Shout Outs

Updated 3/2017 -- photos/videos and all links removed (except to my own posts) as many no longer active.

Afternoon Nap Society is the host for this week’s Grand Rounds. You can read this week’s edition here.

………….This week, Grand Rounds is mine, and in selecting blog posts, I evaluated submissions based on their topicality, writing style, and personal appeal. What I look for in a blog as an ePatient may differ from what a physician or even another ePatient looks for; however, the goal of Grand Rounds is to foster dialogue, and more and more we are learning that in order for a healthcare dialogue to be truly effective, it must include the patient perspective. As a result, Sean Ahrens, an ePatient and software designer who is building Chronology, an online network on which patients with Crohn's and Colitis may connect and learn from one another, opens this week's session….….

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In the current JAMA, a thoughtful commentary article by Traber Davis Giardina, MA, MSW and Hardeep Singh, MD, MPH:  Patient's direct access to test results - pros and cons. (subscription necessary for full access)

In the outpatient setting, between 8% and 26% of abnormal test results, including those suspicious for malignancy, are not followed up in a timely manner. Despite the use of electronic health records (EHRs) to facilitate communication of test results, follow-up remains a significant safety challenge. In an effort to mitigate delays, some systems have adopted a time-delayed direct notification of test results to patients (ie, releasing them after 3 to 7 days to allow physicians to review them).

On September 14, 2011, the Department of Health and Human Services jointly with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Office for Civil Rights proposed a rule allowing patients to access test results directly from the laboratory by request (paper or electronic).  .……….

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For those of you like me trying to follow the face transplant recipients and procedures progress, CBC News recently had an update on one of them:  Conn. woman mauled by chimp praised for new face

…….."I've had people tell me I'm beautiful," Nash said in the interview that aired Monday. "And they were not telling me I was beautiful before."
Nash said she was cheered by a simple "hello" from a child while she was shopping recently.
"That didn't happen before," she said. "It was nice. The little girl was saying 'hi' to me. ... I'm not scaring anybody." ……

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This article from Science Daily caught my eye and I look forward to when it might be possible in humans:  Cleft Lip Corrected Genetically in Mouse Model

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College used genetic methods to successfully repair cleft lips in mice embryos specially engineered for the study of cleft lip and cleft palate. The research breakthrough may show the way to prevent or treat the conditions in humans. ...…….

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H/T to @medicallessons for this tweet “Is a Ban on Drinking Water Hours Before Surgery Necessary? (maybe not) -- ttp://nyti.ms/uTAQgl”  The link is to a New York Times Q & A article by C. Claiborne Ray:  Cool, Clear Water

Q. Is it really necessary to prevent patients from drinking water for many hours before surgery?

A. The well-known rule that a preoperative patient should have “nothing by mouth after midnight” was not based on scientific evidence, and many medical organizations now have more flexible guidelines. For example, American Society of Anesthesiologists guidelines generally permit clear liquids until two hours before surgery. .…….

Be sure you ask your surgeon and anesthesiologist what the rule is for you as the above is for healthy individuals.  It may vary depending on your set of health problems and the surgery you are scheduled to have.

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I love watching my dog shake water off. 

H/T to @DrVes for the link to this NPR story by Robert Krulwich:  Shake It! How Dogs, Cats, Even Hummingbirds Keep Dry (photos, including the one below, and video)

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The Alliance for American Quilts received 119 quilts for it’s 2011 "Alliances: People, Patterns, Passion" contest.   You can see all the quilts here. My entry was “Redwork Quilt” and is included in this week’s (Week Two --Mon, Nov. 21- Mon, Nov. 28) quilts being auctioned off on eBay.

All contest quilts will be auctioned via eBay starting on Monday, November 14, 2011 and ending December 12, 2011. All proceeds will support the AAQ and its projects. ….

Week THREE auction guide: Monday, November 28 - Monday, December 5  ……

New this year: "Alliances" contest artist's were offered the chance to record their artist's statements thanks to the generous services of AAQ Business member, VoiceQuilt, visit them at www.voicequilt.com.