It looks like we're on a monthly schedule now for pointing you over to the new place. Please note that comments here are moderated very infrequently. Old posts have been migrated over as well, so please come on over if you have a comment.
Posts since the last update (from oldest to newest):
Farewell, Mr. Otto - I lost my poor (20ish) baby kitty at the end of September. I still miss my furry little friend.
We have posted frequently about the pervasiveness of conflicts of interest in health care, (for example, recently here). In this weeks JAMA was an important article that quantitated at least some species of such conflicts. [Campbell EG, Weissman JS, Ehringhaus S et al. Institutional academic-industry relationships. JAMA 2007; 298: 1779-1786, link here.]
Let me summarize the methods. The authors sent a paper-and-pencil survey to all chairs of medicine, psychiatry, two randomly selected clinical departments, microbiology, and one randomly selected non-clinical department at all 125 US allopathic medical schools and the 15 hospitals with the largest amount of NIH funding. The survey was sent in 2006. The response rate was 67%, and was almost the same for clinical and non-clinical chairs. The surveys asked about the chairs' personal relationships with industry in the previous year, and about the chairs' departments' institutional relationships with industry in the previous year.
The results were striking. The proportion of chairs reporting personal relationships were (in percentages, for all chairs, and when the difference between clinical and non-clinical was statistically significant, for that breakdown):
Just a reminder that new posts are at the new site, and comments here are infrequently moderated. The new stuff:
Shameless Self-Promotion - OBOS blog post picked up in a midwifery newsletter
Do You Have Your Period? - One high school's inappropriate questioning of teen girls
We recently discussed a proposed attempt to "reform" the governance of Dartmouth College, an elite US educational institution and home to a well-regarded medical school. As noted earlier, Dartmouth is unusual in that it allows almost half of its board of trustees to be elected by alumni. Furthermore, it allows candidates to be nominated by petition of the alumni. Many US colleges and universities' boards are entirely self-appointed. Those that allow elections usually restrict these to a few seats, and usually only permit candidates chosen by the board, university administration, or their agents. Thus, the top leadership of most US higher educational institutions is mostly self-appointed. Dartmouth was a partial exception to this pattern.
Now the Dartmouth board has decided to become more like its peers. The board just announced that it will expand its membership by eight. All the new members will be chosen by the current board. None will be elected. (See Dartmouth press release here.)
This is a setback for a nascent movement to make the governance of academic institutions more representative, accountable, and transparent.
Oh my, I have been busy lately. Periodic roundups are here, but new posts are up almost daily at the new place. Also, please be aware that I'm not keeping up with comments over here - come on over and join the discussion at the new digs.
Miscarriage Not a Crime After All - West Virginia police finally get a clue. See "Miscarriage or Crime?" for background.
Review: S.E.X., the All-You-Need-to-Know Progressive Sexuality Guide - I review a book. You will like the book.
Roy Poses posted previously at "US States Using Pharmaceutical Company Funded Program to Influence Physicians' Prescribing " on how Minnesota, and other US states, use a program funded by Eli Lilly & Co which is meant to reduce physicians' supposedly inappropriate use of anti-psychotic medications. Eli Lilly is also the manufacturer of one such medication, olanzapine (Zyprexa). The source article noted that states that use the Lilly program seem to have adopted policies that tend to favor Lilly and its products, and that neither Minnesota nor the other states that use the Lilly program uses prior authorization schemes to limit drug use.
More on Minnesota today.
In "Drugmakers' deep pockets linked to decision-makers", Martiga Lohn today describes the effects of a new Minnesota law: shining of a rare light onto the big money that drug companies spend on members of state advisory panels who help select which drugs are used in Medicaid programs for the poor and disabled.
Check out the latest batch of posts at the new site:
Your Online Childbirth Ed Series
Family Leave and the Employers who Ignore it
In Consideration of the Book
Signs You Need to Find a New Pregnancy/Birth Care Provider
I'm still doing the weekly updates here because lots of folks end up here via search or old feeds. the little librarian in me of course wants to point them to the new place for more information.
How Operation Rescue and National Right to Life Spin Abortion Research - In response to a new study on the safety of medical abortion
Breast cancer vaccine? - Experimental vaccine seems safe, so further research will be done on whether it works
It's been a few extra days between updates, so go check out this unusually long batch of fresh posts over at the new place.
RAINN Benefit Concert Tour - Check out this August series of events
They're Not Infantilizing You, They Just Don't Think You Capable of Being Informed - What's new in the abortion argument
Check out the latest batch of posts at the new site:
Your Nipples Are Just Fine How They Are - Don't ask, just read.
Drop in Teen Sex not so Dramatic After All - The hyping of old (sexual behavior) news for new (abstinence-only) money.
Things I Don't Want to Think too Hard About - More on the recent food warnings.