The UK ranks 11th out of 14 countries for dementia drug use rates according to a report published by the Department of Health. The paper ‘Extent and causes of international variations in drug usage’ by Professor Sir Mike Richards looked at the rates of drug usage per capita for a range of diseases and drug categories in 14 countries across the world. The UK’s overall ranking was eighth. Alzheimer’s Society comment: ‘This report provides a scathing indictment of the huge problems surrounding access to dementia drugs in this country…

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Commenting on the launch of the consultation ‘Commissioning for patients’, Dr Hamish Meldrum, Chairman of BMA Council, said: “This document provides more detail about the government’s plans for GP commissioning, but there are still many questions that need answering. The proposals contain both opportunities and threats and we will be actively engaging with the consultation process to explore this in great detail and to ensure our members’ views are taken on board. We will also be publishing our own proposals for how GP commissioning could be made to work…

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Vitamins are organic compounds which are needed in small quantities to sustain life. We get vitamins from food, because the human body either does not produce enough of them, or none at all. An organic compound contains carbon. When an organism (living thing) cannot produce enough of an organic chemical compound that it needs in tiny amounts, and has to get it from food, it is called a vitamin. Sometimes the compound is a vitamin for a human but not for some other animals…

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An FDA (Food and Drug Administration), USA Advisory Committee voted 25 to 10 against a proposal to reduce the abuse and misuse of long-acting narcotic painkillers, such as OxyContin or Vicodin. Although the Advisory Committee’s recommendations are not binding the FDA usually follows them when making a regulatory decision. The Committee’s main reason for turning the proposal down, they say, was because it did not insist that doctors undergo training in the proper use of long-acting narcotics…

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According to a new guideline issued by the British Cardiovascular Society (BCS), called Fitness to Fly, there are very few heart conditions that mean patients cannot fly safely. The report is the result of the working group formed by BCS in 2008, in response to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee. Dr. David Smith, a Consultant Cardiologist, Royal Devon and Exeter Foundation Trust, led the working group, which included representation from Airlines, Aviation authorities, and cardiology experts…

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Siemens Healthcare is pleased to announce its first orders of the MAGNETOM® Aera 1.5 Tesla and MAGNETOM® Skyra 3 Tesla MRI systems following recent product launches into the UK market. The first hospitals to place orders include Wythenshawe Hospital, part of University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust (UHSM), Guys Hospital, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Kidderminster Hospital, part of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and Royal Brompton Hospital, part of Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust…

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More than 91.9 percent of North Dakota small businesses with fewer than 25 employees will be eligible this year for tax credits to help pay the cost of employee health coverage, according to a new report issued by the consumer health organization Families USA and small business advocacy group Small Business Majority. The tax credit program, a key element of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, targets small employers with up to 25 workers. In North Dakota, this means 15,200 small businesses will qualify. Nationally, more than 4 million small businesses-83…

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The Methodist Hospital is the first in the U.S. to use a portable heart/lung machine to move critically ill patients easily and safely to different areas of the hospital for medical tests or from outlying hospitals to the medical center for specialized treatment. Recently approved for use in the U.S. by the FDA, the device has been used in Europe since 2008 with excellent results. “With this new device, we will never have to say that a patient is too sick to move,” said Dr. Matthias Loebe, transplant surgeon at The Methodist Hospital…

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This summer, a team of 100 primary care physicians across the country will embark on the “OpenNotes” initiative. OpenNotes will give 25,000 patients the chance to read doctors’ notes on their medical records via a secure Internet portal. The OpenNotes pilot program is designed to determine if access to doctors’ notes will result in improved doctor-patient communication. For doctors, notes serve as a reminder of the unique characteristics of the patient, their medical history, and their care. For patients, doctors’ notes may help to clarify issues or explain care approaches…

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The latest results from the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health show more than half of parents are interested in having their children checked for disease risks using at-home personal genetic testing kits. In May 2010, the poll asked 1,461 adults, ages 18 and older with children ages 0-17, about their interest in getting personal genetic testing for their children and reasons why they would be interested in getting testing for their children…

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