Contraceptive Technology Update – January 1, 2016
January 1, 2016
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American Cancer Society’s shift adds confusion on breast screening
The New Year might bring more changes when it comes to breast cancer screening recommendations. A January 2016 consensus conference, called by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, will bring together major organizations and women’s healthcare providers to evaluate and interpret available data and to develop uniform national guidelines on breast cancer screening.
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More women reported to be moving to long-acting reversible contraceptives
Results from two analyses of national data indicate that women are increasingly turning to use of long-acting reversible contraceptives such as the intrauterine device and implant for birth control.
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Family planners can look into the future — What contraceptive options are in the pipeline?
What new methods can clinicians look to add to their arsenal of family planning options in the upcoming years? With the recent upsurge in interest in long-acting reversible contraceptives, it’s no surprise that several possible LARC options are moving through the research pipeline.
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Pills, patches, and rings — What’s the latest on the second-tier methods?
What are the benefits and disadvantages of such second-tier methods as pills, patches, and rings, and which women can safely use them? These Tier 2 methods, designated by their effectiveness ranking as adapted by the World Health Organization, depend on user behavior such as taking a pill every day or changing the patch or the ring on time.
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Get up to speed on ICD-10 coding for reproductive health services
While the purpose of ICD-10 is to improve clinical communication and accuracy, it will require more precise documentation of clinical care. Clinicians received vital tips on how to integrate the new coding in their family planning practices at the recent Contraceptive Technology Quest for Excellence conference in Atlanta.
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Congenital syphilis on rise — What you can do
Are you testing your pregnant patients for syphilis at the first prenatal visit and treating them if infected? If not, it’s time to step up your efforts. An analysis from the CDC shows that after years of decline, the number of congenital syphilis cases reported in the United States increased between 2012 and 2014.
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Over-the-counter oral contraception is caught up in politics
Over the past several years, a small cadre of socially conservative policymakers and candidates, often hailing from swing states, have started to promote the idea of moving oral contraceptives over the counter as a supposed compromise in the political fight over contraception and, more broadly, reproductive health.
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Reproductive health clinicians report slight salary gains in midst of staffing cuts
Those in the family planning and reproductive health field who survived staffing cuts were able to garner slight increases in pay, according to results of the 2015 Contraceptive Technology Update annual salary survey.
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Overview of respondents and responses to annual CTU Salary Survey
About 54% of the 2015 Contraceptive Technology Update Salary Survey respondents identified themselves as nurse practitioners, with about 17% of survey respondents identifying themselves as registered nurses, and about 4% identifying themselves as nurse-midwives.