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The field of electronic health records has made big advancements in recent years but there is still more work to be done. How that work is done will depend on input not only from the healthcare field but also the patients who use it.

The summer 2015 issue of the Journal of Surgical Orthopedic Advances discusses a question that continues to vex surgeons and patients alike: when can patients who have arthroscopic rotator cuff repair drive again and what are the patient's perceptions? To date, no clear guideline has been developed for driving safety and maneuverability during post-operative recovery.

Insurers, regulators and statisticians have long contended that where patients undergo weight loss surgery can be as important as who performs it. A skilled, experienced bariatric surgeon will only perform optimally and patients will only receive ideal post-op care if the center in which he or she works is well-equipped.

Many hospitals around the country are eliminating their paper records all together which is changing the way patient records are shared. This can have a long reach into a patient's life as different parts of their lives depend on having their records to send to various entities.

Now that it has been shown that more control can be given to patients in regards to their electronic health records, the question becomes whether it should be done and how it should be done.

When converting medical records into an electronic form most of the work can be done without much consideration. However, when it comes to observations and other notes by healthcare professionals, how they are included and made available to patients can present the need for more in depth thought.

When deciding how or even if to give patients access to their medical records, a recent study found there are many areas that need to be considered before the access is made available.

When given the choice of what parts of their records patients wanted made available to healthcare professionals, the results showed a mixed reaction to the ability. There were also questions raised about the risks associated with only making the records available to certain people.

New guidelines issued at EULAR 2015 outline ways to reduce risks of complications for pregnant women with SLE and antiphospholipid syndrome. Details here.

Global drug sales will reach nearly $1 trillion by 2020, a new report predicts. In 2014 the top sellers were the rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira and the hepatitis C anti-viral Sovaldi.

A medication commonly prescribed to relieve the painful symptoms of multiple types of arthritis has been found to be ineffective in treating pain associated with one particular form of the disease.

Since vitamin D plays an important role in immune system responses, it may also be crucial in curtailing the deadly epidemic of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

One of the many difficulties in treating migraine is that many of those suffering from them don't recognize the symptoms or seek treatment. Chronic migraine in particular is underdiagnosed and undertreated. One way to address underdiagnosis is to put an accurate self-administered tool in the hands of migraine sufferers.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), has determined that partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs) – the main dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods – are not "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS), giving food manufactures the next three years to remove PHOs from processed food products.

Under the direction of the CNS 7 teams from around the country are looking at best practices for nursing homes in their area. The groups are then pooling their information to see what can be done to improve the life of patients in these facilities and others like them.

People are living well into their 70's and beyond, and as a result the medical community as a whole is being asked to tackle new challenges. This is especially true for nursing homes where patients can require a variety of care on a given day.

Nursing homes across the country have been operating with the same procedures for many years. While a new way of approaching care may take some getting used to and have some initial costs the end result could be beneficial in the long run.

As part of a program run by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services centers around the country are taking a closer look at what the nursing home field could look like in the future.

A promising new tool has been developed to help the ongoing fight against antibiotic resistance by analyzing the bacteria population, according to a team from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted approval for the Brio Neurostimulation System– the second brain implant stimulation device to aid in the reduction of Parkinson's disease symptoms and essential tremor.

The main component of spicy cinnamon, cinnamaldehyde was recently found to protect colorectal cancer in mice.

A little known heart condition can be identified using simple tests that could help patients maintain an active lifestyle. Helping doctors to know about the condition is key according to a recent study.

Patients are often asked their level of pain on a scale of 0 to 10, but a new study suggests this may not be the most efficient way to distribute the appropriate dosage of drugs.

It has become a growing trend for many young professionals, particularly women to go to the gym before heading to work. A recent study shows some may be at risk of a rare heart condition which, if not properly diagnosed and treated, could be fatal.

Doctors are always looking out for new ways to help treat their patients, and while it may mean changing their approach to care it can often have overall beneficial results.

A number of studies have shown that gabapentin, developed to treat epilepsy, is effective in treating postherpetic neuralgia and painful diabetic neuropathy. Now, a study has revealed that gabapentin may hold promise for treating fibromyalgia as well.

Patients with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) who are also "elite controllers" may hold the answer to the next generation of effective treatments.

Daily vitamin D has been found to potentially aid in Crohn's disease (CD) treatment, according to research published in the journal United European Gastroenterology.

For decades researchers have been trying to identify the source of the correlation between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and fatigue – a common symptom of the disease. However, the reason it may have remained a mystery for so long could be because there isn't one.

Now that congenital heart disease has become manageable for many patients doctors are treating them longer and working to ensure a high quality of life moving forward.