PRx Blog

Doctor/Patient relationships, Breast cancer and the FDA-The Week in Review

Here is a recap of some of the top health stories of the week:

Listen Up!: Survey of Docs and Patients On How to Have a More Productive Relationship

The March issue of Consumer Reports features the results of two surveys that look at the relationship between physicians and patients — what’s going well? What makes each group tick? Targeting more than 49,000 of the magazine’s subscribers, one survey found that while three-quarters of patients were highly satisfied with theirdoctor, they still had complaints — ranging from lengthy waiting room visits to ineffective treatments. On the physician front, 660 primary-care physicians were surveyed about professional challenges and what patients could be doing better, with noncompliance being a big issue. Both patients and doctors cited respect and professionalism from each other as key for a successful relationship.Not surprisingly, online research was a hot topic – with patients being big proponents about looking up their condition and treatments on the Internet while doctors were more skeptical of it being helpful. Bottom line: check out reliable sites like the CDC, FDA, NCI and the Mayo Clinic. And while we’re on the subject, the New York Times Magazine had an interesting story on where consumers get medical information: if you want unbiased information on a health condition that simply doesn’t provide links to pharmaceutical companies that it has a relationship with, check out the Mayo Clinic’s site.

Lymph Node Study Changes Thinking on Breast Cancer Treatment

Long thought to be a standard course of treatment—the removal of cancerous lymph nodes from the armpit of a patient with early stage breast cancer - a new study finds that for many women with early breast cancer, this painful procedure is not necessary. The study appearing in JAMA and reported in the New York Times found that for about 20 percent of breast cancer patients taking out cancerous nodes has no advantage and in fact, can cause complications like infection and lymphedema, a chronic swelling in the arms that can become disabling. These new findings along with results from similar studies will likely change medical practice for many patients, with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan already changing its practice.

FDA Launches Innovation Pathway to Speed Up Approval of Potentially Life Saving Medical Devices

The FDA announced a plan that would speed up the approval of medical devices that have the potential to dramatically improve patients' lives. Long a sore spot by medical device companies on how long it takes to secure FDA approval, the FDA’s Innovation Pathway would aim to review first-of-a-kind devices in five months, which is half the time currently spent reviewing most new devices. The New York Times recently wrote about how medical device executives and investors are afraid the U.S. is losing its competitive edge because companies are now seeking approvals in other countries, rather than go through the arduous and lengthy FDA review process in the U.S.  As we reported earlier, the FDA is undergoing a multiyear effort to overhaul its system for approving medical devices, which has been the subject of increased criticism by industry officials and public safety advocates

Posted by Lauren Arnold on February 11, 2011 at 9:21 AM