Amol, general internal resident at the University of Toronto, and Janice, general internist at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, discuss 2 recent studies:

Dying with dignity is not easy, especially in a highly charged environment like the Intensive Care Unit. Janice talks about a mixed methods study that examined the impact of soliciting and fulfilling patients’ dying wishes. Janice says, “In the many years I have been reading scientific journals, this is one of the most poignant journals I have read”.

Back pain is the cause of three million visits to the emergency room in the U.S. each year. Amol discusses a randomized clinical trial of various pharmacotherapy options for lower back pain. The study found that naproxen alone is just as effective in relieving back pain as naproxen with the addition of muscle relaxants or opioids. The use of muscle relaxants and opioids led to more adverse events.

1. Patient Voices: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/09/10/health/Patient_Voices.html

2. The struggles of Theranos: http://www.wsj.com/articles/theranos-has-struggled-with-blood-tests-1444881901