes where the air is thin. Now it seems a gene variant that gives them an edge over other people did not evolve in modern humans. It comes from an extinct species of human called the Denisovans. David Reich, HMS professor of genetics, is quoted.
Representatives of the National Institutes of Health’s Undiagnosed Diseases Program announced today that six medical centers will join the program, forming a network of sites to investigate intractable cases from patients around the country. Boston Children’s Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts GeneralHospital are among the grant recipients. HMS will serve as the program’s coordinating center.
Steve Schlozman, associate director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds atMassachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of psychology at HMS, and Gene Beresin, executive director of The Clay Center and co-director of medical student education in psychiatry at HMS, authored this article and podcast about recent research suggesting that “black box” warnings on antidepressants led to an increase in suicide attempts by adolescents.
For prostate cancer specialists, beliefs about active surveillance and their actions are two very different things, according to the findings of a new survey. Paul Nguyen, radiation oncologist at HMS, is quoted.
