New name for the old “Gary Schwitzer’s HealthNewsReview blog”
This is the publisher‘s blog (perspective, opinion) – different than the systematic story reviews, in which multiple reviewers use standardized criteria to critique stories.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, as Paul Levy writes on his Not Running A Hospital blog, is a surgery to remove a gall bladder using laparoscopic instruments through holes in the abdomen instead of cutting it open. Lap choles, for short. “So, what do you do if you are a robotic surgery device company that has saturated the [...]
Dr. Rob Lamberts writes on his Musings of a Distractible Mind blog: Asking for “more” has caused trouble over the ages. Adam and Eve wanted more food choices, the people of Pompeii wanted more mountain-side housing, Napoleon and Adolph Hitler wanted to spend more time in Russia, and America wanted more of the Kardashians. We [...]
On the Croakey blog from Australia, Dr. Tim Senior, a general practitioner working in Aboriginal health, provides advice for anyone reporting on medical tests (or indeed anyone wanting to understand the media’s reporting of screening and test issues). He was motivated by something he read in the paper: Last week, the Sydney Morning Herald went [...]
The Washington Post Wonkblog: “One hospital charges $8,000 – another, $38,000.” The piece contains an interactive graphic to allow readers to check on how much providers charge in their state. And it used this graphic: The Huffington Post: “Hospital Prices No Longer Secret As New Data Reveals Bewildering System, Staggering Cost Differences.” Their graphic: [...]
Newspapers in the UK went nuts today with stories about “Nobel-worthy” research and “breakthrough” and “cure.” Interestingly, the story is slow to crack US news organizations yet. The Guardian: Back pain breakthrough could eliminate need for major operations The Daily Mail: Antibiotics costing just £114 may cure chronic back pain in 40% of patients in [...]
Last week we spent all week poking holes in various medical marketing claims on this blog. Shall we have another go at it this week? Karen Shiffman of WBUR in Boston cut herself while cutting flowers, went to the ER, and then tested the advertising claim that this particular ER would only have a 19 [...]
On Twitter, Liz Szabo of USA Today asks, “Is this the end of the PSA?” She was referring to new clinical guidelines released by the American Urological Association. She reported: “In a major break from the past, a leading medical group is advising men to think carefully before getting getting screened for prostate cancer. The [...]
So I’m watching the evening network TV news the other night – I know, silly me – and I see this commercial pop up that visualizes artificial knee joint replacement surgery like peeling an apple. Now part of the ad pitch is that this is for “partial knee replacement.” You know what? Partial or not, [...]
Since we’ve been on a medical marketing kick this week, let’s catch up to what The Wall Street Journal reported last week: “Authorities in some U.S. states have become more aggressive in accusing drug makers of deceptive marketing, widening the potential liability for an industry that has shelled out billions of dollars to settle investigations [...]
In December of 2011 I wrote about about New Jersey’s Saint Barnabas medical center promoting its robotic surgery system to holiday shoppers at a New Jersey shopping mall. Then, in December of 2012, I wrote about the mall marketing trend spreading to places around the country. Now, the New Jersey medical center gets more publicity by [...]
This story focuses on a family that may have a rare genetic mutation that increases their risk of heart disease. Unfortunately, the “rare” part wasn’t mentioned until 1,600 words into this 2,100 word story.
While this story adequately addressed 7 of our 10 criteria, the 3 on which it missed were significant omissions, yet could have been easily addressed.
Solid medical conference reporting, with many expert interviews and good context provided. Goes far beyond the conference presentation itself.
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