Health Policy News

February 27, 2025

Top Headlines

Infant Mortality Tied to Concentration of Lead in Air

Feb. 26, 2025 — In a new study, researchers used data on lead emissions in the air to estimate the effects of air lead concentration on infant mortality. The study found a statistically significant relation between air lead concentration and infant ...

Telemedicine May Help Reduce Use of Unnecessary Health Tests

Feb. 24, 2025 — A research team has found that telemedicine may help to reduce the use of low-value ...

Single-Session Therapy Can Improve Mental Health Outcomes

Feb. 20, 2025 — Seeking mental health help is a significant step, but that first intake session can often feel more like paperwork than progress, and a significant proportion of people 'drop out' or never return for a second visit, previous research has shown. In a ...

Almost 90% of People Would Agree to Genetic Testing to Tailor Medication Use, Survey Finds

Feb. 19, 2025 — New research shows almost 90% of people in England would agree to genetic testing to get the most effective medication and reduce the risk of side ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:52pm EST

Advances in AI Can Help Prepare the World for the Next Pandemic, Global Group of Scientists Find

Feb. 19, 2025 — Scientists across Africa, America, Asia, Australia, and Europe outline for the first time how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can transform the ...

We Are No Longer Living Longer: Study Across Europe

Feb. 18, 2025 — The rise in human life expectancy has slowed down across Europe since 2011, according to new research. A new study reveals that the food we eat, physical inactivity and obesity are largely to blame, ...

Adults Don't Trust Health Care to Use AI Responsibly and Without Harm

Feb. 14, 2025 — A survey of adults found most had low trust in their health care system to use artificial intelligence responsibly or to make sure an AI tool would not harm ...

Global Action Needed to Solve the Medical Oxygen Crisis

Feb. 17, 2025 — Targets for universal access, national roadmaps and more affordable and accessible care are vital to help fill the medical oxygen gap affecting more than half of the world's population, according to ...

Wealth Gap Fuels Health Inequality for Over 50s: New Study Reveals Lifestyle Divide and Depression Link

Feb. 12, 2025 — There is a 'silent emergency' brewing under our noses as research finds that there is a clear wealth gap among adults over 50 who meet physical ...

Long Drives and High Costs Stand Between Americans and Safe Surgery -- Especially in Rural Areas

Feb. 12, 2025 — When they need surgery, nearly one in three Americans may find themselves in a precarious position: They live more than an hour's drive from a ...

As More Americans Work Later in Life, Poll Shows Positive Health Impacts, Especially for Those Over 65

Feb. 11, 2025 — Having a job -- whether it's working for someone else or being their own boss -- gives older Americans more than just a way to earn money or get ...

Only Seven out of 100 People Worldwide Receive Effective Treatment for Their Mental Health or Substance-Use Disorders

Feb. 5, 2025 — A study of 57,000 people in 21 countries finds that only 6.9 per cent who met criteria for a mental health or substance-use disorder received ...

Researcher Uses AI to Reimagine Telehealth Billing

Feb. 3, 2025 — With the growing popularity of telehealth comes new issues with ...

Experts Publish Framework for Global Adoption of Digital Health in Medical Education

Jan. 31, 2025 — A group of 211 international experts from 79 countries has today published a new framework to facilitate the design, development and implementation ...

A Change in Child Concussion Management Policies Led to Improvements in Recovery Time

Feb. 25, 2025 — A concussion clinic changed its childhood concussion policies in 2017. A new study of this protocol change shows the approach, which recommended concussed kids begin rehab two weeks or less after ...

Removing Fallopian Tubes During Other Abdominal Surgeries May Lower Ovarian Cancer Risk

Jan. 30, 2025 — A mathematical modeling study suggests that ovarian cancer incidence could be reduced and healthcare savings boosted if women who have already completed their families were offered fallopian tube ...

Beneficial Prenatal Vitamins to Reduce Risk of Infant Death

Jan. 29, 2025 — Researchers publish landmark analysis on the impacts of prenatal vitamins on mothers and ...

Better Nurse Staffing Linked to Fewer C-Sections

Jan. 29, 2025 — Labor and delivery units that are adequately staffed by nurses have lower cesarean birth rates, according to new research published in the journal Nursing ...

No Differences Between Dementia Care Approaches on Patient Behavioral Symptoms or Caregiver Strain

Jan. 29, 2025 — Research comparing different approaches to dementia care for people with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias found no significant differences in patient behavioral symptoms or caregiver ...

Researchers Track Sharp Increase in Diagnoses for Sedative, Hypnotic and Anxiety Use Disorder in Young Adults

Jan. 23, 2025 — The prevalence of diagnosed disorders from recurrent use of sedative, hypnotic and anti-anxiety medications in adolescents and young adults has increased sharply since 2001, according to researchers. ...

While Most Americans Use a Device to Monitor Their Heart, Few Share That Data With Their Doctor

Jan. 22, 2025 — A new national survey found that while many Americans use a device to monitor their heart, few share that data with their ...

Reducing Teens' Psychological Stress Could Save Billions for U.S. Budget, Study Suggests

Jan. 16, 2025 — A new study suggests that boosting adolescent mental health is linked with long-term economic benefits. In contrast to similar findings from prior studies, these estimated relationships could be ...

How Improving Education Could Close Maternal Heart Health Gaps

Jan. 15, 2025 — Research has established a clear link between racial and ethnic disparities in maternal heart health and higher risks of preterm birth, preeclampsia and cardiovascular issues for Black and Hispanic ...

Small-Scale Fisheries Essential to Global Nutrition, Livelihoods

Jan. 15, 2025 — Small-scale fisheries play a significant but overlooked role in global fisheries production and are key to addressing hunger and malnutrition while supporting livelihoods around the world, according ...

Medicare Rules May Reduce Prescription Steering

Jan. 10, 2025 — Researchers have found that pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) -- organizations that negotiate access to medicines for most patients in the United States -- steer patients to use their own pharmacies. ...

What Is the Average Wait Time to See a Neurologist in US?

Jan. 8, 2025 — Older people wait an average of just over a month to see a neurologist for specialty care after being referred by their primary care physician or another physician, according to a new study. The ...

'Sandwich Carers' Experience Decline in Mental and Physical Health

Jan. 6, 2025 — People who care for both their children and older family members -- also known as 'sandwich carers' -- suffer from deterioration in both their mental and physical health over time, finds a ...

Tuberculosis Strains Resistant to New Drugs Are Transmitted Between Patients

Jan. 6, 2025 — Tuberculosis (TB) is the world's biggest infectious disease killer with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) posing a particular threat to global health. A study shows that resistance to the new ...

Modeling Tool Affirms Critical Role of Testing in Pandemic Response

Jan. 3, 2025 — A study found public-private partnerships to develop, produce and distribute COVID-19 diagnostic tests saved approximately 1.4 million lives and prevented an estimated 7 million patient ...

Research on Clozapine Safety: Big-Data Evidence on Rare Blood Cancer Cases

Jan. 2, 2025 — An inter-departmental research team has conducted an analytic real-world cohort study on the association of clozapine, a highly efficacious antipsychotic drug, with the incidence of blood cancer. ...

Study Finds Physical Activity Reduces Chronic Disease Risk

Jan. 2, 2025 — A study underscores the value of physical activity. Researchers found patients who responded in a survey that they are physically active have a statistically significant lower risk of having 19 ...

Digital Healthcare Consultations Not Enough for Safe Assessment of Tonsillitis

Dec. 27, 2024 — Digital healthcare consultations are not enough for a safe assessment of tonsillitis, according to a new study. Reliability will not be sufficient, thus increasing the risk of over- or ...

Economic Burden of Tooth Decay Is Highest in Deprived Groups, New Study Reveals

Dec. 26, 2024 — The economic impact of dental caries (tooth decay) is disproportionately higher in the most deprived groups, new research ...

Public Shows Greater Acceptance of RSV Vaccine as Vaccine Hesitancy Appears to Have Plateaued

Dec. 23, 2024 — A year after becoming available, vaccines to protect against RSV in newborns and older adults are being more widely accepted by the American public, according to a new health ...