-
1 month ago | 
medicalindependent.ie | Doug Witherspoon |David Lynch |Catherine Reilly
The proliferation of ‘discover your DNA’ companies led to a huge global business and a craze among people desperate to find their distant roots. As you read this, millions of gallons of saliva samples are winging their way to commercial labs all over the world, mostly in the US and Europe. On top of that, at-home DNA testing kits gained traction in recent years and probably caused a couple of family arguments along the way.
-
1 month ago | 
medicalindependent.ie | Doug Witherspoon |David Lynch |Catherine Reilly
iStock.com/Jacob Wackerhausen It’s with unbridled and foolish optimism that we look forward to the official beginning of spring next month. Along with warmer weather (theoretically) and longer days, we will of course get the usual influence of seasonal allergens to add to the all-year-round nuisances of pet dander or mites. Countless millions of research dollars have been poured into studying new and improved therapies for hypersensitivity to these allergens. But in common with many other...
-
2 months ago | 
medicalindependent.ie | Doug Witherspoon |David Lynch |Catherine Reilly
The advent of artificial intelligence (AI) holds much promise in medical imaging and improving diagnostic accuracy. The studies are ongoing, but AI medical imaging has the potential to help ‘big data’ interpretation and assist in solving clinical problems and improving efficiency. Legal and ethical considerations are topics of much discussion, but some recent studies have drawn attention to the potential problem of ‘shortcut learning’ in medical AI.
-
2 months ago | 
medicalindependent.ie | Doug Witherspoon |David Lynch |Catherine Reilly
We are slowly coming around from the antiquated notion that healthcare professionals (HCPs) are invincible when it comes to mental health. Much of the focus in terms of HCPs’ health has been on burnout, and rightly so. The reasons for burnout are often rooted in the system of work. But of course, there are other factors, some of which can be less obvious. Studies have shown that HCPs may face unique impediments when facing psychosocial problems.
-
Jan 13, 2025 | 
medicalindependent.ie | Doug Witherspoon |David Lynch |Catherine Reilly
It was noted with interest by The Dorsal View the comments of former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar during his recent Doolin Memorial Lecture in Dublin. The IMO Doolin Lecture is held each December in honour of Dr William Doolin (1887-1962), who was Editor of the journal of the Irish Medical Association and President of the RCSI. The IMO invites a speaker to deliver the lecture on issues of importance in the area of health. Step forward Mr Varadkar, who spoke on the topic of ‘Health policy challenges’.
-
Dec 17, 2024 | 
medicalindependent.ie | Doug Witherspoon |David Lynch |Catherine Reilly
We are waist-deep in the season that is firmly associated with over-indulgence. Well, apart from Easter. Hopefully the kids have had time to finish the sweets from Halloween too. But at Christmas, the adults also have carte blanche to stuff themselves with anything that isn’t nailed down.
-
Nov 5, 2024 | 
medicalindependent.ie | Doug Witherspoon |Catherine Reilly |Priscilla Lynch
The name of Alexander Fleming will always rightly be synonymous with penicillin. Fleming is an interesting character all on his own – this seventh child of a Scottish hill farmer graduated from school at age 16. Imbued with a fascination for bacterial mechanisms since early in his medical life, he embarked on a military career, serving as a captain in the British Army Medical Corps during World War I.
-
Oct 21, 2024 | 
medicalindependent.ie | Doug Witherspoon |Catherine Reilly |Priscilla Lynch
Inevitably, the Halloween ‘season’ is upon us, as any reader with a nervous pet will know. I use the word ‘season’, because as many emergency department (ED) soldiers will attest, some patients will show up to the ED over Halloween weekend fresh from a party and still wearing a costume. Then there are those whose Halloween costume includes a fake sword, even the plastic variety. Add in copious amounts of alcohol and that’s a recipe for a visit to the ED.
-
Oct 7, 2024 | 
medicalindependent.ie | Doug Witherspoon |Catherine Reilly |Priscilla Lynch
Are you aware of how many of your patients use cannabis regularly? In years gone by, the question may have been moot, as the number would have been negligible. However, international population health figures seem to show that the rates of regular cannabis use are increasing. A new study published in Anaesthesiology in August of this year has looked at whether cannabis users may require more anaesthesia during surgery, particularly inhalational anaesthetic. The older users, at least.
-
Sep 23, 2024 | 
medicalindependent.ie | Doug Witherspoon |Catherine Reilly |Priscilla Lynch
A recent article in Medscape has reignited the conversation over whether it’s better for hospital doctors to sit with a patient when visiting their rooms, and if it improves the consultation. And if sitting is better, is it okay in this infection-conscious era to sit on a patient’s bed? Of course, sometimes sitting isn’t even an option for a busy hospital doctor trying to get through the ward rounds and juggle priorities.
