Satisfaction doesn’t ensure good care

A more satisfied patient is not necessarily one who is better cared for, according to a new study in Annals of Internal Medicine. Researchers reported that when it came to medical treatment, the satisfaction expressed by a group of elderly patients had little correlation with the quality of care they had received based on a review of their medical records. Hospitals, insurance companies and other organisations often use satisfaction surveys to measure the quality of care. The researchers said the reports appeared to be of limited value. However, the lead author of the study, Dr John T. Chang of the School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, said the findings did not suggest ignoring the feelings of the patients. But the study found that patients might be overly influenced by how well their health providers communicate.

Day care risks for allergy

Preschool age children who attend day care have a heightened risk of developing respiratory and allergy symptoms, according to results of a study conducted by Swedish researchers. Medical scientists at SP Swedish National Testing and Research Institute examined the effect of day care attendance and age on respiratory and allergic diseases in children between the ages of one and six years. The parents of more than 10,800 children completed a cross-sectional for more than a year. The result shows that compared with children in home care, children in day care had an increased risk of wheeze, cough at night, asthma, rhinitis, hay fever and food allergy. These were most pronounced between the ages of one and four years.

Rest before blood pressure

Want lower blood pressure? Ask your doctor to let you sit quietly for five minutes before it's taken ? on a regular chair, not on an examining table, with your feet on the floor. The result can be a systolic blood pressure reading (the upper number) about 14 points lower, potentially a big enough difference to avoid a diagnosis of hypertension, a new study by a team of nurses from the University of Virginia Health System concludes. “With your legs dangling without any support, it’s going to be higher,” said Melly Turner, the nurse who led the study. When the researchers took readings from 100 elderly patients on either chairs or examining tables and with and without a wait, they found a 14-point average difference in the systolic reading.

Women drink sensibly

While studying risk attitudes and consequences of college drinking professors at Kansas State University have found that males tend to be greater risk-takers when it comes to alcohol, while women tend to adopt more protective strategies, including counting the number of drinks and limiting the amount of money spent on drinking. These protect women from alcohol’s ill-effects.