About 80 per cent of people with chronic pain do not get adequate relief and are suffering needlessly throughout the world, a leading pain authority said Friday.

Skipping a routine doctor’s appointment or ignoring a nagging pain for the sake of saving some money can end up costing you more in the long run. 

It happens on average once every five days — an active-duty service member is found dead from an accidental drug or alcohol overdose.

Caritas Christi Health Care yesterday said it plans to convert Landmark Medical Center of Woonsocket, R.I., into a Catholic hospital if its agreement to acquire the financially ailing 214-bed community hospital is approved by a Rhode Island judge and… Rhode Island - Health care - Caritas Christi Health Care - Woonsocket Rhode Island - United States

Investigations of potential physician misconduct do not trump the law protecting confidentiality between psychotherapists and patients, the state’s highest court ruled yesterday, siding with a doctor who defied a subpoena for patient treatment records despite concerns he might be overprescribing pain medication. Physician - Physicianâpatient privilege - Health - Psychotherapy - Medicine

Investigations of potential physician misconduct do not trump the law protecting confidentiality between psychotherapists and patients, the state’s highest court ruled yesterday, siding with a doctor who defied a subpoena for patient treatment records despite concerns he might be overprescribing pain medication. Physician - Health - Psychotherapy - Physicianâpatient privilege - Medicine

Restore end-of-life services

Investigations into physician misconduct are not valid exceptions to patient privacy laws, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled Thursday, rejecting an attempt by the Board of Registration in Medicine to subpoena the records of a psychotherapist suspected of improperly prescribing painkillers.

Repairing a rotator cuff tear via surgery can be a tough decision for older people — not every surgeon wants to fix their tears that way, believing it may lead to longer healing time or poor outcomes. But a new study shows that people older than age of 70 had good results after arthroscopic surgery of their rotator cuff tears.

Repairing torn shoulder muscles in elderly patients is often discouraged because of fears of complications. But a new study conducted at Rush University Medical Center has shown that minimally invasive, or arthroscopic, surgery can significantly improve pain and function. The study has just been published online in Arthroscopy: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery and will appear in …