Health of the Public

(06/26/2009)  --  By adopting recommendations in an AMA Board of Trustees report considered during the 2009 annual meeting of the AMA House of Delegates, delegates threw their support behind the concepts -- if not the precise modalities -- embodied in a resolution introduced by the AAFP and the American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP, last year that dealt with finding ways to capture information about patients' tobacco use from patients and urge them to quit. More

(06/26/2009)  --  There's no need for more research into a possible link between vaccines and autism. But there is a continuing need for support of ongoing research into the true etiology of autism and its treatment. And physicians should continue to take a lead role in extolling the benefits of vaccines to health policymakers and the public. More

(06/10/2009)  --  A new report from the Trust for America's Health gives U.S. public health officials high marks for communication, coordination and ability to adapt to a rapidly changing situation during the recent outbreak of novel H1N1 influenza, but the report also says the outbreak revealed that the nation's public health capacity would be overwhelmed by a more severe or widespread outbreak. More

(05/27/2009)  --  More than four in 10 Americans have experienced at least minor problems with coordinating care among different physicians, and one in six has had "major problems" coordinating health care services. That's according to a new survey issued by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the Harvard School of Public Health and National Public Radio. More

(05/13/2009)  --  The AAFP is distributing a children's book and DVD this month to 36,000 active members and more than 450 residency programs. The waiting room materials are intended to encourage patients to talk to their family physicians about fitness and increase patient counseling. The end goal is to reduce childhood obesity. More

(05/12/2009)  --  The FDA has issued a final rule in the April 29 Federal Register that requires manufacturers of OTC pain relievers and fever reducers to include organ-specific warnings about potential safety risks on the medications' labels. The new labeling requirements will take effect within a year and are designed to inform consumers about the risk of severe liver damage when using acetaminophen and the risk of stomach bleeding when using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen. More

(05/06/2009)  --  The FDA is warning consumers to stop using many Hydroxycut weight loss products because they can cause liver and other serious health problems, possibly leading to death. More