Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pulmonology for April 2016. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Yoga Tied to Small Improvements in QoL, Symptoms in Asthma
FRIDAY, April 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For patients with asthma, yoga seems to lead to small improvements in quality of life and symptoms, according to a review published online April 27 in The Cochrane Library.
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Picture-Guided Cards Can Help Chaplains Provide Spiritual Care
FRIDAY, April 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Picture-guided spiritual care is feasible among mechanically ventilated adults and may reduce their anxiety, according to a study published online April 20 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
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Wide Variation in Health Care Costs Across the U.S.
FRIDAY, April 29, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Health care prices vary widely across the United States, even within the same state, according to a study published in the April issue of Health Affairs.
Shared Decision-Making Should Be Encouraged in ICU
THURSDAY, April 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Shared decision-making should be implemented in the intensive care unit (ICU) as a collaborative process involving patients (or their surrogates) and clinicians, according to a policy statement published online April 20 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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Article Discusses Workplace Violence in Health Care
THURSDAY, April 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — There is a lack of data relating to the prevalence of workplace violence in health care and how to address it, according to a review article published in the April 28 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Sleep May Impact Mortality in Lung Transplant Recipients
THURSDAY, April 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For lung transplant recipients, sleep should be assessed in order to better clarify the predictors of post-transplant mortality, according to a letter to the editor published online April 18 in the American Journal of Transplantation.
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Doctors Have a Only a Few Weeks Left to Review Financial Data
WEDNESDAY, April 27, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, physicians have only a few weeks left to review and report disputes relating to their financial ties to drug and medical device manufacturers, according to the American Medical Association.
U.S. Health Report Card Finds Racial, Ethnic Disparities Persist
WEDNESDAY, April 27, 2016 (HealthDay News) — An update on Americans’ health finds that racial and ethnic disparities persist, with significant gaps in obesity, cesarean births, and dental care. But advances have been made in some important areas, including infant mortality rates, women smokers, and numbers of uninsured, according to the new report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Influenza Vaccination Timing Appears to Affect Efficacy
TUESDAY, April 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Influenza vaccination may be more effective when people receive it in the morning than in the afternoon, according to a study published online April 26 in Vaccine.
Pharmacists Can Manage Some Chronic Conditions Effectively
TUESDAY, April 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Pharmacists can do an effective job helping chronically ill patients manage their blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood glucose levels if they’re allowed to direct patients’ health care, according to an evidence review published online April 26 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Triple Therapy No Benefit for COPD Exacerbations
TUESDAY, April 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The addition of tiotropium to long-acting β2-agonists (LABA) and/or inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) does not reduce chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations compared to LABA/ICS alone, according to a study published online April 20 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
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Saxagliptin, Sitagliptin Don’t Up Hospitalized Heart Failure
TUESDAY, April 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Use of saxagliptin or sitagliptin is not associated with increased risk of hospitalized heart failure (hHF) compared with other antihyperglycemic agents, according to a study published online April 26 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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A Doctor’s View: EHRs Impair Physician-Patient Relationship
MONDAY, April 25, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Electronic health records (EHRs) may be impairing the physician-patient relationship, according to an article published in Medical Economics.
No Link for Smoking Cessation Meds, Mental Health Issues
MONDAY, April 25, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Varenicline (Chantix) and bupropion (Wellbutrin) don’t appear to raise the risk of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, according to a new study published online April 22 in The Lancet.
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Physicians Can Get Involved in Developing Payment Models
FRIDAY, April 22, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Doctors can be involved in developing new payment models for their practices, according to the American Medical Association.
Costs Linked to Center Volume for Lung Transplant Recipients
THURSDAY, April 21, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Admission costs and early readmission rates are lower for lung transplant recipients at high-volume centers, according to a study published online April 11 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
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Article Offers Ways to Address Overlooked Details in Practice
MONDAY, April 18, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Looking at a family medicine practice with fresh eyes can help address unsightly issues that patients notice, according to an article published in Family Practice Management.
No Racial Difference in Prognostic Value of Cardiorespiratory Fitness
FRIDAY, April 15, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) predicts all-cause mortality, with no racial differences in its prognostic value, according to a study published in the May 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
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2016 Match Marks Record Highs for Registrants, Matching
FRIDAY, April 15, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The 2016 Match was the largest ever recorded by the National Resident Matching Program, with a higher match rate that 2015, according to a report from the American Medical Association.
Decrease in Medicare Spending for 2012 ACO Entrants
FRIDAY, April 15, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Early reductions in Medicare spending were seen for the first full year of Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) contracts for 2012 Accountable Care Organization (ACO) entrants, according to a study published online April 13 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Health Care Workers Skip Hand Washing One-Third of the Time
THURSDAY, April 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Staff at many outpatient health care facilities in New Mexico failed to follow recommendations for hand hygiene more than one-third of the time, according to findings published in the April 1 issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
Pediatric Pneumonia Can Be Diagnosed Via Lung Ultrasound
THURSDAY, April 14, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Lung ultrasounds may offer a safer, yet equally effective, alternative to chest X-rays for diagnosing pneumonia in children, according to a study published recently in Chest.
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Computerized Order Set Aids Prescribing in COPD Exacerbations
WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Implementation of a computerized multidisciplinary order set in the electronic health record improves the quality of physician pharmacologic prescribing for patients hospitalized for chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) exacerbations, according to research published online April 8 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
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Quality Improvement Process Doesn’t Cut ICU Mortality
TUESDAY, April 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A quality improvement intervention does not reduce in-hospital mortality for critically ill patients treated in intensive care units (ICUs), according to a study published in the April 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Doctors Can Be Misled About FDA ‘Breakthrough’ Drug Designation
TUESDAY, April 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Use of the word “breakthrough” in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s expedited approval process could mislead doctors about the new drugs’ actual benefits, according to a research letter published in the April 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Efficacy of DTaP, Tdap Holds Despite Pertactin Deficiency
TUESDAY, April 12, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Despite an increased proportion of Bordetella pertussis isolates lacking pertactin, vaccine effectiveness (VE) is still high in Vermont for the five-dose diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) series and the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap), according to research published online April 12 in Pediatrics.
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VA Commission on Care: Eliminate VA Medical Centers
MONDAY, April 11, 2016 (HealthDay News) — A radical proposal has been suggested for eliminating all Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers and outpatient facilities in the next 20 years, floated by seven of 15 members of the VA Commission on Care, according to an article published in the Military Times.
World Trade Center Exposure, Eosinophilia Predict Sinus Surgery
FRIDAY, April 8, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Sinus surgery is more common among firefighters who responded during the first two days of the World Trade Center disaster than those who had less intense or shorter exposures, according to a study published online April 8 in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society. The same was found to be true for those firefighters who were at the site for six months or more.
Sacubitril-Valsartan May Be Cost-Effective Option in HFrEF
THURSDAY, April 7, 2016 (HealthDay News) — For patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), sacubitril-valsartan may be cost-effective, depending on the willingness-to-pay threshold, according to a study published online March 30 in JACC: Heart Failure.
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USPSTF Recommends Against COPD Screening in Adults
TUESDAY, April 5, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in asymptomatic adults. These findings form the basis of a recommendation statement published online April 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Recommendation Statement
Evidence Review
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Are Guidelines Needed to Assess Competence of Aging Physicians?
FRIDAY, April 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The question of whether national guidelines need to be developed for assessing the competence of aging physicians was discussed during a recent meeting of key stakeholders, according to a news release from the American Medical Association (AMA).
Even Light-Use Waterpipe Smoking Harms the Lungs
FRIDAY, April 1, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Young, light-use waterpipe smokers exhibit a variety of pulmonary abnormalities, according to a study published online March 23 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
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