Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Creating A Safety Plan For Patients Who End Up In Hospital For Suicide Attempt Can Have 'Phenomenal' Results
NPR: A Safety Plan Can Help Suicide Survivors Prevent The Next Attempt
Many people who attempt suicide end up in an emergency room for immediate treatment. But few of those suicide survivors get the follow-up care they need at a time when they are especially likely to attempt suicide again. Now, a study shows that a simple intervention conducted by staff in emergency departments can reduce the risk of future attempts. The intervention involves creating a safety plan for each patient and following up with phone calls after discharge. (Chatterjee, 7/11)
The Associated Press: Late-Life High Blood Pressure May Harm The Brain, Study Says
New research suggests that high blood pressure late in life might harm the brain. Autopsies were done on nearly 1,300 older people, including hundreds of nuns and priests who donated their brains to science. The exams revealed more signs of damage and one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease in those with higher pressure than among those with pressure closer to normal. (7/11)
Los Angeles Times: If You're An Adult In America, There's About A 50-50 Chance You've Been On A Diet In The Past Year
Dieting has become the new normal in the U.S. If you doubt this is true, just ask two American adults whether they’ve tried to lose weight in the past year. Odds are, one of them will say yes, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Between 2013 and 2016, 49.1% of Americans ages 20 and up told interviewers with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey that they made an effort to shed some pounds in the previous 12 months. (Kaplan, 7/12)
The New York Times: The Power Of Positive People
Are you spending time with the right people for your health and happiness? While many of us focus primarily on diet and exercise to achieve better health, science suggests that our well-being also is influenced by the company we keep. Researchers have found that certain health behaviors appear to be contagious and that our social networks — in person and online — can influence obesity, anxiety and overall happiness. A recent report found that a person’s exercise routine was strongly influenced by his or her social network. (Parker-Pope, 7/10)
McClatchy: CDC Joins Investigation Into ‘Sonic Attacks’ In Cuba And China
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has joined the investigation into the sonic incidents that have injured U.S. diplomats and have confounded U.S. officials and scientists since first discovered last year in Cuba. ...The addition of CDC reflects the ongoing trouble the United States is having trying to determine the cause of the incidents that have left more than 25 Americans and U.S. personnel experiencing headaches, hearing loss, and other mysterious ailments in Cuba and China. (Ordoñez, 7/11)
Kaiser Health News: A Hospital’s Human Touch: Why Taking Care In Discharging A Patient Matters
The kidney doctor sat next to Judy Garrett’s father, looking into his face, her hand on his arm. There are things I can do for you, she told the 87-year-old man, but if I do them I’m not sure you will like me very much. The word “death” wasn’t mentioned, but the doctor’s meaning was clear: There was no hope of recovery from kidney failure. Garrett’s father listened quietly. “I want to go home,” he said. (Graham, 7/12)
NPR: Anti-Aging Drugs In Development Show Positive Early Study Results
Scientists on the hunt for anti-aging drugs say they've made an advance with tantalizing potential: Two experimental drugs appear to safely boost the immune systems of elderly humans. The researchers stress that more research is needed to confirm the findings and show the drugs are safe. And at least one researcher says the findings are based on a relatively small number of people and used methods that could produce misleading results.Still, many researchers say the findings are encouraging. (Stein, 7/11)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Doctor Burnout Can Cause Major Medical Errors, Study Says
Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine recently conducted a study, published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, to evaluate doctor burnout and work safety in relation to medical errors. Previous studies estimate that medical errors are responsible for 100,000 to 200,000 deaths each year in the United States. (Parker, 7/11)
The New York Times: Running After A Heart Attack
John Quinn, a retired newspaper editor, likes to wear the teal cotton T-shirt he got from the 2012 Broad Street Run, a 10-mile race in Philadelphia. It was his first 10-mile event, and he’d come a long way to get to that 2012 starting line: losing more than 60 pounds and going from calling himself “John 316,” a reference to his previous weight, to being a dedicated runner. “Getting into shape, it’s not glamorous,” he said. “It’s hard. You can’t fake it.” (Miller, 7/12)
The Washington Post: These Louisiana Physicians Can Monitor Your Blood Pressure — And You Don’t Even Have To Leave Your Living Room
There were termites in the garage and a $2,100 bill to get rid of them. The mechanic had called to say he didn’t know when the car would be fixed. So after a summer day full of aggravations, 73-year-old Ann R. Ware wasn’t surprised to see the result when she sat down on her sofa, wrapped a blood pressure cuff around her arm and pressed a button on her iPhone screen to trigger the cuff to take a reading. It was too high. At 8:30 a.m. the next day, she got a call from someone worried about the result. It was Megan McKenzie, a clinical pharmacist at Ochsner Medical Center. (Johnson, 7/11)
ProPublica: Undercooked: An Expensive Push To Save Lives And Protect The Planet Falls Short
An array of studies, including some financed by the Alliance itself, have shown that the millions of biomass cookstoves of the kind sold or distributed in the effort do not perform well enough in the field to reduce users’ risk of deadly illnesses like heart disease and pneumonia. The stoves also have not delivered much in the way of climate benefits. (Morrison, 7/12)
