Primary Care Reports
RSSArticles
-
Identifying and Treating Skin and Soft Tissue Infections
Skin and soft tissue infections refer to infections that affect the skin and its underlying soft tissues. These infections are classified by the level of skin involvement. The costs associated with Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections are estimated at an average of $8,865 for both inpatient and outpatient treatment, and a median charge of $19,984 for hospitalizations. These costs can place a significant burden on both patients and the healthcare system. Timely and accurate diagnosis and treatment can help to reduce this burden, both financially and by decreasing the risk of complications.
-
Quality Improvement Project Aims to Decelerate Aggressive Hypertension Treatment
Although there might be good intentions behind administering intravenous antihypertensive medication, staff should remain mindful of possible consequences.
-
CMS to Test Innovative Primary Care Model
The focus is on better management of chronic health conditions by streamlining access to integrated services.
-
Straight Shooting: Primary Care and the Reduction of Harm from Firearms
Gun violence is a leading cause of premature death in the United States. More than 45,000 Americans died from gun violence in 2020, a substantial increase from previous years. The scope of the problem is such that the American Public Health Association has identified gun violence as a public health problem and recommends a “comprehensive public health approach.” Primary care providers (PCPs) are in a unique position to lead the way in a campaign to reduce harm from firearms.
-
The Hippocratic Oath: Are We Hurting Ourselves and Each Other?
While there are multiple definitions of well-being, it commonly is described as a dynamic and ongoing process involving self-awareness and healthy choices, resulting in a successful and balanced lifestyle. Burnout results from chronic stress, which leads to emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decreased feelings of personal accomplishment. Unfortunately, given the rigor of the healthcare profession, healthcare providers often need to remember to consider their emotional well-being while navigating the shift toward an oligopolistic medical industry that perpetuates the cycle by focusing on profit — totaling 18.3% of the gross domestic product.
-
Stroke Prevention in Nonvalvular Atrial Fibrillation: A Review of the Past, Present, and Future
Nonvalvular atrial fibrillation is a highly prevalent cardiac arrhythmia in the United States and often can be complicated by a thromboembolic phenomenon, the most concerning of which is stroke. This article reviews the current evidence for the use of various anticoagulants, surgical techniques, and the left atrial appendage occlusion devices currently available for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation.
-
Financial Coaching Boosts Follow-Up Visit, Vaccination Rates for Babies
Assisting low-income new parents can lead to better outcomes.
-
Medication Therapy Management: Partnering with Clinical Pharmacists to Improve Patient Outcomes
The majority of American adults have at least one chronic disease, often requiring the use of multiple chronic medications. Unfortunately, adherence to chronic medications often is suboptimal, leading to inadequate management of chronic conditions and the risk for morbidity and mortality. This review discusses the foundation of medication therapy management, a service that pharmacists and other healthcare professionals provide to optimize therapeutic outcomes via a patient-centered approach.
-
Long-Term Air Pollution Exposure Could Raise Risk for Depression, Anxiety
Two research groups reported on breathing dirty air and how that affects mental health.
-
Approach and Treatment of Patients with Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, nomenclature and diagnostic criteria deemphasize “medically unexplained symptoms” and instead focuses on the presence of unexpected, magnified, or disproportionate physical symptoms, with or without an underlying known medical condition. Given that symptoms are physical in nature, patients with somatic disorders are more likely to present to a primary medical provider than to a mental health provider. Thus, developing a better understanding of this often-perplexing condition has clinical relevance for clinicians on the front lines of medical care.