2008

Regenstrief Institute Receives World Health Organization Designation — last modified 2009-03-17 15:19

The World Health Organization has designated the Regenstrief Institute's medical informatics group as the world's first WHO Collaborating Center for Medical Informatics.

Prioritizing Health Care Reform Components — last modified 2009-03-05 13:59

Faced with a barrage of pressing issues, the Obama administration has placed health-care reform high on its agenda. The timing bodes well for change, according to Aaron E. Carroll, M.D., director of the Indiana University Center for Health Policy and Professionalism, associate professor of pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine and a pediatrician at Riley Hospital for Children.

The Total Package: A Skillful, Compassionate Doctor — last modified 2009-03-05 13:56

Patients and their families want physicians who are gifted in diagnosis and treatment and who are caring individuals with the interpersonal skills needed to communicate complex information in stressful circumstances.

Does Universal Health Care Affect Attitude Toward Dementia? Britons Perceive Greater Societal Stigma From Diagnosis Than Do Americans — last modified 2009-03-05 13:52

A new study has found that in spite of their universal health care system which facilitates access to free dementia care, older adults in the United Kingdom are less willing to undergo dementia screening than their counterparts in the U.S. because the Britons perceive greater societal stigma from diagnosis of the disease than do Americans.

Medical Myths for the Holiday Season: True, False or Unproven? — last modified 2009-03-12 16:01

In a study published in the Christmas 2008 issue of the British Medical Journal, Aaron Carroll, M.D., M.S., and Rachel Vreeman, M.D., M.S., of the Indiana University School of Medicine, explore the science behind six myths commonly associated with the holidays yet relevant year-round.

Cholinesterase Inhibitors Reduce Aggression, Wandering and Paranoia in Alzheimer’s disease — last modified 2008-12-11 10:15

Cholinesterase inhibitors, used to treat cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, are also a safe and effective alternative therapy for the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, according to a study that appears in the December 2008 edition of Clinical Interventions in Aging.

Caring for the Caregiver: Redefining the Definition of Patient -IU Study Finds 25% of family caregivers of AD patients Go To ER Or Are Hospitalized — last modified 2008-11-10 16:23

One quarter of all family caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients succumb to the stress of providing care to a loved one and become hospital patients themselves, according to an Indiana University study published in the November 2008 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Neighborhood Greenness Has Long Term Positive Impact on Kids’ Health — last modified 2008-10-31 11:16

In the first study to look at the effect of neighborhood greenness on inner city children's weight over time, researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and the University of Washington report that higher neighborhood greenness is associated with slower increases in children's body mass over a two year period, regardless of residential density.

Nation's Only Citywide Electronic Health Information Exchange: Improving Health and Lowering Costs — last modified 2008-10-31 11:06

Across the nation concerns about health-care quality and costs are growing. For the first time, both candidates aspiring to the nation's highest office are looking to greater reliance on electronic medical records as critical to any remedy.

Health Care and the U.S. Presidential Election — last modified 2008-10-07 11:32

"There are now more than 45 million people in America without health insurance for the entire year; almost twice that number lack coverage for at least a month out of the year. Over the last few years, most of the newly uninsured are from the middle class. As unemployment rises, along with gas and food prices, more and more people will be unable to afford health insurance, especially as it gets more expensive each year. The combination of a sagging economy, increasing numbers of uninsured, and a disproportionately affected middle class may make this a tipping point," said Aaron Carroll, M.D, director of the Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research (CHPPR) and associate professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Medical Student Gender and Self-Confidence: Females Underestimate Their Abilities and Males Tend to Overestimate Theirs — last modified 2008-10-03 16:02

Despite performing equally to their male peers in the classroom and the clinic, female medical students consistently report decreased self-confidence and increased anxiety, particularly over issues related to their competency. A new study published in the September 2008 issue of Patient Education and Counseling found that female medical students also appeared less confident to patients.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell Doesn't Work In Prenatal Care — last modified 2008-09-30 14:17

While obstetrical care providers are doing a good job working with their patients on smoking cessation, they are not doing as well on abuse of other substances that can harm a woman's unborn baby. A new study appearing in the September 2008 issue of the journal Patient Education and Counseling reports that patients don't volunteer information about substance abuse unless specifically queried.

Protecting Patient Privacy the New Fashioned Way — last modified 2008-09-25 13:40

Protecting patient privacy has been recognized as the duty of health-care providers for aHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Actbout as long as doctors have seen patients. Since 1996, that duty became a legal obligation when Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

A Look to the Future: Getting Health Information Where It Needs To Go Instantly In Times of Emergency — last modified 2008-09-23 16:19

Investigators from the Regenstrief Institute have led a demonstration of how health information exchange technologies developed and tested regionally can be used to securely share patient information across the nation during an emergency.

How Often To Screen for Colon Cancer? NEJM Study Finds 5-Year Risk Extremely Low — last modified 2008-09-18 11:33

How frequently should symptom-free individuals at average risk for colon cancer undergo screening with colonoscopy? In a study published in the Sept. 18, 2008, New England Journal of Medicine, researchers led by Thomas F. Imperiale, M.D., of the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute, report that while there still is no definitive answer to the question, they now know the procedure need not be performed any sooner than every five years.

Torke Receives Prestigious Award to Study Surrogate Decision Making for Older Adults — last modified 2008-09-12 15:49

Alexia M. Torke, M.D., M.S., has been named a 2008 Hartford Geriatrics Health Outcomes Research Scholar.

Dance to the Music: Learning & Exercising at YMCA Can Prevent Diabetes — last modified 2008-09-09 16:05

Community-based exercise organizations, such as the YMCA, are an effective tool in the fight against diabetes, according to a study by Indiana University School of Medicine researchers in the October 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

New Think Tank Tackles Health Policy and Professionalism Issues — last modified 2008-09-04 14:55

Quick turnaround research on the hottest topics of the day related to health policy, medical professionalism, medical education, and physician practice –is the goal of the Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research (CHPPR), recently created as an innovative think tank at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Riley Hospital for Children.

When the Patient Can't Decide: Study Looks At Physician Perspectives on Surrogate Decision Making — last modified 2008-08-18 15:04

Family members are often called upon to make medical choices for patients who are unable to do so themselves. Researchers led by Alexia Torke, M.D., of the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Regenstrief Institute, Inc., studied how physicians treating these patients interacted with surrogate decision-makers.

Children with HIV in Low Income Countries More Adherent to Treatment Than Children in High Income Countries — last modified 2008-08-14 11:19

Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine, the Regenstrief Institute and Moi University School of Medicine are the first to report that adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) to fight human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in children who live in low income countries is as high as or higher than adherence by children living in high income countries.