Home Otolaryngology October 2017 Briefing – Otolaryngology

October 2017 Briefing – Otolaryngology

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Otolaryngology for October 2017. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.

Depressive Symptoms Increase During Internship Year

TUESDAY, Oct. 31, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Depressive symptoms increase during the internship year for training physicians, with a greater increase among women, according to a study published online Oct. 30 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

E-Cigarettes Alter Defense Proteins in Airway Secretions

MONDAY, Oct. 30, 2017 (HealthDay News) — E-cigarette use changes the profile of innate defense proteins in airway secretions, according to a study published online Oct. 20 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Post-Op Complications Low for Orbital Floor Fracture Repair

FRIDAY, Oct. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients undergoing orbital floor fracture repair, total operative time and postoperative complications are similar for cases performed by plastic surgeons versus ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeons, according to a research letter published online Oct. 26 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

Multidisciplinary Model Cuts Treatment Delay in Head, Neck CA

FRIDAY, Oct. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with head and neck cancer, a multidisciplinary head and neck clinic model is associated with reduced treatment delay, according to a study published online Oct. 26 in JAMA Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery.

Better Outcomes With Transoroal Robotic Surgery Alone in OPSCC

THURSDAY, Oct. 26, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), transoral robotic surgery (TORS) alone is associated with improved outcomes versus TORS followed by adjuvant treatment, according to a study published online Oct. 26 in JAMA Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery.

Gifts From Pharma Companies Influence Prescribing Behavior

THURSDAY, Oct. 26, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Receipt of gifts from pharmaceutical companies is associated with more prescriptions per patient and more costly prescriptions, according to a study published online Oct. 25 in PLOS One.

Most Patients Satisfied With Relationship With Physician

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 25, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Results of the Physicians Foundation 2017 Patient Survey show that most patients are satisfied with their overall relationship with their physician, according to an article published by the American Academy of Family Physicians.

DEA Taking Back Unwanted Prescription Drugs on Oct. 28

TUESDAY, Oct. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The public is being given its 14th opportunity to safely dispose of pills and patches at collection points operated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and its partners.

Design Thinking Enables Med Students to Solve Challenges

MONDAY, Oct. 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) — A joint effort between students at Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is training future physicians in design thinking to help identify and repair health system issues that contribute to physician burnout, according to an article by the American Medical Association.

Clinician Job Satisfaction Linked to Improved Burnout Scores

FRIDAY, Oct. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Clinicians’ job satisfaction is associated with improved burnout scores and reduced intention to leave their practices, according to a study published in the October issue of Health Affairs.

Oncogenic Oral HPV DNA Detected in 3.5 Percent of Adults

FRIDAY, Oct. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Men have a higher prevalence of oncogenic oral human papillomavirus (HPV) than women, and prevalence increases with the number of lifetime oral sexual partners and tobacco use, according to a study published online Oct. 19 in the Annals of Oncology.

Patients Perceived as More Attractive After Rhinoplasty

FRIDAY, Oct. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Patients after rhinoplasty are perceived as more attractive, more successful, and healthier overall, according to a study published online Oct. 19 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

Conditions Tied to Clinician Dissatisfaction Are Modifiable

THURSDAY, Oct. 19, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Modifiable conditions, like chaos, incohesiveness, and lack of communication, contribute to unsatisfying workplaces for clinicians, according to a study published in the October issue of Health Affairs.

Key Stakeholders Discuss How to Make EHRs More Usable

THURSDAY, Oct. 19, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Key stakeholders and physicians discussed electronic health record (EHR) usability and optimization in the American Medical Association Running Your Practice Community.

Sharing Passwords Is Widespread Among Medical Staff

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 18, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Sharing of passwords to access electronic medical records is common among medical staff members, according to a study published in the July issue of Healthcare Informatics Research.

Men Now Comprise ~10 Percent of RN Workforce

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 18, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The increasing participation of men in registered nursing can be attributed to multiple factors, including increasing educational attainment, rising labor demand in health care, and liberalizing gender role attitudes, according to a working paper published by the Washington Center for Equitable Growth.

Female Physicians May Be Especially at Risk of Burnout

TUESDAY, Oct. 17, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Female physicians are more burned out than their male colleagues, but there are steps they can take to reduce the stress associated with burnout, according to a blog post published in Medical Economics.

Prevalence of Oral HPV Infection Higher for U.S. Men

TUESDAY, Oct. 17, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and high-risk oral HPV infection are more common among men than women, according to a study published online Oct. 16 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Most Female Physicians Have Faced Sexist Patient Comments

MONDAY, Oct. 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Most female physicians have been sexually harassed by patients at some point in their careers, according to a blog post published in Medical Economics.

Online Ratings Not Aligned With Objective Quality Measures

MONDAY, Oct. 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Online consumer ratings of specialist physicians do not predict objective measures of quality of care or peer assessment of clinical performance, according to a study published online Sept. 8 in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Quality Issues for Both Paper-, Electronic-Based Health Records

FRIDAY, Oct. 13, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Both paper-based and electronic health records (EHRs) have shortcomings in terms of quality of content, process, and structure, with poor quality of nursing documentation seen for both methods, according to a study published online Oct. 5 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

Virtual Planning May Help With Nasal Obstruction Surgery

THURSDAY, Oct. 12, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Otolaryngologists report an overall positive experience with a virtual surgery planning tool for nasal airway obstruction (NAO), according to a study published online Oct. 12 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

Across U.S., Wide Variation Seen in Thyroidectomy Rates

THURSDAY, Oct. 12, 2017 (HealthDay News) — There is wide variation in thyroidectomy rates among Medicare beneficiaries nationally, suggesting widely divergent local practice patterns for the management of thyroid nodules and cancer, according to a study published online Oct. 12 in JAMA Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery.

Court Considering Fate of Noneconomic Damages Cap

THURSDAY, Oct. 12, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The Wisconsin Supreme Court is considering whether it will hear a case that will determine the fate of the state’s $750,000 cap on noneconomic damages, according to an article published by the American Medical Association (AMA).

New System Streamlines CME Credit Approval Process

THURSDAY, Oct. 12, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) have launched a new performance improvement activity credit reporting process called the AAFP Credit System, according to an article published by the AAFP.

Low-Cost Services a Major Player in Unnecessary Health Spending

THURSDAY, Oct. 12, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The costs associated with low-cost, low-value health services are nearly twice as high as those of high-cost, low-value services, according to a study published in the October issue of Health Affairs.

30-Day Mortality Lower With Female Surgeons

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 11, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Patients treated by female surgeons have a small but significant decrease in 30-day mortality compared with patients treated by male surgeons, according to a study published online Oct. 10 in BMJ.

Medical License Questions Sway Doctors’ Mental Health Help

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 11, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Medical licensure application questions (MLAQs) regarding mental health contribute to physicians’ reluctance to seek help for mental health, according to a study published in the October issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Physician Salaries Appear to Be Flat or Declining

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 11, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Anecdotally, physician career coaches report that physician salaries are flat at best, according to an article published in Medical Economics.

Guide Offers Doctors Tips for Choosing a Health System

TUESDAY, Oct. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) — A guide has been developed to assist physicians considering joining a physician-led integrated health system, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).

Medial Temporal Lobe Surgery Linked to Prevalence of Tinnitus

TUESDAY, Oct. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Patients with epilepsy undergoing medial temporal lobe (MTL) surgery have increased prevalence of tinnitus compared with controls and participants with self-reported epilepsy (SRE), according to a research letter published online Oct. 9 in JAMA Neurology.

Novel Metrics Suggested for Assessing EHR Use

TUESDAY, Oct. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Novel metrics have been developed to assess electronic health record (EHR) use and are described in an opinion article published online Oct. 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

2016 Physician Quality Reporting System Reports Available

MONDAY, Oct. 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The 2016 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and the 2016 annual Quality and Resource Use reports have been released for individuals and group practices, according to a report published by the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Injured Patients Want More Info on Safety Improvement Efforts

MONDAY, Oct. 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Communication-and-resolution program (CRP) experiences are positive overall for a small majority of patients and families, but they report that hospitals rarely share information about preventing recurrences, according to a study published online Oct. 9 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Negative Margins, Lymph Node Yields Predict Survival

MONDAY, Oct. 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Patients treated at hospitals that attain a high rate of negative margins and lymph node yields (LNY) of at least 18 have improved survival after surgery for head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), according to a study published online Oct. 5 in JAMA Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery.

Short-Lived Benefits for Abusive Supervisory Behavior

FRIDAY, Oct. 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Engaging in abusive supervisory behavior may be associated with short-term beneficial effects, but over longer periods of time, abusive supervisory behavior is negatively related to supervisors’ recovery level and engagement, according to a study published online Sept. 11 in the Academy of Management Journal.

Longer Anesthesia Duration Tied to More Surgical Complications

FRIDAY, Oct. 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Increased anesthesia duration is associated with significantly increased rates of surgical complications, especially the need for postoperative transfusion, among patients undergoing microvascular reconstruction of the head and neck, according to a study published online Oct. 5 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

Stronger Nocebo Effect When Inert Rx Labeled As Expensive

FRIDAY, Oct. 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Nocebo hyperalgesia is stronger when an inert treatment is labeled as being an expensive medication rather than a cheap one, according to a study published online Oct. 5 in Science.

Enrolling in Aerodigestive Clinic Cuts Children’s Inpatient Days

FRIDAY, Oct. 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For children with special health care needs, enrollment in a multidisciplinary aerodigestive clinic may improve health care outcomes, according to a study published online Oct. 5 in JAMA Otolaryngology — Head & Neck Surgery.

21 Percent of Americans Report Experiencing a Medical Error

THURSDAY, Oct. 5, 2017 (HealthDay News) — More than one in five patients report having experienced a medical error, according to a survey released Sept. 28 by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)/National Patient Safety Foundation Lucian Leape Institute and NORC at the University of Chicago.

Reasons Physicians Are Delaying Retirement Vary

THURSDAY, Oct. 5, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Physicians are delaying retirement, often because they feel they are providing a useful service to patients or because of concerns about social interaction in retirement, according to an article published online Sept. 25 in Medical Economics.

Pay Inequality, Work-Life Balance Top Concerns for Female Docs

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 4, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Many female physicians report feeling disadvantaged when negotiating contracts and feel that they are assessed for promotion using different criteria than those used for men, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).

Scientists Support Genome Editing to Prevent Disease

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 4, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Many basic scientists and clinical researchers support somatic genome editing in adults for prevention of serious disease but not for human enhancement; they also believe the public should be consulted before any clinical application of germline gene editing proceeds, according to survey results published online Oct. 3 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics.

Communication Program Doesn’t Raise Hospital Liability Costs

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) — A communication-and-resolution program, in which hospitals and liability insurers communicate with patients when adverse events occur, does not lead to higher liability costs, according to a study published online Oct. 2 in Health Affairs.

Fewer Deaths Projected With Switch to Electronic Cigarettes

TUESDAY, Oct. 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Replacement of cigarettes with electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is projected to result in fewer premature deaths, even under a pessimistic scenario, according to a study published online Oct. 2 in Tobacco Control.

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