Dtsch Arztebl Int
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Patients want to be more involved in medical decision-making. To this end, some decision aids are now available. ⋯ Only a small fraction of the available decision aids were systematically developed and have been subjected to systematic evaluation. Patients are still not receiving the help in decision-making to which medical ethics entitles them. Structures need to be put in place for the sustainable development, evaluation and implementation of high-quality decision aids.
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Wine is an ancient food product, ubiquitous across cultures all over the world. Its effects on health have been extensively studied, yet there have been only a few case reports of wine intolerance or wine allergy. We studied the prevalence of self-reported wine intolerance in the adult population of Mainz, Germany. ⋯ Wine intolerance was found to be more common than expected. The data reported here are less suggestive of an immunologically mediated allergy than of intolerance to alcohol, biogenic amines, or other ingredients of wine.
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Demographic change, technical progress, and changing patterns of service use influence the future demand for physicians in the German health care system. The attitudes of medical students towards their later work in the health system is important for current health care planning. For that reason a nationwide survey aimed to identify major trends in preferred specialty, workplace characteristics (regional location, hospital) and perceived hindrances for clinical work. ⋯ Although the coming generation of physicians anticipate working in clincial settings in the future, shortfalls in the areas of primary care and in rural locations are likely if medical students adhere to their preferences stated in the questionnaire.
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Conventional laboratory tests of blood coagulation yield only partial diagnostic information. "Point of care" (POC) devices are increasingly being used at the bedside perioperatively for rapid, detailed testing of hemostatic function and for treatment monitoring in patients with coagulopathies. In this review, we discuss the benefits and limitations of POC coagulation testing-in particular, its effects on the rate of perioperative transfusion of allogeneic blood products, on the frequency of other types of hemostatic treatment, and on the clinical outcome. ⋯ Despite certain limitations that must be borne in mind, POC techniques are a valuable means of testing various aspects of hemostasis rapidly and in detail. Their implementation in hemostatic treatment algorithms may reduce both the rate of transfusion of allogeneic blood products and the total cost of treatment for blood loss and coagulopathies. The putative effect of POC testing on perioperative morbidity and mortality has not yet been demonstrated.
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Delirium is common, has multiple causes and causes distress to numerous patients and their relatives. ⋯ In many cases, delirium can be diagnosed and treated in good time. Prevention is preferable to treatment.