Patients Hate ‘Forever’ Drugs. Are Ozempic and Wegovy Different?
The new obesity drugs might be an exception to a chronic, deadly problem: the failure to stick with medication.
NYT > Health
CDC changes community COVID-19 isolation guidance; does not change guidance for Vanderbilt Health employees, patients or facilities
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently announced new guidelines that can help reduce the spread of a variety of common respiratory viruses, such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19. Those actions include staying at home when sick, staying up to date with vaccines, practicing good hygiene, and improving indoor air quality.
Specifically, the CDC issued updated...
CDC encourages additional COVID-19 vaccine dose for patients 65 and older
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults who are 65 or older receive an additional dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine if they received an initial dose in late 2023 or early 2024.
Data continues to show the importance of vaccination to protect those most at risk for severe outcomes of COVID-19. An additional dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine may restore protection that has...
CDC drops 5-day isolation period for recovering COVID-19 patients
People who are recovering from COVID-19 no longer need to remain isolated for five days after symptoms end, according to new guidance from the CDC.
ABC News: Top Stories
Updated COVID-19 vaccine available for VUMC employees and patients
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved an updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine provides better protection against current strains of COVID-19 that are circulating as we transition into the fall/winter virus season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that anyone six (6) months and older who has not received a COVID-19 vaccine in the past two months receive...
Doctors Are Using ChatGPT to Improve How They Talk to Patients
Despite the drawbacks of turning to artificial intelligence in medicine, some physicians find that ChatGPT improves their ability to communicate empathetically with patients.
NYT > Health
Rectal Cancer Patients May Not Need Radiation, Study Finds
A large “de-escalation” trial suggests that tens of thousands of people annually may be able to rely on only chemotherapy and surgery to treat their illness.
NYT > Health
Alzheimer’s patients retain the benefits of Leqembi even when they stop the drug, Eisai says
Alzheimer’s patients who take Leqembi retain the benefits of the treatment even when they stop taking it, new research by Eisai and Biogen shows.
U.S. News
Opioid Settlement Hinders Patients’ Access to ADHD Medication and Other Drugs
An agreement between attorneys general and major drug distributors increased scrutiny on medications for A.D.H.D., addiction, anxiety and pain.
NYT > Health
Surgical risk persists for patients who’ve had COVID
by Paul Govern
When patients undergo any type of surgery after having had COVID, their odds of significant postoperative problems diminish with elapsed time from COVID diagnosis.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center now report that this trend of decreasing risk persists longer than previously known, for as long as 13 months after COVID. Their report appeared Dec. 14 in JAMA Network...
They Created a Drug for Susannah. What About Millions of Other Patients?
Scientists have made rapid progress in customizing drugs for ultrarare diseases. The hard part now is making such treatments on a large scale.
NYT > Health
Adopting a new approach to treating patients helped me achieve work-life balance
As a physician, I love that I get to help my patients every day, but I’m confident my peers would agree with me that being a doctor – especially these last two years – has become more challenging. Americans are known for having a strong work ethic and putting in long hours, but there’s only so much time in the day. According to a recent study from the University of Chicago, physicians would...