Smartwatches are flooding the market, promising to track your every move and help you live a healthier life. But are they really accurate? One study took a close look at the Huawei GT2 to see how well it measures physical activity and sleep during everyday life. This is crucial because we rely on th
Patient organizations play a crucial role in health technology assessments (HTAs), particularly for ultra-rare diseases. But how much do their inputs really matter? A recent study dug into 15 NICE appraisals from January 2022 to August 2024. They found that patients mainly talked about the disease i
Feeling lonely and anxious in social situations are two issues that have been on the rise in recent years, posing significant health challenges. But how are these two problems connected? This study set out to find out how common these feelings are among regular people and if one can make the other w
A cat in Oregon recently passed away due to bird flu after eating raw cat food. The food was found to have the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). This is quite worrying as it's not just about our pets. Bird flu has been affecting animals and people this year. The Oregon Depart
Ever wondered how your health insurance fund's budget behaves with the economy? Let's zoom in on the Czech Republic, where the health care system is largely funded through Statutory Health Insurance. This scheme relies heavily on contributions from both employees and employers, which are based on wa
Sugary drinks are a hot topic in public health. With people in China drinking more of these beverages, there's a pressing need for effective regulations. A clever study looking at choices in five big Chinese cities found that plain old warning labels on SSBs can reduce how much folks buy. But here’s
In the world of neurology, the language we use makes a huge difference, especially when it comes to caring for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals. You might think that language has come a long way, with explicit pronouns and all, but there's still much to be done. Historically, sex and
Medical errors, or MEs, are a big deal around the world. They happen when healthcare goes wrong and can be really dangerous for patients. In China, a recent survey checked out what causes these errors among doctors and nurses. First, let's get into the nitty-gritty. This survey was a special kind c
Researchers dug into the medical records of nearly 19, 000 patient eyes that had something called geographic atrophy (GA). They looked back, using data from CorEvitas Vestrum Health Retina Database. Over three years, they wanted to see what would happen. The team found that GA progresses di
Imagine walking through the streets of Colorado during the COVID-19 pandemic. You might have noticed that some counties were hit harder than others. Why was that? Researchers found a surprising link between the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and COVID-19 mortality rates. Let's break it d
