Doctors more likely to prescribe preventive therapy if prompted by EMR

Purely educating doctors about the importance of prescribing certain therapies may not be enough to make a meaningful impact, according to a new Penn Medicine study. Using acid suppression therapy–an effective method of reducing the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding in vulnerable cardiac patients–Penn researchers tested interventions that utilized both education and an electronic “dashboard” system…

Patient factors contribute to imaging follow-up rates

A new study published in the April 2019 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) considers several potential factors that might have led to disparities in follow-up imaging rates among patients with indeterminate initial abdominal imaging findings. The study, “Patient Factor Disparities in Imaging Follow-Up Rates After Incidental Abdominal Findings,” reviewed the records of…

Lumbar spine MRI reports are too difficult for patients to understand

As increasing numbers of patients gain online access to their radiology reports, a new study published in the April 2019 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) assesses how thoroughly patients understand these complex documents. Traditionally intended to communicate findings and diagnoses to clinicians, radiology reports have become much more accessible to patients through…

Uterine artery embolization can be considered for well controlled symptomatic leiomyomas

A new study published in the April 2019 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR) investigates the safety of uterine artery embolization (UAE) for symptomatic leiomyomas in patients with various autoimmune diseases. Between January 2007 and June 2018, 1183 consecutive patients underwent UAE for symptomatic leiomyomas at Yonsei University College of Medicine. Nine of…

Mount Sinai and Hasso Plattner Institute launch new institute for digital health

IMAGE: (Left to right): Dennis Charney, M.D.; Erwin P. Bottinger, M.D.; Joel Dudley, Ph.D.; Christoph Meinel. view more  The Mount Sinai Health System (MSHS) and the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) today announced an affiliation that brings together industry leaders with combined expertise in health care delivery, health sciences, biomedical and digital engineering, machine learning and artificial…

Movement toward a poop test for liver cirrhosis

IMAGE: Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) scan of the liver showing elevated liver stiffness consistent with cirrhosis. MRE is a non-invasive, imaging-based biomarker for detection of cirrhosis. view more  Credit: UC San Diego Health For the estimated 100 million U.S. adults and children living with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), whether or not they have liver cirrhosis,…