Obnoxious Docs Linked to Dangerous Mistakes

Uncaring, brutal exams can traumatize laboring moms

(NEWSER) - The mothers of the world are mad, and they're not going to take it anymore. A growing movement against "birth rape" is placing institutions on notice that women in labor oppose any vaginal intrusion by "fingers, hands, suction cups, forceps, needles and scissors" without consent, notes the Sydney Morning Herald . Uncaring, sometimes brutal physical examinations often traumatize vulnerable laboring women, notes birthtalk.com , which defines "birth rape" as anything that "crosses decent boundaries." More»

The Brothers Grimm have some insights to share

(NEWSER) - Doctors can memorize stack upon stack of clinical textbooks, but they should keep at least a few fairy tales on hand. Valerie Gribben—a medical student and author of The Fairytale Trilogy—says that in her work, she draws just as much from the Brothers Grimm as she does Gray's Anatomy. "Fairy tales are, at their core, heightened portrayals of human nature, revealing, as the glare of injury and illness does, the underbelly of mankind," she writes in the New York Times . "Both fairy tales and medical charts chronicle the bizarre, the unfair, the tragic." More»

Crackdown follows patients' complaints

(NEWSER) - Following patient complaints, health care workers outside London have been warned to rein in “excessive cleavage” and cover midriffs, the Telegraph reports. The national health care service has also barred shorts, mini-skirts, denim, and unkempt beards. The goal: a “professional and consistent” appearance. “There had been complaints from patients about members of staff baring their midriff and problems with health and safety as some had been wearing sandals,” said a rep. An existing policy, she said, has been “toughened up,” and staff will face clothing “audits.” More»

Rule helped workers avoid aiding abortions

(NEWSER) - The Obama White House plans to overturn protections that President Bush extended to health workers who refuse to perform abortions or other procedures on moral grounds, the New York Times reports. Bush’s last-minute “conscience regulation” took effect on Obama’s first day in office, and now, after a 30-day public comment period, the regulation can be modified or abolished. More»

(NEWSER) - US hospitals are running short of nurses as the high-pressure work pushes many to walk out, the AP reports. With little on-the-job training, one in five are quitting in less than a year—forcing hospitals to invest in residency programs to try to keep them. "It really was, 'Throw them out there and let them learn,'" one nursing professor said. "This time around, we're a little more humane in our treatment of first-year grads." More»