Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Orthopedics for April 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.
Physician Compensation Up for Most Specialties
TUESDAY, April 28, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Physician compensation has gone up for almost all specialties, according to a 2015 report published by Medscape.
Worse Working Memory in Women Versus Men Post Mild TBI
TUESDAY, April 28, 2015 (HealthDay News) — New research from Taiwan uncovers more evidence that women may have a more difficult time recovering their memory after concussions. The study appears online April 28 in Radiology.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
AAP Advises Doctors on How to Identify Child Abuse
TUESDAY, April 28, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has just released new guidance to help primary care doctors recognize the signs of child abuse. The clinical report was published online April 27 in Pediatrics.
CDC: Surveillance System Can Help Reduce Health Care Injuries
TUESDAY, April 28, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A surveillance system for health care facilities can be used to identify and help reduce the number of preventable injuries among health care personnel, according to research published in the April 24 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Full Text
Exercise Can’t Fix the Damage of a Bad Diet
FRIDAY, April 24, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Although physical activity is important for health, a healthy diet is essential for weight loss — and regular exercise will not make up for a poor diet, according to an editorial published online April 22 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
More Evidence Needed to Assess Impact of Duty Hour Policies
FRIDAY, April 24, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Evidence is necessary to assess the safety of duty hour limit policies for surgical residents, according to a viewpoint piece published online April 22 in JAMA Surgery.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
EHR Data Mining Helps With Quality Improvement
WEDNESDAY, April 22, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Electronic health records (EHRs) are a valuable source of data that can be mined to help practices with quality improvement performance, according to a study published in Medical Economics.
Sports Participation Seems Safe for Children With LQTS
TUESDAY, April 21, 2015 (HealthDay News) — There is no evidence of cardiac events or deaths occurring in treatment-compliant genotype-positive long QT syndrome (LQTS) pediatric patients who participate in sports, according to research published in the March 1 issue of JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
EHR Decision Support Ups Radiologic Test Appropriateness
TUESDAY, April 21, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Computerized clinical decision-support (CCDS) capabilities of electronic health records may improve appropriate use of diagnostic radiologic test ordering and reduce test use, according to a review published in the April 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Guidance Offered for Managing Conflict With Patients
MONDAY, April 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Good communication is key to managing conflict with patients, according to an article published April 1 in Medical Economics.
Salt Pills Fail to Substantially Benefit Endurance Athletes
MONDAY, April 20, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Taking salt pills does little to boost the performance of endurance athletes, new research shows. The study was published recently in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine.
Full Text
Suboptimal Prescribing Attitudes Could Signal Personal Distress
FRIDAY, April 17, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Medical students in personal distress may be more likely to have suboptimal attitudes about self-prescribing and personal responsibility for reporting impaired colleagues, according to a study published in the April issue of Academic Medicine.
Full Text
Medicare Spending Down in Year One of Pioneer ACO
THURSDAY, April 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Medicare spending is down in year one of the Pioneer accountable care organization (ACO) program, according to a study published online April 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Ethical Implications for Looking Up Applicants on Facebook
THURSDAY, April 16, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Looking up students on Facebook and other social networking sites (SNS) is associated with ethical concerns, according to a perspective piece published in the March issue of the Journal of Graduate Medical Education.
Full Text
AMA Announces End of Sustainable Growth Rate Formula
WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Recently adopted legislation has repealed the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Cervical Disc Arthroplasty Tops ACDF for Single-Level Cervical Dz
WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with single-level symptomatic cervical disc disease, cervical disc arthroplasty (CDA) is associated with lower readmission rates, lower reoperation rates, and reduced costs compared with anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), according to research published in the April 15 issue of Spine.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Meta-Analysis: Valgus Knee Bracing Helps Pain in Knee OA
WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — For patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), valgus knee bracing is associated with improvements in pain, according to a meta-analysis published in the April issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
Survey Looks at Patient Attitudes Regarding Informed Consent
WEDNESDAY, April 15, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Most U.S. adults would prefer to be asked for permission to participate in studies assessing usual medical practices, according to a study published online April 14 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Security Breaches of Health Records Up Over Past Decade
TUESDAY, April 14, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Breaches in data security exposed more than 29 million health records to potential criminal misuse between 2010 and 2013, according to a new study. Security breaches involving hacking have nearly doubled in recent years, rising to 8.7 percent in 2013 compared with 4.7 percent in 2010, according to the study, published as a research letter in the April 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Placebo Response May Depend on Individual DNA
TUESDAY, April 14, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The strength of the placebo effect may depend on particular DNA, according to a report published online April 13 in Trends in Molecular Medicine.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Quality Improvement Intervention Cuts Lost OR Time
TUESDAY, April 14, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Significant reductions can be made in operating room (OR) time lost due to cancellation on the day of surgery (DoSC), according to a study published online April 13 in Pediatrics.
Single-Dose Injection Rx Ups Bone Density in Frail Elderly
MONDAY, April 13, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Frail, older women may only need a single dose of the osteoporosis drug zoledronic acid (Reclast) to build bone strength, a new study suggests. But greater bone density did not translate into fewer fractures among these high-risk women, who were living in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities during the study. The research was published online April 13 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Medical Debt Burden Higher in Texas, Florida
FRIDAY, April 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Significantly more adults in Florida and Texas struggle to pay medical bills or pay off medical debt over time compared with residents of New York and California, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report released Friday.
Many Doctors Haven’t Started Dealing With ICD-10 Revision
FRIDAY, April 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Most physicians have barely begun to deal with issues relating to documentation associated with the transition to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), according to an article published in Medical Economics.
Art Program Hones Med Students’ Visual Observation Skills
FRIDAY, April 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — An innovative interdisciplinary program, Art Rounds, is effective for improving medical and nursing students’ physical observation skills, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Nursing Education.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Restless Leg Syndrome Common in Ankylosing Spondylitis
FRIDAY, April 10, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is common in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), according to a study published recently in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.
Limited Time Available to Review Sunshine Act Data
WEDNESDAY, April 8, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Physicians have only 45 days to review and dispute reports regarding their financial ties to drug and medical device manufacturers reported under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).
Comparable Benefits for PT, Surgery in Lumbar Spinal Stenosis
TUESDAY, April 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Physical therapy may be just as good as surgery for older adults with lower back pain due to lumbar spinal stenosis, according to new research published in the April 7 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Med Students, Residents Rarely Perform Stethoscope Hygiene
TUESDAY, April 7, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Stethoscope hygiene is rarely performed by trainee physicians, according to a research letter published online April 2 in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
Article Highlights Legal Issues Linked to Physician Extenders
FRIDAY, April 3, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The use of physician extenders (PEs; mainly physician assistants and nurse practitioners) may bring added legal risks to a practice, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
Patients May Be Modifying Meds Due to Trouble Swallowing
THURSDAY, April 2, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Some patients experience difficulties swallowing and modify medication dosage forms, without necessarily consulting health professionals, according to research published in the March issue of the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research.
Legal Issues of Removing Patient From Practice Explored
WEDNESDAY, April 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — The legal and ethical responsibilities of removing a patient from practice are discussed in an article published March 16 in Medical Economics.
Full Text
Acetaminophen Appears Lacking in Low Back Pain
WEDNESDAY, April 1, 2015 (HealthDay News) — Acetaminophen does not appear to help ease lower back pain and offers little relief for the most common form of arthritis, according to a new report. The findings were published March 31 in The BMJ.
Copyright © 2015 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
