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<p>This weekend, Aug. 30 and 31, Sound Medicine, the award-winning weekly public radio program hosted by Barbara Lewis, will discuss epilepsy &#8220;pacemakers,&#8221; a new rating system for medical professionals and look at a new twist on Blackberry &#8220;thumb.&#8221;</p>

This Week on Sound Medicine — August 31

Angie’s List founder Angie Hicks will discuss her company’s new rating system for doctors, dentists and other health-care professionals.

Robert Worth, M.D., Ph.D., a neurosurgeon at the Indiana University School of Medicine and co-director of the IU Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, will discuss a promising ongoing clinical trial of a new epilepsy “pacemaker” with Sound Medicine’s Ora Pescovitz, M.D.

Stephen Bogdewic, Ph.D., a Sound Medicine co-host and a professor of medicine at the IU School of Medicine, will discuss the importance of having what some doctors call “the talk” with terminal patients, with Tony Back, M.D., an oncologist from the University of Washington. Dr. Back recently took part in a study of patients who had been part of an honest ‘end of life’ discussion with their doctor. They were three times less likely to spend their final days hooked up to machines in the intensive care unit and six times less likely to be resuscitated against their wishes.

Essayist Karen Fritsche takes a unique approach to quit smoking; she has pledge to make a donation to the NRA if she fails.

Jeremy Shere reports on the successor to “Blackberry thumb” in this week’s Sound Medicine “Checkup.”

Archived editions of Sound Medicine as well as other helpful information can be found at http://www.soundmedicine.iu.edu.

Sound Medicine is underwritten by Clarian Health IU Medical Group. Jeremy Shere’s “Check-Up” is underwritten by IUPUI.