Internet-based medical education deemed effective learning tool
Research shows Internet-based medical education is an effective teaching and learning tool that offers schedule flexibility for professionals and content that is updated easily. “We now can confirm that, across a wide variety of learners, learning contexts, clinical topics and learning outcomes, Internet-based instruction can be as effective as traditional methods,” said the study’s lead author. Click here for more.

Congress considers bill for advance approval of VA health care funding
The Chairmen of the Veterans’ Affairs Committees is leading legislation to help lawmakers avoid the yearly delay in approving VA health care funding. The bills would let Congress approve funding a year in advance. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, chairman of the Senate veterans committee, said the VA has the largest health care system in the United States but its funding is “untimely and unpredictable.” Click here for more.

Autism Speaks seeks coverage of education expenses for children with autism
The advocacy group Autism Speaks is campaigning in 20 states for legislation that would require health insurers to pay for some of the educational treatments health care providers say give autistic children the best chance to cope with and overcome their disabilities. Arizona, Florida, Louisiana and Pennsylvania already have passed such laws. Dr. Marylou Buyse, president of the Massachusetts Association of Health Plans, says insurers should not be drawn into covering educational expenses and that doing so would “drive up costs for everyone.” Click here for more.

Cyberchondria increases as patients use Web to self-diagnose
So many patients arrive at their physician’s office armed with Web-searched data on what they believe is wrong with them that the phenomenon now has a name — cyberchondria. Most of the time, people are not nearly as sick as they think they are, and the more tech-savvy individuals often are the worst offenders. Click here for more.

Older drugs get new look for treating mental illness in teens
Researchers say an older schizophrenia drug used to treat severe mental illness in teenagers worked just as well as newer medications — without some of the negative side effects, including weight gain. The study is the first to compare a new generation of medicines being prescribed for multiple mental disorders, including hyperactivity, depression and autism, with the older drugs that came out in the 1950s. Click here for more.