Emergency departments, particularly in rural areas, are strained by shortages of physicians and other providers, including nonemergency doctors and advanced practice providers, according to a new study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

Radiotherapy technology recently employed at a cancer center in Glasgow has the ability to generate individualized radiotherapy treatment plans for as many as 50 patients at a time within minutes, circumventing a process that typically takes physicians more than a day per patient plan, the Herald reported early this week.

Calculating a patient’s body fat percentage and body mass index (BMI) can help imaging providers determine whether or not to use oral contrast material before abdominopelvic CT exams, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Turning to mobile health for chemotherapy aftercare could relieve a bulk of negative chemo side effects while educating colorectal cancer patients about their illness and future options, researchers wrote this month in Clinical Colorectal Cancer. 

Referring patients to a panel of thoracic experts immediately after initial diagnostic workup reduces wait times for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, according to research out of the Health Sciences Centre in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada.

Practices across the U.S. are increasingly relying on self-reported data from patients to measure quality of care, and research out of the Netherlands has found women with breast cancer are able to report overwhelmingly accurate information about treatment up to a year and a half after surgery.

Though radiology's complex nature makes incorporating its curriculum into the first year of medical school difficult, exposing students to the field early can grow academic interest, improve perceptions of the specialty and emphasize its importance in daily practice, according to a study published ahead of print in Academic Radiology.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) estimated 8,000 deaths were prevented and $2.9 billion was saved between 2014 and 2016 through successful initiatives to reduce hospital-acquired conditions, including infections, injuries from falls and adverse drugs events.