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More older Americans have been seeing their doctors virtually since the pandemic began than ever before, a new poll finds. During the first three months of the pandemic, one in four patients over 50 years of age used telehealth — way up from the 4% who did so in 2019. Comfort levels with telemedicine have also risen, the researchers said. In 2019, most older people had at least one concern about telemedicine, but by mid-2020, the number of those with concerns dropped, especially among people who had a virtual visit between March and June. But not everyone is comfortable with meeting their doctor online, according to the National Poll on Healthy Aging, published online by the University of Michigan. Among those over 50, 17% still said they have never used any kind of video conferencing for any reason, including medical care. That’s 11 percentage points lower than in the 2019 poll, but lack of experience or access may still be a barrier to getting care via telemedicine. The 2019 and 2020 polls each involved a national sample of more than 2,000 U.S. adults aged 50 to 80. “These findings have implications for the health providers who have ramped up telehealth offerings rapidly, and for the insurance companies and government agencies that have quickly changed their policies to cover virtual visits,” said researcher Lorraine Buis, a… read on >

Taking a daily low-dose aspirin may speed the progression of cancer in the elderly, a new clinical trial shows. Daily aspirin doubled the risk that a person 70 or older would die from a stage 3 cancer, and increased the death risk associated with stage 4 cancers by nearly a third, according to data from more than 19,000 older people in the United States and Australia. Older patients taking daily aspirin also had a roughly 20% increased risk of their cancer spreading to other parts of their body either before or after diagnosis, the researchers found. Compelling evidence from earlier clinical trials had shown that daily aspirin taken by middle-aged folks could reduce the risk of cancer, particularly colon cancer, researchers said in background notes. But in this new trial, the investigators found that elderly people who presented with later-stage cancers “tended to do worse if they were on aspirin,” said senior researcher Dr. Andrew Chan, director of epidemiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, in Boston. “It does suggest there is a potential difference in the effect of aspirin on older adults compared with younger adults.” Based on these new findings, older people should have a serious discussion with their doctor before starting a course of low-dose daily aspirin, said Dr. Frank Sinicrope, a gastrointestinal cancer specialist with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,… read on >

All-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are a big draw for adventure-loving kids, but a new study warns that the thrill ride can often land children in the ER. U.S. data shows that nearly 280,000 children were treated over a 25-year period for head and neck injuries caused by ATV accidents. That’s about 31 children each day — and nearly half of them were younger than 12, the researchers reported. “I think it largely confirmed what we were concerned about, which was how frequent these injuries were occurring and how serious they were,” said Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. The fact that 46% of ATV-related head and neck injuries among kids occurred among those aged 12 or younger was particularly worrisome, Smith said. “These are large, powerful machines. They’re designed for off-road use. By definition, when you take this type of powerful machine off road, it requires an advanced degree of coordination, strength and moment-to-moment decision-making on uneven terrain,” Smith said. “And a child at 12 years of age just simply doesn’t possess that degree of skill. They just developmentally aren’t ready.” That’s true even for the lighter, smaller ATVs designed for kids, Smith added. The study looked at data from the U.S. National Electronic Injury Surveillance System to research injuries over a 25-year… read on >

After a period of improvement, U.S. kids are eating as much fast food as they were in the early 2000s, new government figures show. Researchers found that between 2003 and 2010, there was a decline in U.S. kids’ intake of fast-food calories — dipping from an average of 14% of daily calories, to just under 11%. The positive trend was short-lived, however. By 2018, that figure was back up to 14%. The study, by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), did not go into the underlying reasons. But other research gives some clues as to what could be driving the reversal. One possibility is that social media and “digital marketing” have a role, according to Frances Fleming-Milici, a researcher with the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut. “Fast-food companies have been pioneers in using digital marketing,” said Fleming-Milici, who was not involved in the NCHS report. Admittedly, she said, it is hard to get a handle on how often kids encounter fast-food promotions on their smartphones. But a recent Rudd study found that 70% of teens “engaged with” food and beverage brands on social media — meaning they followed the brands, or “liked” or shared their content. More than half of kids said they engaged with fast-food brands. Another Rudd study found that the percentage of parents… read on >

The coronavirus pandemic has fueled big increases in video visits between patients and doctors, but older Americans haven’t easily taken to the trend, a new study finds. More than one-third of those over 65 face difficulties seeing their doctor via telemedicine — especially older men in remote or rural areas who are poor, have disabilities or are in poor health. “Telemedicine is not inherently accessible, and mandating its use leaves many older adults without access to their medical care,” said lead author Dr. Kenneth Lam, a clinical fellow in geriatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. “We need further innovation in devices, services and policy to make sure older adults are not left behind during this migration,” he added in a university news release. Video visits are a good way to reach patients at home, but they require patients to be able to get online, use computer equipment and fix technical problems when they arise. For the study, Lam’s team analyzed 2018 data on more than 4,500 Medicare patients. The researchers reported that about 38% weren’t ready for video visits, including 72% of those 85 or older, mostly because they were inexperienced with technology or had a physical disability. Even with outside support, 32% were not ready, and 20% couldn’t cope with a phone visit because of dementia or difficulty hearing or communicating, the… read on >

New York City resident Jeanne Jennings was so sick with COVID-19 she couldn’t draw a decent breath. “Even going from my bed to the bathroom was such a difficult task, I felt like I was going to pass out,” Jennings, 46, said. Jennings wanted to go to the hospital, but this was early May, the height of the Big Apple’s COVID-19 crisis, and over the phone her doctor laid out the situation in stark terms. “She said, ‘There’s no guarantee they would have a place for you because they’re reserving hospital space for the more serious patients. If you do stay there, you’re going to be isolated from your family. You won’t really have the freedom to move around all that much,’” Jennings recalled. Jennings added that the doctor said, “‘Would you be open to me treating you via telemedicine?’ I said, ‘Sure.’” The revival of the doctor’s house call — or, at least, a modern-day version — is one of many innovations undertaken by doctors and hospital staff struggling to keep up with surges in COVID-19 cases. Jennings’ hospital, Northwell Health, immediately sent two nurses to her home, clad head-to-toe in protective gear. One nurse monitored her condition for a few hours, while the other took blood work that would confirm her COVID-19 diagnosis. A pulse oximeter brought by the first nurse revealed that… read on >

Telemedicine has exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the United States on track to log more than 1 billion virtual doctor visits by the end of 2020, experts say. But how important will telemedicine remain to U.S. health care after the pandemic becomes just a bad memory? These sort of technology-based visits are expected to assume a permanent place moving forward, said Dr. Ateev Mehrotra, an associate professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School, during a HealthDay Live! interview. “The genie’s out of the bottle. We can’t go back,” Mehrotra said, noting that debate now centers around how much to pay for different types of telemedicine visits. Mehrotra said the growth of telemedicine this year was “really remarkable,” particularly given that the practice of providing care via computer or telephone has been around for decades without much growth. “In the course of the pandemic, the growth was just staggering,” Mehrotra said. “Changes we would have expected over a decade happened within a week or two. “All of a sudden, it became something that went from being the future to being the reality of how a lot of Americans were getting care,” he added. Telemedicine was new to Dr. Rujuta Saksena, a cancer doctor at Overlook Medical Center in Summit, N.J. She’d never before tried to work with patients over a video feed. “I… read on >

The coronavirus pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement have prompted some Americans to take a break from social media, new research finds. The national survey by Ohio State Wexner Medical Center of 2,000 people found that 56% changed their social media habits because of tensions brought on by current U.S. events. While 29% said their social media use increased because of these tensions, 20% said they had taken breaks from social media. “Stepping away and reconnecting with reality offline is an important step to take for your mental health,” said Ken Yeager, director of the Stress, Trauma and Resilience Program at the medical center. “Being constantly immersed in this stressful environment and being overexposed to contentious or traumatic events can make you feel like the world is a less safe place to be,” Yeager said in a center news release. “And because these stressors have persisted over a long period of time, it’s wearing on people’s ability to cope with that stress.” The stress resulting from these events has increased depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and substance abuse, Yeager added. “Even though you can’t control what happens on social media, it’s important to recognize how it may affect you and take steps to limit your exposure,” Yeager said. These tips can help: Get off the internet and stop scrolling social media. Instead, reconnect… read on >

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, nearly 50% of Americans have used technology to communicate with their doctors, a new study finds. But less than one-quarter have talked with their doctors about using health information technology, the researchers found. “The results of our statewide survey indicate patients are using health information technology,” said researcher Joy Lee, a scientist at the Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis. “However, they aren’t talking to their provider about it,” she added. “One of the few widely agreed upon recommendations for electronic communication in health care is for providers to be talking to their patients about it ahead of time. This does not appear to be happening regularly, and may be impacting the use of this technology.” The coronavirus pandemic has changed how patients are communicating with their doctors, Lee said. “But having a shared agenda about how to communicate, what is appropriate to send as a message, and being able to discuss it openly is still important to foster the electronic patient-provider relationship,” she said in an institute news release. Results of a survey sent to Indiana residents found that: 31% use electronic health record messaging 24% use email 18% use text messages These findings are similar to findings across the United States, the researchers noted. But only 21% of participants said they had a conversation with their doctor about how to… read on >

The COVID-19 pandemic is shaking up America’s approach to addiction treatment, but the fallout hasn’t been all bad, experts say. In-person support meetings either aren’t happening or have been severely curtailed, and addiction centers are facing financial ruin because folks are too afraid of the coronavirus to seek treatment. But paradoxically, people might have better access to addiction treatment than ever before, thanks to the shift to telemedicine across all health care. “Ultimately, I think this will rebound, but not like before,” Fred Muench, president of the Partnership to End Addiction, said of the future of addiction treatment. Muench sees telemedicine as the way to ensure the financial survival of the U.S. network of addiction providers. “We will see the greatest changes in outpatient care, which will truly be a hybrid,” Muench said. “In the future, you will not have to be a telehealth provider to treat digitally — all treatment will have a telehealth component. If not, it will cease to exist. Providers cannot afford to wait to integrate telehealth.” COVID-19 lockdowns forced organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous to shift to web video meetings or teleconferences for their support groups. The pandemic also caused many treatment centers to cut back on their services. More than nine out of 10 addiction centers said they cut back their programs during the lockdown, furloughing or laying off employees,… read on >