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It turns out it’s not just some patients’ imaginations running away with them when they feel like their doctor is as compassionate as he or she should be. A small recent study found a statistically significant amount of difference between the way doctors interacted with thin patients as opposed to obese patients. The study, published in the medical journal Obesity by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, recorded discussions between 200 patients with high blood pressure and their doctors. When the results were studied, there was no discernible difference in the amount of time doctors spent with patients or the topics discussed, however, they did find that “doctors seemed just a bit nicer to their normal-weight patients, showing more empathy and warmth in their conversations.” That’s not to say that the doctors were actually mean or harsh to their overweight patients. However, the study’s lead author, Dr. Kimberly Gudzune, said, “They were just not engaging patients in that rapport-building or making that emotional connection with the patient.” In practice, this means that when conversing with thin patients, doctors would make positive comments such as, “I’m glad you’re feeling better” or “You went through a lot.” They were not found to make the same types of comments to obese patients. The bigger problem with this lack of empathy on the doctors’ parts is that when patients don’t feel like their doctors empathize with them, they are less likely to go to the doctor when they feel ill. In the long run, this could mean that more serious ailments aren’t attended to in a timely manner. Medical Malpractice Law News Brought To You By http://www.HaskelLaw.com Source: http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/04/29/overweight-patients-face-bias/
A group of 18 doctors and health professionals have petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to implement stronger regulations on energy drinks. Their main concern is the adverse effects high caffeine consumption can have on teens and children. Doctors want caffeine content advertised more clearly In the letter, which was addressed to FDA Commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg, doctors explained, “There is evidence in the published scientific literature that the caffeine levels in energy drinks pose serious potential health risks.” Their main concern is that manufacturers of energy drinks do not accurately represent on product packaging how much caffeine is present. Energy drink companies argue similarity of their products to coffee Energy drink companies continue to insist that the caffeine levels in their products are safe and are similar to the caffeine amounts present in coffee. The FDA has said that adults can safely consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine per day with no ill effects. However, these 18 doctors are more concerned about the effects of the energy drinks on young people, saying that safe caffeine consumption for them is much lower than it is for adults. They say that energy drink companies target young adults in particular with their marketing. Energy drinks known to cause some health problems Energy drinks have been known to cause or contribute to some health problems and the number of attributed cases have risen in recent years from 10,068 in 2007 to 20,783 in 2012. According to The New York Times, these problems include “anxiety, headaches, irregular heartbeats, and heart attacks.” In addition to the FDA commissioner, the group also sent a letter to San Francisco city attorney Dennis Herrera who is currently conducting an investigation of the energy drink industry. Medical Malpractice Law News Brought To You By http://www.HaskelLaw.com Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/20/b...affeine-in-energy-drinks.html?ref=health&_r=0
