http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/annarchives/december-2012.html en-us Copyright 2013 American Academy of Family Physicians http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/practice-professional-issues/20121220oncinfographic.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/practice-professional-issues/20121220oncinfographic.html Family physicians increasingly are incorporating health information technology, particularly electronic health records (EHRs), into their medical practices. But their patients may not understand the benefits that health IT brings to health care. To help patients get onboard with what health IT has to offer, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has created an EHR infographic designed specifically for health care consumers. ann@aafp.org Thu, 20 Dec 2012 14:20:00 CST December 2012 http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20121218xyrem.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20121218xyrem.html The FDA is asking physicians and other health care professionals to highlight key points of the recently updated drug label for sodium oxybate (Xyrem), including the addition of a new warning against consuming alcohol while taking the drug. Patients likely also can benefit from a reminder to not take insomnia drugs while using Xyrem, says a recent FDA drug safety communication. ann@aafp.org Tue, 18 Dec 2012 16:40:00 CST December 2012 http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20121214tobaccoadvocacy.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20121214tobaccoadvocacy.html The AAFP is seeking applicants for the 2013 Protecting Children and Families from Tobacco: Leadership Advocacy Training program. The program, which is scheduled for April 26-27 at the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel in Washington, trains physicians to be leaders in tobacco control advocacy. All applicants, including residents, who are interested in or already advocating policies that support tobacco control, protect nonsmokers and provide better access to tobacco cessation services in their states and communities are encouraged to apply. ann@aafp.org Fri, 14 Dec 2012 13:25:00 CST December 2012 http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20121211teamvacratesstudy.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20121211teamvacratesstudy.html A recent meta-analysis in the Annals of Family Medicine suggests that assigning vaccination responsibilities to non-physician office staff and having clinicians remind patients of needed immunizations may help improve influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates. Canadian researchers at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, analyzed 106 studies -- nearly 80 percent of which were performed in the United States -- to map out an effective way to increase immunization rates. The researchers concluded that any of a variety of quality improvement interventions could produce modest increases in vaccination rates, and they observed that that three -- team change, patient outreach and clinician reminders -- are effective for improving rates of both influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations. ann@aafp.org Tue, 11 Dec 2012 16:30:00 CST December 2012 http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/practice-professional-issues/20121210onlineaccessstudy.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/practice-professional-issues/20121210onlineaccessstudy.html A surprising conclusion was reached by researchers involved in a study published in the Nov. 21 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association titled "Association of Online Patient Access to Clinicians and Medical Records With Use of Clinical Services." Researchers found that patients who had online access to their physicians and other health care professionals -- access that included secure e-mail communication -- increased their use of in-person and telephone clinical services. The authors noted that their findings were contrary to their expectations and differed from the results of some previous studies. ann@aafp.org Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:20:00 CST December 2012 http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20121210teentobaccoreqs.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20121210teentobaccoreqs.html The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is seeking comment on a new draft recommendation aimed at preventing tobacco use by school-aged children and adolescents. According to USPSTF Co-vice Chair Michael LeFevre, M.D., M.S.P.H., the task force recommends that physicians provide interventions, including education or brief counseling, to prevent the initiation of tobacco use in this group. "You know, as family physicians, we see people every day with significant health problems -- related to tobacco -- who can't quit," said LeFevre. "Most of them started when they were adolescents, and quitting turns out to be very, very difficult." ann@aafp.org Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:10:00 CST December 2012 http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20121205pedpsoriasisstudy.html http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/health-of-the-public/20121205pedpsoriasisstudy.html Children with psoriasis in the United States are four times as likely to be overweight or obese compared to those without the disease, according to a study from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Worldwide, children with psoriasis are nearly twice as likely to be obese or overweight. Published Nov. 19 in the Archives of Dermatology, the global study on physician-treated children with psoriasis looked at 614 children from five to 17 years old in nine countries to investigate the relationship between excess and central adiposity and severity of pediatric psoriasis. ann@aafp.org Wed, 05 Dec 2012 16:50:00 CST December 2012