Cancer Docs Shy Away from Empathy: Study

But only a third of terminally ill receive them, study says

(NEWSER) - While only a third of terminally-ill cancer patients received end-of-life talks from their doctors, those who did fared better, a study has found. Doctors who hedge may think they’re protecting their patients, but patients who got the talk were no more likely to get depressed, avoided living their final days in hospitals, and didn’t spend on expensive, futile care, the AP reports. More»

Radiologists at top, pediatricians at bottom

(NEWSER) - The annual survey from Medscape/WebMD has all kinds of interesting factoids about physician finances—including the fact that many doctors regret their career choice. Highlights:

• Highest paid: Radiologists and orthopedic surgeons make $315,000, followed by cardiologists ($314,000), anesthesiologists ($309,000), and urologists ($309,000).
• Lowest paid: Pediatricians ($156,000) make the least, followed by family medicine doctors ($158,000), internal medicine doctors ($165,000), diabeticians/endocrinologists ($168,000), and psychiatrists ($170,000).

Childhood leukemia victims run low on methotrexate

(NEWSER) - Bad news for Americans with childhood leukemia: A critical medicine used to treat the disease is so hard to find that hundreds or thousands of kids could die, the New York Times reports. Methotrexate, typically used to treat leukemia in children aged 2 to 5, fell into short supply after an Ohio company stopped making it due to "manufacturing and quality concerns." Says an FDA official: "This is dire. Supplies are just not meeting demand.” More»

Many 'go gently' rather than opting for extreme measures: Dr. Ken Murray

(NEWSER) - You'd think a doctor with, say, a terminal illness or a weak heart would have an inside edge over the rest of us and opt for the most whiz-bang, no-holds-barred treatment available. Just the opposite, writes Ken Murray, MD, in the Zocalo Public Square (as spotted by Andrew Sullivan's blog ). Doctors "don't die like the rest of us," writes Murray. "What’s unusual about them is not how much treatment they get compared to most Americans, but how little." They have seen first-hand the desperate, expensive , usually futile measures taken to save a life, generally because end-of-life wishes were not explicitly spelled out. More»

A doctorate does not a doctor make, say many MDs

(NEWSER) - As more and more nurses, pharmacists, and physical therapists are earning PhD degrees, a battle is raging over which health care professionals can use the prestigious title "doctor," reports the New York Times . Nurses especially are pursuing doctorates, eager to increase their pay and promotional opportunities—last year, 153 schools handed out 7,037 doctor of nursing practice degrees, compared to just four schools and 170 degrees in 2004—but PhDs are increasingly required in pharmacy and physical therapy, too. More»