PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Too few primary care doctors address obesity with their patients, highlighting need for weight loss tool

2023-05-23
(Press-News.org) Too Few Primary Care Doctors Address Obesity With Their Patients, Highlighting Need for Weight Loss Tool

After finding that few to no clinicians provided weight management care, researchers developed a weight loss tool called PATHWEIGH. This tool was designed to remove clinician barriers in providing patient care that addressed weight. Early success with the tool led to PATHWEIGH being implemented in the health system’s 57 primary care clinics.

Researchers describe the characteristics of patients to determine the current state of weight management efforts in 57 primary care clinics. Patients included in the analysis were 18 years and older; had a body mass index (BMI) of more than 25 kg/m2; and had had a weight-prioritized visit between March 17, 2020 and March 16, 2021. Twelve percent (n=20,383) of patients that matched these criteria during this baseline period had a weight-prioritized visit.

Overall, patients who had had a weight-prioritized visit had a mean age of 52 years (SD=16), 58% women, 76% non-Hispanic whites, 64% with commercial insurance, and a mean BMI of 37 kg/m2. Documented referral for weight-related concerns was low (<6%) and only 334 prescriptions for anti-obesity medications were noted. Even though most patients were privately insured, referral to any weight-related service or prescription of anti-obesity medication was uncommon.

What We Know: Obesity is a complex, multifactorial condition in which excess body fat may put a person at health risk. It is responsible for 4 million deaths and the loss of 120 million healthy life years due to disability each year. Primary care serves as a common setting for addressing prevention and treatment of disorders caused by obesity, such as diabetes and hypertension, and many patients note weight management as a top priority. However, evidence-based interventions shown to be effective for weight loss are not commonly delivered in the primary care context.

What This Study Adds:  These results fortify the rationale for strategies to improve weight management in primary care.

Baseline Characteristics of PATHWEIGH: A Stepped-Wedge Cluster Randomized Study for Weight Management in Primary Care

Leigh Perreault, MD, et al
Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, and Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, Aurora, Colorado
Permanent link

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Artificial intelligence can help categorize and triage primary care patients with respiratory symptoms

2023-05-23
Researchers from Iceland trained a machine learning model with artificial intelligence to triage patients with respiratory symptoms before the patients visit a primary care clinic. To train the machine learning model, the researchers used only questions that a patient might be asked about before a clinic visit. Information was extracted from 1,500 clinical text notes that included a physician's interpretation of the patient's symptoms and signs, as well as reasons for clinical decisions made during the consultation, such as imaging referrals and prescriptions. Patients were categorized into one of five diagnostic categories based on information in clinical notes. Patients from all ...

Standardized measures are needed to quantify EHR workload outside time scheduled with patients

2023-05-23
Amid an uptick in publications looking to quantify the electronic health record (EHR) workload faced by clinicians, researchers propose three recommendations to ensure the accuracy and replicability of research in this space. Their recommendations include: 1) separating all time working in the EHR outside time scheduled with patients from time working in the EHR during time scheduled with patients, 2) including any time before or after scheduled appointments as “after-hours,” and 3) encouraging the EHR vendor and research communities to develop validated methods for measuring active EHR ...

Updated literature review reinforces link between care continuity, lower health care costs and more appropriate care usage

2023-05-23
In this systematic review, the authors summarized the wide range of peer-reviewed literature that links continuity of the doctor-patient relationship to health care costs and care utilization. This information is important to establish continuity measurement in value-based payment design. The authors conducted a literature review of articles published between 2002 and 2022 about "continuity of care" and "continuity of patient care," as well as payor-relevant outcome categories, such as cost ...

Longtime University of Kentucky child neurologist receives Governor’s Service Award

Longtime University of Kentucky child neurologist receives Governor’s Service Award
2023-05-23
FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 19, 2023) — On Wednesday, May 17, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) Secretary Eric Friedlander recognized UK HealthCare’s Robert J. Baumann, M.D., with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Baumann has worked in the field of child neurology in Kentucky for more than five decades. He was key in establishing the Office for Children with Special Health Care Needs (OCSHCN) network of regional medical clinics in Eastern ...

Gratitude practice among health care workers shows positive effects on well-being, with limitations

2023-05-23
Researchers tested a digital version of a positive psychology intervention called “Three Good Things” (3GT) among health care workers to assess whether gratitude practice improved well-being. Two hundred and twenty-three participants—all of whom were based at a single, large academic medicine department—were randomized to an immediate intervention or delayed intervention control group. During the study, participants received text messages three times per week, prompting them to document three things for which they were grateful. Participants completed surveys measuring levels of depression, positive affect, gratitude, and life satisfaction at the study’s ...

Allowing patients with disabilities to describe their own clinical experiences can improve doctor communications

2023-05-23
Researchers looking to better understand patient experiences are turning to patient-guided tours (PGT) of health facilities, an approach drawn from the experience-based design literature. However, little research has assessed how patients with disabilities perceive the approach. In this qualitative study, 18 patients were asked to walk through the clinic as they would on a typical visit while describing their experiences. Patients’ experiences and perceptions of the tours were audiotaped and transcribed. Additionally, investigators took field notes and completed thematic content analyses. Their findings support the value ...

FDA clears bionic pancreas developed in BU Lab for people with type 1 diabetes

FDA clears bionic pancreas developed in BU Lab for people with type 1 diabetes
2023-05-23
A bionic pancreas—a wearable, pocket-sized, automated insulin delivery device—that was first developed in a Boston University lab has been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The iLet Bionic Pancreas is now commercially available, bringing fresh hope to the almost two million Americans with type 1 diabetes. The approval is a massive milestone in a two-decade—and deeply personal—journey. Invented 20 years ago in the lab of Ed Damiano, a BU College of Engineering professor of ...

A troubling reaction to school violence compounds the crisis

2023-05-23
Ann Arbor, May 23, 2023 – High school students who experience violence or bullying at school are more likely to bring weapons like a gun, knife, or club to school than those who have not experienced violence, according to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier. Because weapons increase the potential for injury and death when there is interpersonal conflict, developing a better understanding of the relationship between exposure to violence and weapon carrying is essential for developing effective public health interventions. “With 93 school shootings in the US just the 2020-21 period alone, ...

José Andrés and the George Washington University’s groundbreaking new institute to lead the world in delivering food system solutions

2023-05-23
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 23, 2023) – World-renowned chef, author, and humanitarian José Andrés and international research leader the George Washington University (GW) today announced their partnership to build a premier Global Food Institute at GW, an unprecedented and transformative collaboration in the heart of the nation’s capital with plans to be a world leader in food system solution delivery. “Our global food system is experiencing a crisis, brought on by systemic inequities, rampant hunger and poverty, the climate crisis, and deteriorating public health and nutrition. But food has the power to solve problems: It can rebuild lives and communities, heal ...

COPDGene study follows emphysema patients over 10 years

2023-05-23
Researchers at National Jewish Health evaluating computerized tomography (CT) scans of emphysema progression in the COPDGene® study showed that, during a span of 10 years, participants with pre-existing emphysema who continued smoking had the largest decline in adjusted lung density (ALD). The lung density decline was notably worse in current smokers compared with former smokers. The study is significant because reliably measuring changes in emphysema over time has always been challenging, due in part to differences in CT equipment technology and imaging parameters across institutions. The study, which published ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Circle versus rectangle: Finding ‘Earth 2.0’ may be easier using a new telescope shape

Metformin changes blood metal levels in humans

Long-term anticoagulation discontinuation after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation

Fractional flow reserve–guided complete vs culprit-only revascularization in non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel disease

Participation of women in cardiovascular trials from 2017 to 2023

Semaglutide and tirzepatide in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Changes in biology of internal fat may be the leading cause of heart failure

Transcatheter or surgical treatment of patients with aortic stenosis at low to intermediate risk

Promising new drug for people with stubborn high blood pressure

One shot of RSV vaccine effective against hospitalization in older adults for two seasons

Bivalent RSV prefusion F protein–based vaccine for preventing cardiovascular hospitalizations in older adults

Clonal hematopoiesis and risk of new-onset myocarditis and pericarditis

Risk of myocarditis or pericarditis with high-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine

High-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine and cardiovascular outcomes in older adults

Prevalence, determinants, and time trends of cardiovascular health in the WHO African region

New study finds that, after a heart attack, women have worse prognosis when treated with beta-blockers

CNIC-led REBOOT clinical trial challenges 40-year-old standard of care for heart attack patients

Systolic blood pressure and microaxial flow pump–associated survival in infarct-related cardiogenic shock

Beta blockers, the standard treatment after a heart attack, may offer no benefit for heart attack patients and women can have worse outcomes

High Mountain Asia’s shrinking glaciers linked to monsoon changes

All DRII-ed up: How do plants recover after drought?

Research on stigma says to just ‘shake it off’

Scientists track lightning “pollution” in real time using NASA satellite

Millions of women rely on contraceptives, but new Rice study shows they may do more than just prevent pregnancy

Hot days make for icy weather, Philippine study finds

Roxana Mehran, MD, receives the most prestigious award given by the European Society of Cardiology

World's first clinical trial showing lubiprostone aids kidney function

Capturing language change through the genes

Public trust in elections increases with clear facts

Thawing permafrost raised carbon dioxide levels after the last ice age

[Press-News.org] Too few primary care doctors address obesity with their patients, highlighting need for weight loss tool