Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Case Western Reserve dental and nursing students to treat patients in new 3-year test project

Patients in dental chairs at the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine will see something new: a nurse.

21 Nov 2012

Only 3% of patients actually receive stress management counseling: Study

While stress may be a factor in 60 to 80 percent of all visits to primary care physicians, only three percent of patients actually receive stress management counseling, say researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

21 Nov 2012

Roundup: Larger-than-expected Medicaid enrollment in Conn.; Texas bill renews rural abortion debate; Calif. details exchange self-sufficiency

Ron Harney is still looking for work after being laid off from his marketing firm job three years ago. He's used up nearly all of his savings and says he's grateful for the state's Medicaid program, which covers the medical care he needs to manage his HIV.

20 Nov 2012

Neurologist care lowers risk for PD-related hospitalizations

Regular care by a neurologist lowers the risk for hospitalization for Parkinson's disease-related complications, US research shows.

20 Nov 2012

Improved bipolar screening with combined scales

Research findings suggest combining the Mood Disorder Questionnaire and Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale provides better diagnostic screening than using each in isolation.

20 Nov 2012

Acute cough should raise asthma alarm

Around one-fifth of patients consulting their primary care physician for acute cough could have undiagnosed asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, show the results of a pan-European study.

20 Nov 2012

Studies suggest doctors, dentists can't keep up with health law's insurance expansion

Two studies find that primary-care doctors will be in short supply in the future.

20 Nov 2012

Top-line results from Pfizer's pregabalin CR formulation Phase 3 study on fibromyalgia

Pfizer Inc. announced that top-line results of a double-blind, Phase 3 study evaluating pregabalin controlled-release (CR) formulation in patients with fibromyalgia indicate that pregabalin CR had a statistically significant positive effect compared to placebo in the primary endpoint, time to loss of therapeutic response (LTR).

20 Nov 2012

Strep detection tests may miss sore throat-causing bacterial strains

Rapid streptococcal antigen detection tests, which are widely used to detect non-group A Lancefield beta-hemolytic streptococci in many developed countries, may be missing clinically important streptococci, say researchers.

19 Nov 2012

U.S. docs adopt digital records but find sharing information difficult

More than two-thirds of U.S. doctors now use electronic medical records -- a substantial increase from years past -- but are finding that information is still not easily shared among medical professionals, a new study says.

17 Nov 2012

Research roundup: Talking to patients about end-of-life care

Each week, KHN reporter Alvin Tran compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.

17 Nov 2012

State highlights: Texas pursues some Medicaid providers

It has been nearly a year since Texas officials accused Dr. Glenn Wood of overbilling the state's Medicaid system by $17.9 million through his business, Carousel Pediatrics. Dr. Wood denies the accusations.

17 Nov 2012

Daycare associated with overweight among young children

Young children who attend daycare on a regular basis are 50% more likely to be overweight compared to those who stayed at home with their parents, according to a study by researchers at the University of Montreal and the CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital Research Centre.

17 Nov 2012

Roundup: 11% of Calif. children lack insurance; Conn. Medicaid overruns drive budget problems

Children in California are more likely to be uninsured than children nationwide, with 1.1 million lacking health coverage in 2011, according to a new study by the Keck School of Medicine of USC. About 11 percent of children lacked insurance last year -- and they were less likely to seek medical care than those with coverage, the authors reported. The study, released Wednesday by the California HealthCare Foundation, detailed children's insurance trends over a 10-year period.

16 Nov 2012

High risk CVD patients more likely to receive prescriptions for cholesterol-lowering drugs

In a new study, Northwestern Medicine researchers found that patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD) are more likely to receive a prescription for cholesterol-lowering medication, and to achieve lower long-term cholesterol levels, when doctors use electronic health records (EHRs) to deliver personalized risk assessments via mail.

16 Nov 2012

No link between asthma and poor educational performance

Research led by Queen Mary, University of London has found that having asthma is not linked to poorer scores in national school examinations. In contrast, ethnicity and social deprivation were associated with poorer educational outcomes in the study, published in the journal PLOS ONE.

16 Nov 2012

Survey reveals increase in use of EMRs among U.S. primary care physicians

Two-thirds (69%) of U.S. primary care physicians reported using electronic medical records (EMRs) in 2012, up from less than half (46%) in 2009, according to findings from the 2012 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey, published as a Web First online today in the journal Health Affairs. Primary care physicians in the U.S.-the only country in the study without universal health coverage-stand out in the survey for reporting that their patients often cannot afford care (59%).

15 Nov 2012

Automated eye tests best for toddlers

Children under the age of 4 years benefit from instrument-based vision screening rather than visual acuity tests since the former is quick, requires minimal cooperation of the child, and is not dependent on their behavioral responses, says a policy statement released by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

9 Nov 2012

Reminder of values helps African–Americans interact with physicians

Completing a values-affirmation task before a scheduled visit to the primary care physician could improve communications between African–American patients and their providers, show the results of a randomized, controlled study.

9 Nov 2012

Smoking and smartphones: an interview with Nasser Bin Dhim, Becky Freeman and Lyndal Trevena

Australia adopted the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2005. This includes a ban on all forms of tobacco advertising including on the internet.

9 Nov 2012