Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Geriatrics for October 2015. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Stewardship Could Improve Appropriate Medical Imaging Use
FRIDAY, Oct. 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Stewardship may be a promising approach for improving appropriate use of medical imaging technology, according to a perspective piece published in the Oct. 29 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Synchronized Prescription Renewal Process Saves Time
FRIDAY, Oct. 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A synchronized prescription renewal process can save physicians time and money, which can be dedicated to patient care, according to a report from the American Medical Association (AMA).
Increasing Numbers of Med School Applicants, Enrollees
FRIDAY, Oct. 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — There has been a 25 percent increase in the number of medical school enrollees since 2002, with the number reaching an all-time high of 20,630 this year, according to a report published online Oct. 22 by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
Income Level Doesn’t Substantially Impact CPAP Use
FRIDAY, Oct. 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Among patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), patient neighborhood income level is not significantly associated with purchase of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device, and the overall rate of uptake remains low, according to a study published online Oct. 16 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
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AAFP Encourages Family Doctors to Consider Prescribing Naloxone
FRIDAY, Oct. 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A resource has been produced to encourage family physicians to consider prescribing naloxone to patients, their family members, or close friends when there is a risk of opioid overdose, according to a report published by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
Acupuncture Improves Gait Function in Parkinson’s Disease
FRIDAY, Oct. 30, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), acupuncture is associated with improvement in gait function, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Many Seniors May Be Overtreated for T2DM, Hypertension
THURSDAY, Oct. 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — When it comes to treating seniors with diabetes, new research suggests that doctors often don’t cut back on medications, even when treatment goals are surpassed. The findings were published online Oct. 26 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Part D Enrollment Doesn’t Improve Outcomes After AMI
THURSDAY, Oct. 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), enrollment in Part D by hospital discharge is not associated with improved outcomes, according to a study published online Oct. 27 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes.
Early CT Scan Impacts Management of Suspected CAP
THURSDAY, Oct. 29, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Computed tomography (CT) findings affect the diagnosis and management of suspected community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), according to a study published in the Oct. 15 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Nearly 15 Percent of Plans Lack In-Network Specialists
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 28, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A considerable proportion of federal marketplace plans lack at least one in-network specialist, according to a research letter published in the Oct. 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Physician Emphasizes Importance of Saying Thank You
TUESDAY, Oct. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The importance of thanking patients for coming to see you, the physician, is described in an essay published online in Medical Economics.
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Mortality Rates for Major Illnesses Fall in the United States
TUESDAY, Oct. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Fewer Americans are dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and injuries, a new study reveals. The report was published in the Oct. 27 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
USPSTF Urges Broader Screening for Type 2 Diabetes
TUESDAY, Oct. 27, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Clinicians should screen overweight and obese adults between 40 and 70 years old for abnormal blood glucose levels, and should offer or refer patients with abnormal blood glucose to intensive behavioral counseling interventions, according to new recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. The new recommendations were published online Oct. 27 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Bedbugs the Culprit in Older Woman With Unidentified Rash
MONDAY, Oct. 26, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In a case report published in the October issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, the authors describe a case of bedbugs in an older woman who presented with an unidentified itchy rash.
AMA: Eight Reasons for Nonadherence to Medications
FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Eight reasons associated with patient’s intentional nonadherence to medications have been identified in a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Patients’ Reasons for Returning to ER Differ From Predicted
FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Patients’ reasons for returning to the emergency department after discharge from an internal medicine unit include being discharged too soon and feeling weak, and these reasons differ from those predicted by the liaison nurse clinician’s evaluation, according to a study published online Oct. 14 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
Resistance Training May Cut White Matter Lesion Progression
FRIDAY, Oct. 23, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For older community-dwelling women, engaging in progressive resistance training (RT) seems to reduce white matter lesion (WML) progression, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Larger Brain Volume Associated With Mediterranean Diet
THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2015 (HealthDay News) — People over 65 who eat more fish, vegetables, fruit, grains, and olive oil may have a larger brain volume than those who do not follow a Mediterranean-like diet, according to research published online Oct. 21 in Neurology.
Pain Relief, Function Up Post Knee Replacement in Arthritis
THURSDAY, Oct. 22, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Total knee replacement usually results in greater pain relief and better joint function after a year than nonsurgical osteoarthritis treatment, researchers report in the Oct. 22 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Knee, Hip Arthroplasty Tied to Increased Short-Term MI Risk
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 21, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) for osteoarthritis, the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) is increased in the first postoperative month, according to a study published in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatology.
Many Doctors Don’t Explain Stroke, Bleeding Risk in A-Fib
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 21, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For many Canadian patients with atrial fibrillation, primary care physicians do not provide stroke or bleeding risk estimates, according to a study published online Oct. 14 in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.
Outpatient Spending Higher With Physician-Hospital Integration
TUESDAY, Oct. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Markets with greater increases in physician-hospital integration show greater increases in spending for outpatient care, but not inpatient care, for a large commercially insured population, according to a study published online Oct. 19 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Age Affects Left Ventricle Differently in Men, Women
TUESDAY, Oct. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Age-related changes to the mass and volume of the left ventricle (LV) occur differently in men and women, according to a study published online Oct. 20 in Radiology.
Many Elderly CHD Patients Not Taking Statins
TUESDAY, Oct. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — High numbers of elderly patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) are not being treated with a statin, according to a study published in the Oct. 27 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Value of Bedside Exam for ICU Patients Discussed
TUESDAY, Oct. 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A checklist-based bedside physical examination in the intensive care unit (ICU) is suggested as clinically useful in spite of a lack of evidence demonstrating this, according to a commentary published in the October issue of the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Longer QRS Duration Predicts Cardiac Death, Heart Attack
MONDAY, Oct. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Longer QRS duration predicts cardiac death and nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) in patients with coronary artery disease, according to a study published in the Nov. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
Insulin Dose Doesn’t Up Mortality in ACCORD Trial
MONDAY, Oct. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial, insulin dose is not associated with cardiovascular (CV) death after adjustment for baseline covariates, according to a study published online Oct. 13 in Diabetes Care.
Possible Association for Bortezomib Therapy, Chalazia
MONDAY, Oct. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — There is a possible correlation between bortezomib use and chalazia, according to a report published online Oct. 15 in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Declining Polyamine Levels Tied to Longer Circadian Period
MONDAY, Oct. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A group of metabolites whose levels decline as people age appear to have an effect on the circadian clock, according to a study published online Oct. 8 in Cell Metabolism.
Majority of Older Adults Want Active Role in Decision Making
MONDAY, Oct. 19, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A large majority of older adults prefer to participate actively in health care decisions, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
CDC: Prescribing Practices Key to Curbing Rx Abuse
FRIDAY, Oct. 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Improved prescribing practices could help reduce opioid abuse and overdose deaths from those drugs, according to research published in the Oct. 16 issue of the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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In-Office Test IDs AMD Patients Who Qualify for Home Device
FRIDAY, Oct. 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An in-office qualification test can identify patients with intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD) who may benefit from a home monitoring device, according to a study published online Oct. 15 in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Influenza Vaccine Linked to Reduced Stroke Incidence
FRIDAY, Oct. 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Influenza vaccination is associated with reduced stroke incidence, according to a study published Oct. 5 in Vaccine.
Age Impacts Outcomes After Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation
THURSDAY, Oct. 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Age significantly impacts long-term outcomes after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF), according to a study published online Oct. 7 in the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology.
Lesion-Directed Screening Effectively Detects Skin Cancer
THURSDAY, Oct. 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Lesion-directed screening (LDS) has a similar skin cancer detection rate as total-body examination (TBE) but is substantially less time-consuming, according to a study published online Oct. 14 in JAMA Dermatology.
About 23,000 ER Visits/Year for Supplement-Linked Side Effects
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 14, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Every year about 23,000 U.S. emergency department visits involve adverse events related to dietary supplements, according to a special article published online Oct. 14 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Dying at Home Brings More Peace Without More Pain
MONDAY, Oct. 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Patients who die at home experience more peace in their final days and hours than they would in a hospital, with no greater pain, according to findings published online Oct. 9 in BMC Medicine.
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Americans Spend More on Health Care, but Fare Worse
MONDAY, Oct. 12, 2015 (HealthDay News) — When compared to 12 other industrialized nations, Americans spend more on health care services, but they fare worst in terms of life expectancy, according to recent findings from The Commonwealth Fund.
Carotenoids Help Reduce the Risk of Advanced AMD
FRIDAY, Oct. 9, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Carotenoids are associated with a long-term reduced risk of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to a study published online Oct. 8 in JAMA Ophthalmology.
Prognostic Disclosure Improves Life Expectancy Estimates
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Prognostic disclosure is associated with more realistic patient expectations of life expectancy (LE) in advanced cancer, according to a study published online Oct. 5 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Older Adults May Take Longer to Recover From Concussion
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Older adults recover more slowly from concussion than younger patients, according to a small new study published online Oct. 6 in Radiology.
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Low Income, Minority Status Affect Medical Care Wait Times
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Blacks and Hispanics spend approximately 25 percent more time seeking health care than whites, and patients also spend more time in a doctor’s waiting room if they’re unemployed, in a low-paying job, or never attended college, according to research published online Oct. 5 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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California Governor Signs Right-to-Die Bill Into Law
TUESDAY, Oct. 6, 2015 (HealthDay News) — California Gov. Jerry Brown signed “right-to-die” legislation on Monday that will allow the terminally ill to legally end their lives.
USPSTF Recommends CRC Screening for 50- to 75-Year-Olds
TUESDAY, Oct. 6, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends colorectal cancer (CRC) screening starting at age 50 years and continuing through age 75 years. These findings form the basis of a draft recommendation statement, published Oct. 5 by the USPSTF.
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Guidelines Developed for Managing Conflicts of Interest
TUESDAY, Oct. 6, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The Guidelines International Network has developed principles for disclosure and management of conflicts of interest (COIs) during the clinical practice guideline development process, according to a report published in the Oct. 6 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Modified SOAP Ups Student Awareness of Health Care Costs
MONDAY, Oct. 5, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Modification of the traditional Subjective-Objective-Assessment-Plan (SOAP) presentation to consider value (SOAP-V) can help medical students learn to practice high-value, cost-conscious care, according to a study published online Sept. 28 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Providers Must Understand Legal Limits of Telemedicine
FRIDAY, Oct. 2, 2015 (HealthDay News) — In order to minimize risk when practicing telemedicine, providers should ensure they hold the proper medical licenses, have medical liability insurance coverage, and communicate with patients regarding the potential risks of telemedicine, according to a report published in Medical Economics.
CPAP Eases Symptoms of Depression in OSA Patients
FRIDAY, Oct. 2, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at increased risk for depression, but continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy may ease their depression symptoms, a new study suggests. The findings appear in the September issue of the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
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Strategies Provided for Improving EHR Efficiency
THURSDAY, Oct. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Several strategies can be implemented in order to better use electronic health records (EHRs) for patient care and efficiency, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
CT Scans for Lung Cancer Result in Few False-Positives
THURSDAY, Oct. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Surgical intervention for a non-lung cancer diagnosis is rare following low-dose computed tomography (CT) screening for lung cancer, according to a study published in the October issue of the Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
Inverse Link Confirmed for Exercise, Erectile Dysfunction
THURSDAY, Oct. 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Physical activity is inversely associated with erectile dysfunction (ED), according to a confirmatory study published in the September issue of The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
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