NPR – Continued coverage of a Dartmouth study led by H. Gilbert Welch that attributes a drastic increase in thyroid cancer cases to overdiagnosis, leading to overtreatment.
In the News
The Rising Incidence of Thyroid Cancer
The New York Times – Quotes Louise Davies, an assistant professor of surgery and of TDI, who says diagnosing patients with thyroid cancer who have small tumors “distracts from the problem they came in with and leads to unnecessary treatment.”
Ads Focused On a Few Drug Risks Might Make Them Memorable
NPR – Steven Woloshin and Lisa Schwartz are quoted extensively on the Food and Drug Administration’s call for research into how prescription drug ads can be improved. Schwartz’s research on two new weight-loss drugs with harmful side effects is also discussed. Schwartz and Woloshin are both professors of medicine and of community and family medicine, as well as co-directors of the Medicine and the Media program. This story was published by NPR’s Shots.
Bigger Hospitals Mean Higher Prices, Not Better Care
Bloomberg – Points to research from the Dartmouth Atlas which Bloomberg says has “shown time and again that some of the biggest and best-known U.S. hospitals are no less guilty of subjecting patients to useless tests and marginal treatments.”
Near-IR Spectroscopy Performs Challenging Breast Imaging
Novus Media Today – A story on a new MRI/near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) method developed by researchers at the Geisel School of Medicine.
‘Low T’ and the Peril of Medicating Grumpy Old Men
Los Angeles Times – In this op-ed, Steven Woloshin and Lisa Schwartz discuss a recent article they wrote in JAMA Internal Medicine that looks at how marketing advertisers target middle-aged men with low testosterone, or “low T.”
A Watchful Eye in Hospitals
The New York Times– In this op-ed, Associate Professor of Medicine Tim Lahey looks at the ethics of video monitoring patients and staff in hospitals. “Hidden cameras should be a last resort,” writes Lahey. “Hospitals should notify patients that covert video monitoring may be used in unusual circumstances, and only with the oversight of a hospital ethics committee.”
Geisel Medical School Sees Enrollment Jump
New Hampshire Union Leader – The Geisel School of Medicine saw a 27 percent increase in applications this year over last year, with 5,241 prospective students interested in enrolling. Aileen Panitz, assistant director of admissions at Geisel, is quoted in the story.
New Weight Loss Drugs’ Side Effects Worrisome, Say Dartmouth Doctors
The Boston Globe – Dartmouth researchers Lisa Schwartz and Steven Woloshin are looking into two new weight loss drugs—Belviq and Qysmia—which they say “have been associated with serious harms.” Advising the public, they say, “until there is more convincing evidence about the cardiovascular safety of these drugs, physicians and patients should approach them cautiously.” Schwartz and Woloshin are both professors of medicine and of community and family medicine, as well as co-directors of the Medicine and the Media program.
Debating the Value and Effectiveness of Mammograms
PBS Newshour – H. Gilbert Welch, professor of medicine, of community and family medicine, and of TDI, was interviewed on PBS Newshour to discuss a new Canadian study that has reinvigorated debate on the value of mammography. A transcript of the interview is provided.