02/02/2012
Data on central line-associated infections in intensive care units have been added to CMS' Hospital Compare website, which aims to help consumers compare various data on hospital quality. The agency will add information on surgical-site and urinary tract infections next year. Salt Lake City Deseret News et al.
02/01/2012
A new PLoS Medicine study by researchers at Australia's University of New South Wales finds that the implementation of commercial electronic prescribing systems led to significant reductions in medication errors at two teaching hospitals in Sydney. However, researchers note that e-prescribing software sometimes can contribute to medication mistakes. MedPage Today et al.
02/01/2012
Tomorrow, the Massachusetts state Senate plans to vote on legislation that would require physicians to check an online database before prescribing certain controlled substances. The bill aims to curb the misuse of painkillers like oxycodone. Boston Globe, AP/CBS News.
01/31/2012
AdverseEvents and Clarimed recently launched online databases with adverse event information from prescription drugs and medical devices. The companies hope the databases will empower patients to use the Internet to look up medical information. Wall Street Journal.
01/30/2012
Six current and former FDA scientists and physicians have filed a lawsuit alleging that FDA monitored their personal emails after they informed congressional staffers that the agency approved medical devices that might pose risks to patients. FDA's computer system warns its employees that they should not expect their communications to be private. Washington Post.
01/26/2012
New details have emerged about an undercover operation that the federal government used to gather evidence that Google allowed illegal pharmacies to display Web advertisements. Google paid $500 million to settle the allegations in August 2011. Wall Street Journal, Ars Technica.
01/18/2012
Patients who have live, interactive telemedicine consultations with dermatologists could receive better treatment and have better outcomes, according to a study. About 69% of patients who had at least two such visits in a year saw clinical improvements. Modern Healthcare, FierceHealthIT.
01/10/2012
Researchers have published preliminary results from a pilot program testing a new database to track cases of sudden unexpected infant deaths. The database collects information on the circumstances surrounding an infant's death. Fierce Health IT, MyHealthNewsDaily/Fox News.
01/10/2012
A new study published in the Journal of Nursing Administration finds that U.S. nurses who used electronic health record systems consistently saw improvements in patient care and outcomes. United Press International, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing release.
01/09/2012
At New York University's School of Medicine, students are using new 3-D technology to dissect virtual human bodies and watch simulated organs function as they would in a living human. NYU officials said the virtual bodies complement the use of cadavers. New York Times.
01/06/2012
FDA plans to develop a mobile application that would let clinicians instantly track and report adverse drug events during public health emergencies. The agency aims to contract with a software developer that could build a prototype of the app within one year. NextGov.
01/05/2012
FDA has released draft guidelines on how drug companies and medical device makers can use social media tools to answer consumer questions about off-label uses of their products. FDA is accepting comment on the draft guidance until March 26. Fierce Government IT et al.
01/05/2012
According to a series of studies published in the British Medical Journal, many researchers fail to report clinical trial results to an NIH website within 12 months as required by FDA. An editorial accompanying the studies calls for tighter enforcement of the requirement. Reuters et al.
01/04/2012
Children's Hospital Boston researchers have developed a mathematical model that uses analytics to predict potential future adverse drug events. Using 2005 data, the model predicted 42% of the adverse drug relationships that were identified by 2010. Modern Healthcare, U.S. News & World Report.
01/04/2012
Health care providers are expressing concern over alarm fatigue resulting from more widespread use of heart monitors. The broader use of heart monitors means clinicians hear more alarms from the devices and could become desensitized to such alerts. Boston Globe.