physicians

12 Stories

Doctors Group Sticks By Stance on Youth Gender Treatments

American Academy of Pediatrics backs medical care for trans youth, but calls for deeper research

(Newser) - In 2018, the American Academy of Pediatrics took a firm stance in supporting that youth who are transgender and gender diverse "have access to comprehensive, gender-affirming, and developmentally appropriate health care." Now, nearly five years later, the medical group, which represents 67,000 US physicians, is re-upping that...

Humanitarian Doctor 'Didn't Take No for an Answer'
Humanitarian Doctor 'Didn't
Take No for an Answer'
OBITUARY

Humanitarian Doctor 'Didn't Take No for an Answer'

Partners in Health co-founder Paul Farmer, who helped impoverished people worldwide, dies at 62

(Newser) - Dr. Paul Farmer, a US physician, humanitarian, and author renowned for providing health care to millions of impoverished people worldwide, and who co-founded the global nonprofit Partners in Health, has died. He was 62. The Boston-based organization confirmed Farmer's death on Monday, calling it "devastating" and noting he...

As Doctor's Age Climbs, So Does Patient Death Rate
As Doctor's Age Climbs,
So Does Patient Death Rate
NEW STUDY

As Doctor's Age Climbs, So Does Patient Death Rate

Researchers say finding is 'clinically important'

(Newser) - Having a more experienced doctor might not be best. That's the message from a Harvard Medical School study published in the British Medical Journal that appears to show patient mortality rate increases with the age of a doctor. The increase is small but significant: In a study of more...

Half of US Kids Hang Out in Homes With Firearms
Half of US Kids Hang Out
in Homes With Firearms
new study

Half of US Kids Hang Out in Homes With Firearms

Some states ban pediatricians from even discussing guns with families

(Newser) - In the US, it's estimated there are now more guns than there are people, as the Washington Post reported in 2015, so it may not be too surprising that about half of children regularly spend time in homes with firearms. Less well known is that, while an average of...

Most Docs Say OK When Parents Push for Vax Delays
Most Docs Say OK When Parents Push for Vax Delays
STUDY SAYS

Most Docs Say OK When Parents Push for Vax Delays

Family physicians know the risks, but they don't want to lose patients

(Newser) - Doctors are reluctantly delaying vaccine schedules for kids, despite knowing the risks of doing so, because they don't want to alienate parents altogether, reports the New York Times . A study published in Pediatrics that surveyed 534 primary care physicians found that 93% of them were asked to delay a...

Why 90% of Doctors Don't Recommend Their Job

We're seeing a 'war on physicians': Daniela Drake

(Newser) - According to a survey last year , nine of 10 doctors wouldn't recommend their career to others; some 300 doctors commit suicide yearly. All that's not surprising, writes Daniela Drake at the Daily Beast : "Simply put, being a doctor has become a miserable and humiliating undertaking," she...

Hospitals Should Be More Like ... Cheesecake Factory
Hospitals Should Be More Like ... Cheesecake Factory
in case you missed it

Hospitals Should Be More Like ... Cheesecake Factory

Atul Gawande argues for standardized health care

(Newser) - Medicine is plagued with inconsistency—different doctors have different preferred procedures; outcomes and costs are not predictable—and in an extensive New Yorker piece, Atul Gawande offers up a proposed solution: "Create Cheesecake Factories for health care." The doctor and author is serious—so serious that he spent...

Female Doctors Earn $365K Less Than Men in Career
Female Doctors Earn $365K Less Than Men Over Career
study says

Female Doctors Earn $365K Less Than Men Over Career

One possible reason: They don't negotiate for raises

(Newser) - The gender wage gap exists even among top physicians. While analyzing a group of 800 doctors who won a competitive research grant, researchers from the University of Michigan and Duke were surprised to discover that the female physicians in the group earned on average $12,194 less a year than...

US to Big Pharma: Disclose What You Pay Docs

New rules aim to increase transparency

(Newser) - Studies have found that when doctors accept payments from drug companies, it can influence their treatment decisions—so the Obama administration will soon require drug companies to disclose those payments. The New York Times reports that around 25% of doctors receive cash from drug companies for consulting, speaking engagements, and...

Calif. Medical Association Backs Legalizing Pot

Physicians want pot brought into the light

(Newser) - The California Medical Association has thrown down the marijuana gauntlet by officially supporting the legalization of pot. The move comes just a week after the feds warned several medical marijuana dispensaries in the state to close up . Organization members want pot legalized and regulated so the drug can be more...

No. of Feds Making Over $150K Soars

GOP to attack government pay in lame-duck Congress

(Newser) - The number of federal government employees making at least $150,000 a year is 10 times what it was five years ago, and it has doubled since President Obama’s inauguration, says a study by USA Today . House GOP members are hoping to pounce on the issue as the lame-duck...

US Pediatric Academy Mulls Allowing Ritual Female 'Nick'

Clitoral 'pricking' like 'ear piercing,' say docs

(Newser) - The American Academy of Pediatrics is considering allowing doctors to perform female genital "nicks" in order to be "culturally sensitive" and satisfy parents seeking female circumcision. The move has infuriated activists battling the practice. A recent academy statement said doctors should try to dissuade parents from seeking the...

12 Stories