Primary Care News and Research

Latest Primary Care News and Research

Number of general surgeons in the U.S. declines

The number of general surgeons per 100,000 Americans has declined by more than 25 percent during the past 25 years, according to a report in the April issue of Archives of Surgery.

21 Apr 2008

New national ad campaign encourages men to take preventive steps in their health care

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) joined with The Advertising Council today to launch a national public service campaign designed to raise awareness among middle-aged men about the importance of preventive medical testing.

21 Apr 2008

New Democrat coalition, New York City officials announce proposal for Federal health care IT program

Members of the New Democrat Coalition on Tuesday announced a proposal that would use a New York City health care information technology program as a legislative template for a federal program, CQ HealthBeat reports.

18 Apr 2008

Keep children's health in mind

If there is any real purpose to the 2020 summit, it could be to establish a national program of research, clinical and community activity that would deliver a 21st century response to the real child and youth mental health problems that our society creates.

18 Apr 2008

Antibiotics for acute maxillary sinusitis

A Cochrane Systematic Review of medical research found that four out of five patients who are seen in primary care with simple sinusitis improved within two weeks even if they had not been given antibiotics.

17 Apr 2008

Targeted therapy combo overcomes treatment resistance in liver cancer

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Abramson Cancer Center reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research that combining two targeted therapies overcomes treatment resistance in liver cancer cell lines.

13 Apr 2008

Vigorous diagnosis and treatment programs for depression in cancer patients can extend life

A study recommended by David Spiegel of Faculty of 1000 Medicine, looks at the relationship between depression care management and survival rates in older patients.

11 Apr 2008

Landmark study to improve osteoporosis care standards worldwide

Nearly 60,000 women aged 55 years and older have enrolled in a landmark, multi-national study that will focus on the management of osteoporosis across the globe.

10 Apr 2008

Electronic health records help monitor medications and avoiding usage problems in seniors

Use of medications that are linked to increased risk of falls in the elderly can be reduced through careful review of patient files in the Electronic Health Record, new Geisinger research shows.

8 Apr 2008

ACP reports on how scheduled Medicare pay cuts will affect patients

Medicare patients - many of whom have multiple chronic illnesses - face severe difficulty in receiving healthcare if Congress does not act to avert pending cuts to Medicare payments, according to first-hand reports from physicians who specialize in internal medicine released today by the 125,000-member American College of Physicians (ACP).

8 Apr 2008

Hospital follow-up services not necessary for all child cancer survivors

Many child cancer patients will benefit from ongoing follow-up, but others should be allowed to move on and put the experience of cancer behind them, say experts in this week's issue of the BMJ.

4 Apr 2008

Increased risk of myocardial infarction and diabetes in East Germany

More people suffer from overweight, high blood pressure and metabolic disturbances in East Germany than in West Germany.

3 Apr 2008

Patient interventions with low-income and minorities increases colonoscopy rates

Patient interventions are necessary to achieve higher rates of colorectal cancer screening in low-income and minority patients, according to two studies in the current issue of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology , the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

2 Apr 2008

Communication key to a healthy heart

When it comes to matters of the heart, many experts say that communication is the key to a healthy relationship.

31 Mar 2008

Post-traumatic stress disorder associated with more, longer hospitalizations

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) have found post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with more hospitalizations, longer hospitalizations and greater mental healthcare utilization in urban primary care patients.

31 Mar 2008

Hospitality industry worst for alcohol-related problems

A new analysis of government data finds that 15 percent of employees in the hospitality industry suffer from serious alcohol-related problems.

26 Mar 2008

Chronic insomnia and its negative consequences for adolescents

Documenting a "twofold to fivefold" increase in personal problems among adolescents with persistent sleeplessness, public health researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston say they have completed the first prospective study demonstrating the negative impact of chronic insomnia on 11 to 17 year olds.

24 Mar 2008

Prostate size and other neglected factors influence prostate cancer treatment satisfaction

Men with prostate cancer and their partners face difficult decisions regarding treatment, and accurate information regarding expected outcomes can be hard to find, according to results of a multi-center study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.

20 Mar 2008

Women's sexual disorders get medical attention in new Stanford program

Medicine is finally opening the bedroom door to women. When the male erectile dysfunction drug Viagra was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1998, many middle-aged men experienced a new lease on life, or at least on life in the bedroom.

19 Mar 2008

Uterine fibroid embolization effective in cases where focused ultrasound failed

Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), a minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment for uterine fibroids, provides significant relief of symptoms for women whose focused ultrasound (FUS) treatment failed, according to a study released during the Society of Interventional Radiology's 33rd Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, D.C. Primary care physicians and gynecologists can feel confident in informing patients that a failed FUS treatment does not require subsequent gynecological surgery.

19 Mar 2008