Amol and Janice, general internal medicine residents at the University of Toronto, discuss 2 recent studies that challenge 2 widely accepted medical practices.
Does using acetaminophen to treat fever improve outcomes? A randomized control trial found that giving acetaminophen to critically ill patients did lower their fever, but did not affect the number of ICU free days. Janice asks, what about patient-reported outcomes or symptom relief?
Does Calcium make bones strong? This conventional wisdom is contested by a systematic review that found dietary calcium intake is not associated with fracture risk and the evidence that calcium supplementation prevents fractures is weak and inconsistent. Amol debates whether this will change his clinical practice.
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The papers
1. Acetaminophen for fever: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1508375?query=featured_home
2. Calcium for fractures: http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h4580
Good Stuff
1. Diagnostic error in healthcare: https://iom.nationalacademies.org/Activities/Quality/DiagnosticErrorHealthCare/2015-SEP-22.aspx
2. Medical students with disabilities: http://www.macleans.ca/education/post-graduate/breaking-down-barriers-for-med-students-with-disabilities/
Music Credits (Creative Commons)
In your Robotic Heart – Nicolai Heidlas https://soundcloud.com/nicolai-heidlas/in-your-robotic-heart
Drive – Nicolai Heidlas https://soundcloud.com/nicolai-heidlas/drive-fresh-upbeat-pop-background-music
Swingin’ Jazz – Nicolai Heidlas https://m.soundcloud.com/nicolai-heidlas/jazz-blues-background-music
All tracks have been modified for the purposes of this podcast.
