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Canada needs a national approach to funding drugs for rare diseases and can learn from other countries, states an analysis article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Due to relatively small markets, pharmaceutical companies may be reluctant to conduct research into new treatments or to manufacture drugs, and there is a constant risk that they may stop making these drugs. A partnership is needed between the federal government, pharmaceutical companies and the medical communities to ensure people with rare diseases can get treatment.

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More than one-third of U.S. physicians responding to a survey did not agree that physicians should always report colleagues who are incompetent or impaired by conditions such as substance abuse or mental health disorders. The report from the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), published in the July 14 Journal of the American Medical Association, also finds that substantial numbers of physicians feel unprepared to report or otherwise deal with impaired or incompetent colleagues.

[img_assist|nid=216|title=|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=640|height=82]PAC recently participated in the Change Foundation’s Meeting of the Minds 2010 event: Rethinking Health Services with Patients Top of Mind, a forum for frank, informed and focused discussion among Ontario’s senior health-care executives, patient and caregiver leaders, and international leaders in patient-centred health systems and services.

[img_assist|nid=213|title=|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=640|height=357]Computer technology targets underserved populations in health care

CHICAGO --- Multimedia talking touchscreens, housed in computer kiosks at clinics and hospitals, are helping researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and clinicians at local health care centers enhance patient-centered care for patients with diverse language, literacy and computer skills.

The easy-to-use touchscreens read questionnaires, provide patient education material and collect patient data. Each piece of text on the screen has sound attached to it, and users record answers by pressing buttons.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – In 20 years, approximately 72 million older adults will reside in the United States, almost double the current number, according to the U.S. Administration on Aging. Potential issues are compounded by the projected shortage of health care workers needed to provide elder care. As part of the solution, an interdisciplinary team of University of Missouri researchers is refining electronic health record (EHR) technology to more efficiently meet increasing health care demands.

The MU researchers are developing an EHR system that encompasses standard health assessments and those obtained through new technologies. The goal is to increase efficiency and accuracy, improve patient outcomes and reduce costs for long-term care.

[img_assist|nid=209|title=|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=440|height=298]Patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) recover from exacerbations equally well if they are treated at home or in a hospital, according to researchers from Johns Hopkins University. Furthermore, longer treatment with antibiotics does not appear to offer any additional benefit over shorter courses.

The study was published online ahead of the print edition of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

"We undertook this research owing to the lack of clinical information of best practices in treating CF exacerbations available to physicians," said J. Michael Collaco, M.D., assistant professor at Johns Hopkins.

Boston, MA - Caregivers who participated in a program where attendees discuss medical cases that were complex for psychosocial and emotional reasons were more likely to be attentive to the psychosocial and emotional aspects of patient care. The program also enhanced their beliefs about the importance of empathy.

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