MD Consult - Find The Answer

Did you know that 30% of physicians own an iPad and another 28% plan to purchase an iPad this year?  Physician adoption of the iPad is strong according to Manhattan Research.

We recently sat down with a group of physicians and asked them to show us how they use their iPads and MD Consult with First Consult to quickly find clinical answers.  View a video of their responses here.

It’s been something of a good news/bad news week for supplements on MD Consult this week; while folic acid was linked with reducing severe language delays in children, it was less successful when combined with B6 and B12 in preventing fractures in women. More worryingly, other supplements were associated with increased mortality; although calcium seemed to be in the clear, iron and other multivitamins were implicated in the study.

The latest issue of Anesthesiology includes some historical oddities: an old bottle of Haynes Arabian Balsam, a supposedly-analgesic patent medicine that contained nothing more than cottonseed oil, turpentine and oil of cumin, as well as a tiny 1904 book titled Golden Rules of Anaesthesia and a paperweight extolling the clinical virtues of C.F. Boehringer & Soehne’s ‘first-class, thoroughly reliable’ cocaine. Of course, the modern day is in no way overlooked; there are discussions of how methylphenidate helps induce emergence from general anesthesia and a comparison of basal infusion versus repeated hourly bolus doses for continuous femoral nerve blocks, among many others. Also new in Journals this week is the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, which covers a number of topics: cancer among aircraft manufacturing workers, shift work and its effect on police officers’ physical activitycorrection employees. READ MORE >>

By Dr. Harry Brown, MB ChB DRCOG MRCGP

General Practitioner, Leeds, UK

(Originally posted on the First Consult home page; part 1 also available on First Consult home page.)

Okay, this all sounds good, especially when these systems are provided effectively free of charge. But what is the incentive to use an electronic record and integrated computer system? Not surprising, it boils down to money—not simply convenience or better workflow, as much as these may be additional incentives. English GPs are paid in part by achieving certain QOF targets, and they claim fees when specific milestones are reached in measurable outcomes within their registered practice population.

The only practical way to participate in QOF and claim the relevant fee is to have a sophisticated IT setup and a comprehensive electronic medical record with reporting functions that are QOF compliant…please visit the First Consult home page to continue reading Dr. Brown’s essay.

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About First Consult

First Consult is Elsevier’s evidence-based point-of-care resource, providing physicians with accurate and relevant information for clinical decision-making.

First Consult is accessible through the subscription-based MD Consult.  For more information on First Consult, please visit www.firstconsult.com.

Meet this month’s featured medical librarian:

Rosanna Ratliff, Associate Director

Baylor Health Sciences Library

Dallas, TX

How are you effectively marketing your library and library holdings among your patrons? What tips can you share with your colleagues that you found to be successful?

We have several marketing initiatives. We promote our resources in person, via our website, through our Facebook page, in classes, orientations and through research fairs. We have customized information for our varied users. Additionally, we make use of vendor-provided promotional materials to boost usage of our subscribed resources.

If you weren’t a medical librarian, what would you be?

I would be an architect. I love design and technical challenges. I also look good in black. READ MORE >>

Each month, First Consult highlights a timely disease or condition, including a current summary and a link to the topic within First Consult, which is freely available.  This month’s theme is Listeriosis.

Visit the First Consult home page to take the Order Set Quiz on Listeriosis.

By Margaret Trexler Hessen, M.D.

First Consult Medical Editor,  New Content

(Originally posted on the First Consult home page)

A 72-year-old African American man is brought to the emergency department by his daughter, who complains that her father is “just not right.” She first noticed a change in his behavior two days earlier, when he appeared listless and had a poor appetite. Yesterday afternoon, he forgot to attend his weekly poker game and went to bed early without eating dinner or saying goodnight. This morning he stayed in bed and refused breakfast.

The patient’s medical history is significant for hypertension, diabetes, and chronic renal failure, for which he undergoes hemodialysis three times a week. His last dialysis was three days ago. The medications he takes include insulin, lisinopril, and simvastatin. He is retired from the postal service and lives with his daughter. He does not smoke or drink alcohol and has no recent travel history…

Click here to read the rest of the case presentation on First Consult’s home page, access for free First Consult’s Listeriosis topic, and test your clinical knowledge via the free First Consult Order Set Quiz. READ MORE >>