Culture | Page 1802 | Science Codex

South London hospital cuts waiting times for mental health patients

Staff at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust have reduced waiting times for mental health patients after redesigning their referral system.

The results show around a 20% increase in patients seen within target referral times and are published in BMJ Quality Improvement Reports today - an open access forum to help clinicians share improvement ideas.

Anaectodal evidence suggested that waiting times within the older adults community mental health team (OA CMHT) covering the south area of the London Borough of Croydon had been increasing.

What lessons have we learned from the 2014 ebola epidemic in West Africa?

An academic from the University of British Columbia has analysed, in a review published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology, what could have been done differently in the efforts to prevent the Ebola epidemic in 2014.

Is sympathy considered a sign of weakness or is there a place for sympathy

Research by Laura Kray, a professor in the Haas Management of Organizations Group at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business, suggests that when one party conveys information with emotional reasons behind it, the other party is more likely to develop sympathy, be more willing to compromise, and find creative solutions.

"Sympathy is an emotion that corresponds with good will," says Prof. Kray. "In negotiations, it can translate into a willingness to problem solve in ways that might not otherwise occur."

Detecting when and why deadly blood clots form

(BOSTON) - Scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have devised a better assay for testing blood's clotting tendency, also known as hemostasis, which could one day prove lifesaving in a variety of clinical situations in which a patient's health is jeopardized by abnormal blood coagulation and platelet function.

New report shows fewer Texans have problems paying medical bills

HOUSTON - (Jan. 7, 2015) -- Fewer Texans say they have problems paying their medical bills in 2015 compared with 2013, according to a new report released today by Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Episcopal Health Foundation (EHF).

Improving musical synchronization with mathematical modeling

Music functions as a universal connector that pervades most cultures. More specifically, rhythm and synchronization - both within and beyond the realm of music - are forms of communication that stimulate brain activity.

CHEST issues new antithrombotic guideline update for treatment of VTE disease

Glenview, Ill. (January 7, 2016)--Each year, there are approximately 10 million cases of venous thromboembolism (VTE) worldwide. VTE, the formation of blood clots in the vein, is a dangerous and potentially deadly medical condition and is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. In this latest evidence-based guideline, Antithrombotic Therapy for VTE Disease: CHEST Guideline, from the American College of Chest Physicians, experts provide 53 updated recommendations for appropriate treatment of patients with VTE.

Certain yoga positions may impact eye pressure in glaucoma patients

NEW YORK, NY - Jan. 07, 2015 - Glaucoma patients may experience increased eye pressure as the result of performing several different head-down positions while practicing yoga, according to a new study published by researchers at New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai (NYEE) in the journal PLOS ONE.

1 in 4 kids sexually harassed by friends online

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- It's not just strangers who target children online. Kids' own friends are sexually harassing them over the Internet, finds new research led by a Michigan State University cybercrime expert.

About 1 in 4 children said they were pressured by their friends online to talk about sex when they didn't want to, according to the study of 439 middle- and high-school students aged 12 to 16.

Filmmakers just know how to help you read on-screen emotions

Movie makers implicitly know how important it is to be able to read someone's expression, and that distance influences how easy this is done. This explains why close-ups of an actor appear on screen for shorter periods than shots in which the person's face is smaller and is surrounded by distracting objects, according to a study by James Cutting and Kacie Armstrong of Cornell University in the US, published in Springer's journal Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics .

Exercise to improve skill and coordination can help reduce lower back pain

A new Cochrane Review published today shows that targeting exercises to muscles that support and control the spine offers another strategy to reduce pain and disability caused by lower back pain.

Lower back pain is one of the most common health conditions worldwide. It can have substantial health and economic costs as people experience disability and general ill health, leading them to need time off work.

Sugary drinks tax in Mexico linked with 12 percent cut in sales after one year

In Mexico, a 10% tax on sugar sweetened drinks has been associated with an overall 12% reduction in sales and a 4% increase in purchases of untaxed beverages one year after implementation, finds a study published by The BMJ this week.

The findings have important implications for policy discussions and decisions, say the researchers.

Mexico has some of the highest levels of diabetes, overweight, and obesity in the world, and reducing the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages has been an important target for obesity and diabetes prevention efforts.

Should patients pay to see the GP?

Charging patients for GP consultations could raise much needed funds for the health system, argues David Jones, a foundation year 2 doctor at Worthing Hospital.

The UK NHS prides itself on the mantra of free healthcare at the point of service, but with ever increasing costs and demands "we need fundamental change to ensure its prosperity and longevity," he argues.

In Australia, a standard consultation is typically about £10, with the remainder paid by the government. "No one sees this as unethical -- it is the norm," he writes.

What motivates people to walk and bike? It varies by income

Lower- and middle-income King County residents who live in denser neighborhoods -- with stores, libraries and other destinations within easy reach -- are more likely to walk or bike, according to new University of Washington research.

But neighborhood density didn't motivate higher-income residents to leave their cars at home, the transportation engineers found. Of the environmental factors they studied, the only one that significantly influenced how frequently that group walked or biked was how attractive they found their neighborhoods to be.

Half of primary care doctors provide unnecessary specialty referrals upon patient request

A study recently published in the American Journal of Managed Care found that more than half of primary care providers reported that they made what they considered unnecessary referrals to a specialist because patients requested it. Many physicians said they yielded to patient requests for brand-name drug prescriptions when cheaper generics were available.