Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Orthopedics for January 2018. 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.
Regulators Trying to Reduce Physician Burden Linked to EHR
MONDAY, Jan. 29, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is trying to address some of the issues relating to physician electronic health record (EHR) burden, partly with the appointment of Don Rucker, M.D., who is skilled in informatics and board-certified in emergency and internal medicine, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
Health Care Spending Up, Mainly Due to Rising Prices
MONDAY, Jan. 29, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Americans under age 65 years who were insured through their employer spent more than ever before on health care in 2016, with faster spending growth in 2016 than in recent years, according to the Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI)’s annual Health Care Cost and Utilization Report.
Odds of Post-Op Mortality Increase As Weekend Approaches
FRIDAY, Jan. 26, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Following elective surgery, the odds of mortality rise in a graded manner as the day of the week of surgery approaches the weekend, according to research published in the February issue of Medical Care.
Much Hip Fx Variation in Nursing Homes Remains Unexplained
FRIDAY, Jan. 26, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Much variation in the incidence of hip fractures in U.S. nursing home facilities remains unexplained, even after examining characteristics at the state and facility levels, according to a study published online Jan. 16 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
Pre-Op PT Education Speeds Functional Milestones Post TJA
THURSDAY, Jan. 25, 2018 (HealthDay News) — A one-time preoperative physical therapy (PT) education session coupled with a web-based microsite (preopPTed) is associated with improved readiness to discharge from PT, but does not impact length of stay (LOS) for patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA), according to a study published in the January issue of Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research.
Next-Generation Sequencing May Be Useful in Joint Infection
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 24, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Next-generation sequencing may be useful for identifying causative organisms in culture-negative periprosthetic joint infection, according to a study published online Jan. 17 in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
Prescribing of Opioids Adds to Patient Satisfaction With Care
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 24, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Patients with musculoskeletal conditions who are using prescribed opioids are more likely to be highly satisfied with their care, according to a study published in the January/February issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
Diabetes Tied to Higher Rates of Serious Infection
TUESDAY, Jan. 23, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Patients with diabetes, particularly type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), are at increased risk of serious infection, according to a study published online Jan. 12 in Diabetes Care.
Out-of-Pocket Expenditures Down With ACA Implementation
TUESDAY, Jan. 23, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was associated with reduced out-of-pocket spending, although increases were noted in mean premium spending, according to a study published online Jan. 22 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Walmart Launches Disposal Solution for Opioids, Rx Meds
MONDAY, Jan. 22, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Walmart is launching a first-of-its-kind opioid disposal solution in all company pharmacies, which is available at no cost, according to a press release from the company.
Brochure Can Improve Opioid Disposal Rates After Surgery
FRIDAY, Jan. 19, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Disseminating an educational brochure improves disposal of unused opioids after surgery, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
Longer Duration of Post-Op Opioid Use Associated With Misuse
THURSDAY, Jan. 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Each refill and week of opioid prescription following surgery is associated with an increasing risk of opioid misuse among opioid naive patients, according to a study published online Jan. 17 in The BMJ.
Professionals Disagree About Asking Patients About Sexuality
THURSDAY, Jan. 18, 2018 (HealthDay News) — National Health Service (NHS) England recently recommended that professionals ask all patients their sexual orientation at every opportunity, although opinions are divided on whether this is appropriate, according to an article published online Jan. 17 in The BMJ.
Tamper-Resistant Oxycodone Misused Less Often in Australia
FRIDAY, Jan. 12, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The tamper-resistant formulation of controlled-release oxycodone in Australia reduced tampering among high-risk populations, according to a study published online Jan. 10 in The Lancet Psychiatry.
AMA Online Tools Address Systems-Level Physician Burnout
THURSDAY, Jan. 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Tools and resources have been developed to help address physician burnout at the systems level, which may affect more than half of doctors, according to a report published by the American Medical Association (AMA).
Core Muscle Weakness Increases Spinal Loading, Back Injuries
THURSDAY, Jan. 11, 2018 (HealthDay News) — In the presence of complete deep core muscle weakness, there is an increase in peak anterior shear loading on all lumbar vertebrae during running, according to a study published in the Jan. 23 issue of the Journal of Biomechanics.
Economic Impact of Physicians Quantified for 2015
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Physicians have a large economic impact across the nation, creating an aggregate of $2.3 trillion of economic activity and supporting employment of nearly 12.6 million Americans, according to a report published by the American Medical Association.
Provider Counseling of Exercise for Arthritis Patients Improved
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 10, 2018 (HealthDay News) — For adults with arthritis, there was an increase in the age-adjusted prevalence of reporting health care provider counseling for exercise from 2002 to 2014, according to research published in the Jan. 5 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
USPSTF Questions Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Screening
TUESDAY, Jan. 9, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has concluded that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 years. The recommendation statement has been published in the Jan. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Physicians Frequently Continue to Work While Ill
FRIDAY, Jan. 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Many physicians continue working and caring for patients while they are sick, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
For Hospitals, No Benefit for Early Adoption of Financial Incentives
FRIDAY, Jan. 5, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Hospitals that volunteered to be under financial incentives for more than a decade as part of the Premier Hospital Quality Incentive Demonstration (early adopters) do not have better process scores or lower mortality than hospitals where these incentives were implemented later under the Hospital Value-Based Purchasing program (late adopters), according to a study published online Jan. 4 in The BMJ.
Certain Stresses, Burnout Causing Some Women to Leave Medicine
THURSDAY, Jan. 4, 2018 (HealthDay News) — Though equal numbers of men and women are now entering medical schools, the majority of physicians are still male, and female physicians face several unique stressors, according to a report published online in Medical Economics.
Higher Risk of Musculoskeletal Disorders in Some Physicians
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 3, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) appears to be high for at-risk physicians, according to a review published online Dec. 27 in JAMA Surgery.
Copyright © 2018 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
