Some Americans take risks with needed drugs due to high costs

Our national poll of more than 1,000 Americans shows many skeptical about generics Ginger Skinner, Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs Americans take a lot of medicine. More than 4 in 10 (44 percent) regularly take a prescription drug, and among those, the average number they take is 4.5 medicines— 16 percent take 7 or more, according…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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Choosing Wisely near the end of life

Serious illness, especially in an older person, demands tough choices from patients, their families and their health-care providers. What’s more, it’s often difficult for people to find solid information and advice about those choices and their implications. Thankfully, increased attention to end-of-life care is generating new resources to help patients and their caregivers make better-informed decisions. Here…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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New grant supports next phase of Choosing Wisely campaign

The Choosing Wisely campaign, which focuses on reducing the use of unnecessary medical tests and treatments, will extend its reach among health-care providers and regional health organizations, thanks to a new $4.2-million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to the ABIM Foundation. Launched nearly three years ago, Choosing Wisely encourages physicians and patients to discuss which medical…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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Consumer Reports targets superbugs

Unrestrained use of antibiotics, in humans and animals, has bred “superbugs” that are resistant to antibiotics and has triggered infections that sicken at least 2.25 million Americans each year and kill 37,000. To combat that problem, Consumer Reports has announced its commitment to help rein in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The initiative kicked off with Consumer Reports President and CEO…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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Choosing Wisely focuses on antibiotics misuse

The effort to preserve antibiotics just got a big boost. With Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funding, the Choosing Wisely campaign is backing seven regional efforts that include reining in misuse of these precious life-saving drugs. The seven initiatives will each receive a grant of $315,000 to advance Choosing Wisely and include: • Greater Detroit Area Health Council –The Greater Detroit Area Health Council…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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Choosing Wisely, still growing, turns 4

Dr. Eric Barbanel, an internist in Middletown, N.Y., is determined to have his patients and their families understand that much of the care they’re used to receiving — including care that he used to deliver himself — turns out to be needless. Many doctors still offer, and many patients expect, unproductive tests and treatments that may be…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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Taking the antibiotics message to a global stage

Consumers worldwide need to be alerted to, and protected from, the public-health crisis of antibiotic resistance. That’s the message Consumer Reports President Marta Tellado delivered to a landmark meeting of United Nations delegates today in New York. In the U.S. alone, 2 million people become infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria and at least 23,000 people die each year…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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Pruebas de detección

Cuándo se necesitan y cuándo no Las pruebas de detección ayudan a los médicos a detectar enfermedades cuando usted no tiene síntomas. Las pruebas pueden encontrar problemas al principio, cuando son más fáciles de tratar. Algunas veces esto puede mejorar su salud y ayudarle a vivir más tiempo. Sin embargo, es importante saber qué pruebas…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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Antibiotics for Your Skin (AAD)

Antibiotics for Your Skin (AAD) Campaign Series: Choosing Wisely Medical Category: Drugs Article Type: Advice Language: Plain English, Spanish Affiliation: American Academy of Dermatology Format: HTML, PDF Most recent update: 08/05/2022 Skin problems can sometimes look like infections, especially if they’re red, swollen, or tender. So it might seem like treating them with antibiotics is a good idea. But some skin problems…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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I Didn’t Know That Antibiotics Shouldn’t Always be Used to Treat Bronchitis

I have asthma, so over the years, I’ve had a tendency to get bronchitis two to three times per year. Whenever it got bad enough, I was prescribed antibiotics. I recall being told that there was a danger of the bronchitis turning into pneumonia, so I was only too happy to take the antibiotics. In 2015,…

ByChristine AustinJune 26, 20230Comments

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