What Makes Medical "News?"

[docB]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Brief article about a kid who had a neisseria bacteremia and a less than optimal outcome (survived but maimed). Article is really just informational, no finger pointing or anything which is good.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,331024,00.html

But why is this news? And, since it happened in March of last year why is it news now?

 

[Castro Viejo]

The lay public has little conception of what goes on in and out of the medical world. They really haven't the foggiest idea, so things like this make the news. It's a "miracle" kind of survival story that the news media outlets love to snap up. That and the "butcher doctor" who killed his patients, blah, blah, blah...

A perfect example would be up here in New York City where several months ago all the local news channels were reporting on the "Super Bug" scare in New York (i.e., MRSA infections) as if it just happened last weekend. Of course all the health care people are like, "What's the big deal? Happens everyday." But to the lay public? It's the most horrific thing to hit the streets of Manhattan since King Kong.

And it gives these New York cynics more fuel to blame physicians for messing up their perfect lay person world.

 

[Winged Scapula]

I dunno...maybe its because he went back to school last month, so it had more impact...see boy succeed after horrific disease.

Either that, or slow news day.