A 3D printed, high-grade plastic nurse assistant with heart-shaped eyes may be working behind the scenes at your next hospital visit, fetching your medications and your lunch and allowing human coworkers to spend more time at the bedside.
Michigan Health Watch
In-depth reporting on the intersection between public policy and important health topics ‒ such as insurance coverage, hospital admissions, opioid abuse, access to care, medical research and the business of health care ‒ that impact nearly every Michigan resident.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Amid cancer drug shortages, some Michigan doctors are forced to ration.
The scarcity of two core cancer drugs, carboplatin and cisplatin, have grown so acute that some patients may be forced to delay treatment or take lesser doses.
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Panel says breast cancer screen should start at 40, but some have qualms
A respected U.S. task force contends mammograms should begin at age 40, not 50, citing more precise research. But the decision, which isn’t final, is more complicated than it sounds.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan is short on Adderall, penicillin, cancer drugs amid supply woes
Drug shortages have come and gone over the years, but national data confirms what Michigan doctors are feeling: they’re worse now. This includes antibiotics for strep, ear infections and syphilis, ADHD meds and two drugs for cancer.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
Michigan expert on history’s pandemics reflects on end of COVID emergency
A doctor, author and national expert on epidemics through the ages, Dr. Howard Markel of the University of Michigan managed to avoid COVID for nearly three years. Then he faced the ‘human petri dish’ of international travel.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
FDA panel approves over-the-counter birth control, despite some concerns
An expert panel voted 17-0 Wednesday to approve the first U.S. birth control pill without a prescription. Supporters say it would expand pill access to low-income and rural patients, but some worry about taking doctors out of the equation.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
COVID public health emergency ends Thursday, what it means for Michigan
Guarantees of free COVID tests end with the last day of the national public health emergency, and there will be less data to pore through. But other impacts from a deadly pandemic will remain.
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RSV vaccine for older adults clears FDA, could be in Michigan by the fall
RSV causes little illness in most healthy adults, but those with underlying conditions are at risk. This first vaccine is designed for adults 60 and older, but other RSV vaccines and drugs are in the works, including a vaccine to protect infants.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, universities expand nurse training options
Michigan Tech is launching a nursing program this fall, filling a void caused by Finlandia University’s recent decision to close. And Lake Superior State is expanding its program to train nurses to work in rural areas.
Posted inMichigan Health Watch
A new Michigan legislative committee on mental health gives parents hope
Michigan’s thread-bare mental health system fails children in crisis. Can a new committee filled with lawmakers who have experience in healthcare or first-hand knowledge of mental health challenges bring focus?