In the News
Some serious risks of long-term opioid therapy may be dose-dependent
Long-term opioid therapy is associated with increased risk for serious harms such as overdose, opioid abuse, fractures, and myocardial infarction, and some of the effect may be dose-dependent, according to a systematic review.
1 in 10 heart patients may be inappropriately prescribed aspirin
More than 10% of patients treated with aspirin therapy for primary cardiovascular disease prevention should probably not have been taking the medication, according to a study.
MKSAP Quiz: preconception evaluation with hypertension
A 25-year-old woman comes for a preconception evaluation. She has a history of hypertension that is well controlled with lisinopril. Medical history is otherwise unremarkable. Following a physical exam, lab studies, and an electrocardiogram, what medication adjustments should be made before this patient proceeds with pregnancy?
Imaging, specialists overused and counseling underused for headaches
Contrary to guidelines, the use of advanced imaging and specialty referrals for headache diagnosis treatment has increased in recent years, a study found.
Intra-articular treatments appear superior to NSAIDs for knee osteoarthritis in meta-analysis
A meta-analysis comparing treatments for knee osteoarthritis found that intra-articular treatments were superior to NSAIDs.
Clarithromycin may cause serious adverse events when taken with certain statins
Clarithromycin may cause serious adverse events when taken with rosuvastatin, pravastatin, or fluvastatin, according to a new study.
Hypertension often undertreated after hospitalization for stroke
Patients who were hospitalized for an ischemic stroke often had a systolic blood pressure (SBP) above 160 mm Hg at discharge and at subsequent outpatient visits, a recent study found.
Submit your PQRS data to avoid facing value-based payment penalties
Eligible professionals need to submit their Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) quality measures data for calendar year 2014 by the end of February 2015 to avoid facing penalties in 2016.
New ethics case study on wellness programs available
“Wellness Programs and Patient Goals of Care” is a new ACP ethics case study that is available online for CME credit. The case study explores the ethical issues that can arise as a result of wellness programs designed to increase personal responsibility for health.
ACP offering free webinar
ACP Leadership Academy offers free webinars on leadership topics relevant to internal medicine. The webinars provide an educational experience and discussion forum for participants to learn, pose questions, and share ideas with leaders in the internal medicine field.
Applications now accepted for 2015 Alpha Omega Alpha Leadership Award
National medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha is accepting applications for the 2015 Fellow in Leadership Award.
Call for fall 2015 Board of Governors resolutions
The deadline for submitting new resolutions to be heard at the fall 2015 Board of Governors meeting is March 30, 2015.
Survey about primary care and the elderly bereaved
ACP is making available to its members a survey sponsored by the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP). The purpose of the survey is to gather input on how primary care physicians care for their elderly bereaved patients.
Put words in our mouth
ACP Internist Weekly wants readers to create captions for our new cartoon and help choose the winner. Pen the winning caption and win a $50 gift certificate good toward any ACP product, program or service.