Industry breeds "superior" rodeo bulls. The result? A lot of cowboys with broken bones

Rodeo Bulls Kick Higher and Buck Harder. A great bucking bronco can be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and an entire industry has sprung up that's dedicated to breeding these superior bulls. The result? A lot of cowboys with broken bones. WSJ's Michael M. Phillips reports:

What Will Social Media Look Like in 2020? (WSJ video)

The end of social networking? "Social, Inc." author Bob Zukis discusses his predictions on what the future holds for social media.

Long Live Rock 'n' Roll? Study Shows Risk to Stars (video)

A new study from the United Kingdom (BMJ) reveals just how risky rock-and-roll can be - WSJ:



The WSJ summarized the findings of the study published in BMJ:

The research examined 1,489 stars of pop, rock, hip-hop and punk, of whom 137, or 9.2%, died during the five-decade period covered by the study. Nearly 39% of those deaths were caused by factors related to violence or alcohol and drug intake.

North American pop stars were 87.6% as likely to be alive as normal people of the same age and ethnicity—the lowest survival rate of any group identified in the study.

In North America, 23% of solo performers died, versus 10% of band-only stars, the study found. The comparable figures for Europe were 10% versus 5%.

The study doesn't address a widely held belief that drummers are more prone to early death than other musicians.

References:

Long Live Rock 'n' Roll? Study Shows Risk to Stars - WSJ.com http://on.wsj.com/V8O79a

An App for Medical Emergencies - EmergencyLink - WSJ video

EmergencyLink is a free service that provides medical information and personal contacts to emergency responders - Mossberg for WSJ:



Here is the URL: http://www.emergencylink.com

The company explains how it can help if:

- You Are In An Accident. A first responder locates the EmergencyLink ID and calls EmergencyLink as instructed. EmergencyLink provides the first responder with your emergency medical information and contacts your “Emergency Contacts” as you have instructed.

- Your Child Is Missing. You can quickly create a a Missing Person report and forward it to the police. The police can immediately act on the information maximizing their chances of locating your child quickly and safely.

- Sharing Information with a Caregiver. You are able to electronically share all of the information the caregiver will need in case of an emergency. Whenever your child's profile is updated, everyone with whom you are sharing the information will be updated, no need to constantly update everyone.

- A Friend is in an Accident. If your friend is an EmergencyLink Member and is "sharing" their info with you, you can access their emergency medical information (allergies, medications, medical insurance) and forward them to the first responder.

- Co-Workers Are On A Project Away From Home. Each Member in the group agrees to share their emergency contact information with each other. If there is an emergency situation, the group has the information needed to reach each others emergency contacts.

EmergencyLink is a free 24-Hour Emergency Response Service that helps you store your important information in one location, share emergency information with family and friends and has a 24-Hour Emergency Response center to aid you in an emergency:

Your smartphone use predicts your social life, travel, risk of disease - even political views

The Really Smart Phone: Researchers are harvesting a wealth of intimate detail from cellphone data, uncovering the hidden patterns of social lives, travels, risk of disease - even political views.

Read more from WSJ.

Average time patients spend waiting to see a health-care provider is 22 minutes

The average time patients spend waiting to see a health-care provider is 22 minutes. Orthopedists have the longest waits, at 29 minutes; dermatologists the shortest, at 20.

Patient satisfaction dropped significantly with each 5 minutes of waiting time. Even the term "waiting room" has a bad connotation. Many offices prefer "reception area" instead.

"I live my life in seven-minute intervals," says Laurie Green, a obstetrician-gynecologist in San Francisco who delivers 400 to 500 babies a year and says she needs to bring in $70 every 15 minutes just to meet her office overhead.

Measures the health-care industry is trying to minimize waiting time include:

- "Open-access" scheduling
- Minimize office visits
- Advance preparation
- Huddling up: "Mr. Jones is in a 15-minute slot, but we know he's a 45-minute guy"
- Teamwork
- Cutting "cycle time"
- Keep patients informed
- Survey patients

References:

The Doctor Will See You Eventually. WSJ.
Patients directed to online tools don't necessarily use them: 25% checked website vs. 42% read same material on paper. Am Medical News, 2012.

Image source: OpenClipArt.org, public domain.

Nursing student successfully challenges dissmissal from school because of Facebook photo

A Kansas college is facing a legal challenge over its dismissal of a nursing student who posted online a photograph of a human placenta studied in class - the WSJ video is embedded above.

The lawsuit includes a letter that Ms. Byrnes wrote to the college apologizing for what she called a "lapse in judgment" but asking that she not be dismissed.

The school said the four students are allowed to reapply to continue their nursing studies in August 2011.

Most reader comments on the story follow this pattern: "I fail to see why this posting should result in dismissal from school. The student broke no confidentiality, and the posting was certainly not obscene."

References:
Odd Facebook Post Leads to Student's Ouster, Suit. WSJ.

Physicians as a group are leaner, fitter and live longer than average Americans

From the WSJ:

Physicians as a group are leaner, fitter and live longer than average Americans. Male physicians keep their cholesterol and blood pressure lower.

However, doctors are less likely to have their own primary care physician—and more apt to abuse prescription drugs.

Lifestyle habits

Exercise: Many physicians say they "embed" it into their lives, making it a non-negotiable part of their daily routine, often early in the morning before demands pile on. One doctor says he gets up at 4:45 a.m. virtually every morning to train for marathons he runs. "But by 8:30 at night, I have the IQ of a zucchini," he says.

Smoking: Only 2% to 4% of physicians smoke cigarettes, compared to roughly 24% of the U.S. population.

Stress: For all their good habits, it's no secret that doctors are under enormous pressure.

References:

What Patients Can Learn from the Ways Physicians Take Care of Themselves. WSJ.
Chicago doctors talk about healthy habits in their own lifestyle - not surprisingly ladies do a lot better than the guys http://goo.gl/jFf7w

Image source: OpenClipart.org, public domain.

Comments from Twitter:

@IrfanDhalla (Irfan Dhalla): Wonder if they still would be after adjusting for income? MT @DrVes: Physicians as a group are fitter and live longer goo.gl/b5C3