The lessons from breast cancer screening for prevention are far more complicated than originally anticipated. The job of medical scientists is to determine the benefits, hazards and costs of a medical intervention and then figure out how to convey this information as clearly as possible to those who must live with the consequences of the decision to screen or not to screen. Alex Kemper and Steve Downs, from the Department of Pediatrics, recently published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine results of a study looking at risks and benefits of newborn hearing tests. This study looked at the effectiveness of universal hearing screening for newborns attempting to determine the impact of false positives and the benefits of detecting hearing loss early on. Screening Strategies Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine.
People have more access to health care information than ever before.
Not only do they hear about health news in the media but more and more individuals are looking to the WWW for information. There is a whirlwind of information out there but directing your patients to credible and reliable information is the key. The Web can be a valuable resource for educational material for patients and providers alike if it is used wisely. Although articles are written by specialists in their fields, the site is written to be understood by patients. They can build their own health profile and receive information about the particular health topics they choose.