Today on AirTalk, we'll talk about if unnecessary medical treatments are overused and the CDC's report on deaths caused by prescription overdoses. We'll also discuss immigration reform, consider new brain-mapping technology, and check in on updates to the Oscar Pistorius murder case. Later, we'll look at the new Sony Playstation and explore the breakdown of L.A. cars by gender.
‘Choosing Wisely’ when it comes to overused medical treatments
If your child hits his or her head and is rushed to the emergency room, he or she should automatically get a CT scan, right? Not so fast, says a recommendation from the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM,) a consortium of over 30 professional medical organizations. CT scanning is associated with radiation exposure that may escalate future cancer risk and may be unnecessary. Doctors who automatically order a CT scan, or who immediately prescribe antibiotics for respiratory illnesses are probably not ‘Choosing Wisely,’ according to the ABIM. The organization’s campaign, called Choosing Wisely, aims to “promote conversations between physicians and patients by helping patients choose care that is supported by evidence, not duplicative of other tests or procedures already received, free from harm and truly necessary.”
Which so-called ‘overused medical treatments’ have you had and do you regret having a procedure that you feel was unnecessary? How can doctors work with patients to better prevent overusing medical treatments?
Read the full recommendation and list of overused medical treatments at ChoosingWisely.org
Guests:
Daniel Wolfson, executive vice president & COO of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation who spearheads the “Choosing Wisely” initiative
Kavita K. Patel, adjunct assistant clinical professor at UCLA’s Geffen School of Medicine
What can stop the incessant rise of prescription-drug overdoses?
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday published a report that shows a steady rise in drug overdose deaths in the United States. The report states that nearly 17,000 people died from drug overdoses in 1999; in 2010 the number was almost 39,000. That's a 127% increase over the past 11 years.
Almost half of those deaths were due to opioid analgesics, such as OxyContin and Vicodin. Anti-anxiety medications including Valium were also common causes of overdose deaths.
Why have overdose deaths risen so significantly? The CDC speculates that many doctors and patients don’t realize pain management drugs can be addicting and that many deaths result from mismanagement of multiple prescription medications. California is one of the states that has an electronic database designed to monitor prescription drug use, with an eye to catching both pill-pushing doctors and doctor-shopping patients.
But is it being utilized, and if so, is it effective enough? Is the public well-informed about prescription drug abuse and overdosing? What are the signs of drug abuse? What are health care professionals and the federal government doing to prevent this trend from continuing?
Guests:
Natalie Strand, M.D., Assistant Professor of Clinical Anesthesiology, USC Pain Management, Department of Anesthesiology, Keck School of Medicine of University of Southern California
Lynn Webster, M.D., co-founder and Chief Medical Director of Lifetree Clinical Research and president-elect of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
Big business and big labor make deal on a new worker visa program
After weeks of negotiations, the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations) today agreed on principles for creating a new system for worker visas. This new system focuses on filling employment for lesser-skilled occupations. Although they are still hammering out details, business and labor groups have agreed on some common grounds for immigration reform.
In this proposed new system, American workers will still be given employment priority and information about job openings in lesser-skilled occupations will be more publicized. However, when employers are not able to fill the job opening with American workers, the process to hire foreign workers will be more efficient and not keep all workers in a permanent temporary status, providing labor mobility. Also, the groups call for more research and data on immigration and work visas be provided to the public.
How will this affect immigration reform? Will it take away jobs from American workers and open the doors for immigration? Is a new system feasible? Who benefits from this new system?
Guests:
Jeff Hauser, Lead for Political Media, AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations)
Mark Krikorian, Executive Director, Center for Immigration Studies
Should government funds back new brain research?
President Obama plans to announce a big and bold scientific initiative to map the human brain. According to The New York Times, it will try to achieve for brain research what the Human Genome Project did for genetics. The report says Congress will be asked to allocate $3 billion dollars over ten years. In his State of the Union address last week, Obama said, "Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned $140 to our economy" - meaning such projects combine scientific endeavors with economic benefits. But should we ask for a money-back guarantee?
When looking at California's investments in stem cell research - funding allocated thanks to Proposition 71 in 2004 - government sometimes has a poor track record of making good science materialize despite billions spent. What other science has government been successful at managing and investing? What about NASA getting to the moon? Or nuclear research? Could cancer research be better off if it were a centralized project of the National Institute of Health? Or has a laissez faire approach been more fruitful?
Guests:
Michael Roukes, professor of physics, applied physics, and bioengineering at Caltech where he’s also co-director of the Kavli Nanoscience Institute
Daniel Sarewitz, Co-Director, Consortium for Science, Policy & Outcomes at Arizona State University; Also a professor in the areas of science and society; Sarewitz worked on R & D policy issues for a congressman in the early 1990s.
Gary Marcus, professor of Psychology, NYU
Sony’s new Playstation: The end of an era or the future of home entertainment?
It has been seven years since Sony Corp. released a new version of its PlayStation (PS) game console, and the entertainment market has undoubtedly changed considerably in that time.
Not only does Sony now have to compete with other console proprietors like Xbox-maker Microsoft, but also with smartphones, tablets, and other mobile gaming devices hoping to carve out their share of the market. Some games for mobile devices are given away for free or for a $1, which is virtually free compared to a PS3 game that sells for nearly $60. Prices for the new PlayStation games are not yet officially announced, but Sony will have to work a little harder to convince consumers to fork over anything close to PS3 prices. With console sales slowing, some industry observers are wondering how well home video game consoles will survive in a constantly changing marketplace.
Sony certainly is not giving up on the market anytime soon and will likely fight hard to keep the PlayStation relevant. Accordingly, the new PlayStation exploits advancements in networking and cloud technology. One new feature targeting gamers who are also social networkers is the “Share” button on the new Playstation controllers, which allows players to instantly share their game status and chat on social media sites like Facebook.
The new device will also offer gamers the ability to stream games live over the internet in real time. Another strategy widely expected to be implemented by Sony and other game console makers is that of bolstering their multimedia capabilities and on-demand entertainment services. If Sony and other console makers successfully establish their systems as central hubs for home entertainment, they may be able to maintain their relevance with consumers.
How popular are home video game consoles in 2013? Are consoles like the Xbox 360 and the PS3 dinosaurs in the age of the iPhone and iPad? Do expensive home consoles still have a strong enough consumer following to maintain profitability? How much would you be willing pay for the new PS4?
Guest:
Tim Stevens, Editor-in-chief, Engadget, a news outlet devoted to covering gadgets, science and consumer electronics
Top cars by gender in Los Angeles
Automobile website Edmunds.com has released the top ten cars bought in Los Angeles for 2012 based on sex.
Looking at the two lists, it appears that when it comes to cars and trucks, socio-normative gender roles are holding on strong. For instance, the list for females is comprised of smaller vehicles and no trucks. For men, on the other hand, trucks take up more than half the results. While this may not be surprising, some of the nuances of the data do have interesting implications. It seems there is a connection between domestic automobiles and men, as there are only three foreign vehicles that made it to the top ten. Also, the top result for women is the Volkswagen Beetle. This is unfortunate for VW, as the 2012 Beetle was geared towards attracting male consumers. Why doesn’t that car appeal to men? And why do men buy so many trucks, especially in L.A. where parking is notoriously awful?
Why are women more likely to buy foreign cars? Do you have a “male” or “female” car? Do you think there is a connection between one’s sex and the choice of a vehicle?
Guest:
Jessica Caldwell, Senior Analyst from Edmunds.com