Surprisingly, we’re still on a learning curve when it comes to the availability of electronic health records, the digital way to access what used to be paper-only files. You have a legal right to records held by doctors, hospitals and other providers. But many people don’t know how to get them — or even that they can. Others find it onerous that their doctors aren’t in the same medical network and they have to sign up for various portals that don’t “talk” to one another. That lack of coordination means you may need to be the one to communicate test results and other reports to your health care providers. Yes, it might seem that this is just another task to put on your to-do list. But gaining access to all facets of your health information can be lifesaving in an emergency and makes it easier for each of your providers to know what the others are doing for you. Being able to access your records through your computer lets you keep track of medications and lab results, and access information about preventive care. It’s also the easy way to print reports and share them with specialists using different portals. While the system isn’t perfect, almost half of all patients say electronic records have made the doctor-patient relationship better, according to a poll earlier this year…  read on >

If you’re an adult managing sleep problems, you likely know that part of creating an environment conducive to sleep includes turning off all gadgets at least an hour before bed because of the effects of the light they emit. This same advice goes for kids, too. Using smartphones, tablets and other gadgets has become more and more linked to sleep problems in children, such as not getting enough sleep or enough quality sleep. This can set up a chain reaction that seems to increase youngsters’ obesity risk. Not getting enough sleep leads to being sleepy at school, ramping up hormones that cause cravings for sugary or starchy foods, eating to get the energy to stay awake and, in turn, gaining unwanted weight. To help restore a healthy sleep pattern, turn off gadgets an hour before bed and create a family charging station away from all bedrooms. Not having the phone handy avoids the temptation for kids (and adults) to check messages just one more time before putting their head on the pillow. Make the hour before bed a calming time with quiet activities, like reading and choosing clothes for the morning. See to it that your children get an hour of exercise every day, outdoors if possible. Add time to any school-based physical activities to reach 60 minutes. Even though adults are encouraged to get…  read on >

MONDAY, Sept. 23, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Low-dose aspirin may improve survival odds for patients battling head/neck and lung cancer, two new studies suggest. The first reviewed data on 460 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) or early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). That study concluded that taking a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as low-dose aspirin, along with standard radiation therapy or chemotherapy, increased five-year survival by 8%. The second study focused on 164 patients who underwent a precise, high-dose form of radiation for NSCLC. Of those, 57% who also took aspirin reached the two-year survival mark, compared to 48% of others. Both studies were led by Dr. Anurag Singh, a professor of oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, N.Y. Both studies were presented earlier this month at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology in Chicago. Research presented at meetings is typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. “We were especially interested to see that these patients lived longer even though the anti-inflammatory drugs did not seem to have an impact on the effectiveness of cancer treatment,” said a co-author of the first study, Dr. Austin Iovoli, who is serving a residency at Roswell Park’s Department of Supportive Care. Dr. Gregory Hermann, a resident physician at Roswell Park, was part of…  read on >

Cyber attackers who target hospital databases mostly go after patient contact and financial information, not medical records, a new study finds. The data that hackers seek could lead to identity theft and financial fraud, according to investigators from Michigan State University in East Lansing, and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Moreover, this is the focus of more than 70% of hospital cyber attacks, the researchers said. Reporting in a pair of studies in the Sept. 23 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, the study authors noted that only 2% of hospital breaches ultimately accessed patient medical records. “The major story we heard from victims was how compromised, sensitive information caused financial or reputation loss,” lead author John (Xuefeng) Jiang said in a Michigan State news release. “A criminal might file a fraudulent tax return or apply for a credit card using the Social Security number and birth dates leaked from a hospital data breach,” he added. Jiang is a professor of accounting and information systems at Michigan State. He and his colleagues reviewed more than 1,460 hospital data breaches that occurred across the United States over the last decade. Roughly 169 million patients were affected. The breaches fell into three categories of information: names and contact information; financial data; and medical records. Two million people had their personal health information stolen, amounting to just…  read on >

More than one in 10 older female veterans experienced sexual assault while on active duty, a new study shows. Doctors “caring for older women veterans should recognize the prevalence and importance of [military sexual trauma] when assessing patients’ health concerns,” said study author Dr. Carolyn Gibson. Gibson is with the San Francisco VA Health Care System. Her team notes that mandatory screening for military sexual trauma was launched in 2003, and the results indicate the issue has touched the lives of about 1 in 4 female vets. But given that most of the veterans screened were relatively young, Gibson and her team set out to conduct screening focused solely on postmenopausal vets. They found that 13% of older vets reported that they, too, had been the victim of military sexual trauma. Such trauma, said Gibson, was also “strongly associated” with a risk for depression, thoughts of suicide, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A higher risk for sleep trouble and chronic pain was also seen. Dr. Stephanie Faubion is medical director of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS). The findings “underscore the importance of trauma screening regardless of a woman’s age,” she said in a NAMS news release. Gibson and her colleagues plan to present their findings Tuesday in Chicago at a meeting of the North American Menopause Society. More information There’s more on military sexual…  read on >

From defective child car seats to deadly virus outbreaks at restaurant chains, you’re likely to learn of major product recalls and serious health warnings through various news outlets. But there’s such a large number of alerts, big and small, that you might not hear about all of them, or hear about them soon enough to take steps to protect yourself and your family. One way to stay current is to sign up with the various government agencies that deliver alerts directly to your inbox or smartphone. You can also follow those agencies on Twitter or Facebook. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration puts out alerts about drugs and supplements, medical devices, vaccines and cosmetics through its MedWatch program. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is your source for recalls as well as safety standards for household items, and the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service reports on problems from contamination to food mislabeling, such as not listing an allergen like nuts or eggs on a packaged item’s ingredients label. To make signing up easier, the government has created Recalls.gov, a one-stop-shop for six key agencies. On the site, you can request recall notifications and get a variety of safety tips, as well as conduct your own searches under seven categories: consumer products, motor vehicles, boats, food, medicine, cosmetics and environmental products. You also…  read on >