health care

NPR is looking at when and why obstetricians and gynecologists put their patients on bed rest. If you've been pregnant in the past year and advised to stay on bed rest, we would like to hear from you.

Health & Safety

Did Your Doctor Prescribe Bed Rest When You Were Pregnant? We Want To Hear From You

11:08am September 24, 2018

by Alison Kodjak

NPR is looking at when and why obstetricians and gynecologists put patients on bed rest. If you've been pregnant in the past year and were advised to stay on bed rest, we'd like to hear from you.

Jill Biden Talks Biden Cancer Initiative

5:28pm September 23, 2018

NPR's Michel Martin interviews former second lady Jill Biden about the Biden Cancer Initiative and its effort to bring together health care providers, researchers drug companies and patients.

Because of a recent court decision, the size of the financial incentive your employer offers you in hopes of motivating you to lower your cholesterol or lose weight may soon shrink.

Health & Safety

Workplace Wellness Plans Offer Big Incentives, But May Cost Your Privacy

7:02am September 22, 2018

by Julie Appleby

Uncertainty over federal standards for these cost-saving programs could trigger different perks for employees, and change what they must do to qualify.

"If you do say, 'Yes, my child has seen a counselor or a therapist or a psychologist,' what does the school then do with that?" asks Laura Goodhue, who has a 9-year-old son on the autism spectrum and a 10-year-old son who has seen a psychologist.

Parents Are Leery Of Schools Requiring 'Mental Health' Disclosures By Students

8:45am September 21, 2018

by Julio Ochoa

Florida school districts now have to ask if a new student has ever been referred for mental health services. It's a legislative attempt to help troubled kids. Will it work, or increase stigma instead?

Queue Listen Now

VA Will Try Again To Make Its Health Records Compatible With Pentagon's

8:20am September 21, 2018

by Quil Lawrence

The VA is now set to spend $10 billion over the next 10 years adopting the Pentagon's system for electronic health records, but it's not clear who is in charge of the effort.

Lt. Ryan Snyder, who works at the Champaign County jail in Illinois, says it's hard for any such facility to provide the kind of one-on-one mental health treatment many inmates need.

Health & Safety

County Jails Struggle To Treat Mentally Ill Inmates

1:35pm September 19, 2018

by Christine Herman

Getting mental health treatment to inmates who need it requires money and unprecedented collaboration between state and county departments of criminal justice and social services. Is it working?

Preparing for a natural disaster becomes even more complicated when you're expecting.

Health & Safety

Myth And Reality About Hurricane Risks For Expectant Mothers

12:36pm September 19, 2018

by Rachel D. Cohen

Research suggests that floods and other environmental disasters can raise the risk for spontaneous miscarriages, preterm births and low-birth-weight infants. Doctors say it pays to be prepared.

Physicians face long hours, frustrating paperwork and sometimes difficult patients. But researchers aren't so clear on whether burnout is the right word to describe their problems.

Health & Safety

Doctors Today May Be Miserable, But Are They 'Burnt Out'?

12:30pm September 18, 2018

by Mara Gordon

There's a lively debate going on in the medical community about physician burnout. Who has it? How bad is it? Is it even real?

Skull fractures, concussions and broken bones are common injuries when children not yet able to walk use infant walkers and fall down stairs.

As Injuries Continue, Doctors Renew Call For Ban On Infant Walkers

4:55pm September 17, 2018

by Ronnie Cohen

Despite improved safety standards over the years, more than 230,000 children under 15 months old were treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries related to infant walkers from 1990 through 2014.

Health & Safety

To Manage Dementia Well, Start With The Caregivers

12:38pm September 15, 2018

by Lauren Gravitz

A new approach to helping Alzheimer's and dementia patients starts with training caregivers, teaching them to respond to their loved ones' needs with insight and creativity.