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NEJM Perspective Pieces Examine Physician Involvement In Health Reform, Congressional Progress On Reform
"Achieving Health Care Reform -- How Physicians Can Help," New England Journal of Medicine: In a perspective piece, Elliott Fisher, a professor of medicine and of community and family medicine at Dartmouth Medical School and associate director for Population Health and Policy at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice; Donald Berwick, a professor at the Harvard University School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management and president and CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement; and Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, call on physicians to "lead the change our country needs" on health reform. They suggest several areas for physicians to become involved, saying that physicians should "first help to create a shared vision that could overcome doctrinal divides" and that they also must "recognize that achieving savings sufficient to cover the cost of expanded coverage need not impose a hardship on patients or providers." Finally, physicians also must help with a health reform deal that "all stakeholders can support," the authors say (Fisher et al., NEJM, 5/21).

Understanding The Process Of Homosexual Identity Formation Among Asian And Pacific Islander Youth
Young American-raised Asian and Pacific Islanders (API), who are in the sexual minority, face psychological and social stresses in dealing with their families" values and ancestral cultures that significantly impact the development of their ethnic and sexual identities.
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Voice Box Can Be Preserved, Even With The Largest Cancers
Some patients with large tumors on their larynx can preserve their speech by opting for chemotherapy and radiation over surgery to remove the voice box.
Oncology

Poor Sleep Hygiene And Increased Sleepiness Associated With Excessive Gaming

Computer/console gamers who play for more than seven hours a week and who identify their gaming as an addiction sleep less during the weekdays and experience greater sleepiness than casual or non-gamers, according to a research abstract presented on June 8 at SLEEP 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies Results of the study indicate that excessive gamers have significantly poorer sleep hygiene and sleep less on weekdays than other gamers; a significant positive correlation was found between the hours of game play and sleepiness. Gamers who reported that their gaming interfered with sleep slept for 1.6 hours less than other gamers, while those who claimed to be addicted to gaming slept one hour less on weekdays. According to principal investigator Amanda Woolems, at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock, AR., previous research has shown that excessive gamers spend less time in bed, have longer sleep latency and shorter REM latency. "Our statistics revealed that those who admitted addiction scored higher on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (sleepiness)," said Woolems. "It surprised us, however, that of the people who admitted being addicted to gaming, only about a third of them recognized an interference with their sleep." The study examined data from 137 students recruited from the university who were enrolled in introductory psychology courses. Participants" mean age was 22 years and a majority of the sample was women (86). Gamers were classified as casual or excessive (those who spend more than seven hours a week using the internet and playing computer games), based on a demographic questionnaire and sleepiness was assessed subjectively through questionnaires. Of the total sample, 10.81 percent reported that gaming interfered with their sleep and 12.6 identified themselves as being addicted to gaming. Authors of the study suggest that maladaptive sleep hygiene found among excessive gamers is a target for intervention to promote improved sleep. The AASM recommends that adults get eight hours of sleep per night and that adolescents get nine hours. Tips to improve sleep hygiene are available at http://www.sleepeducation.com/Hygiene.aspx Those who suspect that they might be suffering from a sleep disorder are encouraged to consult with their primary care physician or a sleep specialist at a sleep center accredited by the AASM. Abstract Title: The Effect of Console/Computer Game Play on Sleepiness and Sleep Hygiene Presentation Date: Monday, June 8 Category: Behavior, Cognition and Dreams Abstract ID: 1271 Kelly Wagner American Academy of Sleep Medicine


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