Browse Primary Care/Hospitalist Articles by Topic

Run, Don't Walk: Benefits for Older Adults

This study compared the metabolic cost for walking three different speeds in 30 adults at least 65 years of age, and found that those who ran on a regular basis expended less energy walking than the group that walked exclusively.

Integrative Medicine Alert - Full January 2015 Issue in PDF

Treating Diabetes May Impact Thyroid Status

In a longitudinal population-based study, metformin use was associated with an increased incidence of low thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in patients with treated hypothyroidism.

Side Effects of Opioids

More than 40% of ED visits are related to pain.1 The Joint Commission has made the assessment and treatment of pain in the ED one of its standards.2 The use of opioid medications has been increasing in both adults and children.3-5 In 2009 there were more than 200 million prescriptions for opioid medications, with enough medication dispensed to supply every adult in the United States with the equivalent of 5 mg of hydrocodone every four hours for one month.

Primary Care Reports - Full January 2015 Issue in PDF

If Less is More, How Can We Get There?

This study, done at a tertiary care university hospital here in the U.S., was initiated in an attempt to improve patient safety, conserve a vital resource, and reduce costs a laudable tripartite goal.

Thienopyridine Pretreatment in Patients with Non-ST Elevation Acute Coronary Syndromes: Where’s the Evidence?

Each year when I lecture the incoming cardiology fellows on the management of non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS), we embark on a discussion of optimal guideline-driven treatment vs. real-world practicalities.

Hospital Medicine Alert - Full January 2015 Issue in PDF

The Choosing Wisely ® Top 5 List in Critical Care Medicine

he Choosing Wisely Campaign was introduced in 2011 by the American Board of Internal Medicine to identify practices and procedures physicians and patients should question. The critical care top 5 list was developed through a collaborative effort of several critical care societies.

Patent Foramen Ovale Does Not Confer a Higher Risk of Recurrent Events in Cryptogenic Stroke

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) is common in both the general population, as well as in patients with cryptogenic stroke, with an estimated prevalence somewhere between 15-35%. Recurrent neurovascular events, both recurrent ischemic stroke as well as transient ischemic attacks, are frequent in these patients, but it is not clear whether patients with PFOs have an increased rate of recurrent events compared to those patients who do not have PFOs.