High tech isn’t always better.
JAMA Surgery published a paper last month that showed the steep learning curve for surgeons using robots to assist with gallbladder removal. Robotic surgery had higher rates of complications until a surgeon had performed over 300 robotic procedures. The problem? Over two-thirds of surgeons performing this surgery did less than 10 procedures!Lung cancer screening is woefully underutilized
Fourteen million people in the US are eligible for lung cancer screening, which reduced lung cancer mortality by 20%. The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends this screening, with low dose CT scan, for those ages 50-80 who currently smoke or quit in the last 15 years and smoked the equivalent of a pack a day for 20 years. However, only 4.9% of White people and 1.7% of Black people who are eligible receive this screening.
JAMA Network Open published qualitative interview data from individual interviews and structured focus groups seeking to identify the reason for such low screening rates. Their panels were about half Black people and about half had household income under $20,000. The researchers found that mistrust of health care providers, trouble with transportation, lack of knowledge of the benefits of screening and concern about insurance coverage made participants less likely to be screened. Employers can provide members with information about the benefit of lung cancer screening for those eligible and assure them that this screening is covered without cost sharing by Affordable Care Act compliant health plans.
Widespread personal loss due to drug overdose death
Experience of personal overdose loss among US adults, 2023
JAMA reports that among a nationally representative sample of 2326 US adults, almost a third (32%) reported that they knew someone who died of a drug overdose, and 19% reported a loss of family member or close friend. This highlights the importance of creating recovery friendly workplaces, making naloxone (Narcan) widely available, and increasing access to mental health and substance use services including Employee Assistance Programs.
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Illustration by Dall-E