JAAPA-Journal of the American Academy of Physicians Assistants articles from April 2004

JAAPA-Journal of the American Academy of Physicians Assistants archives from April 2004

PA profession ranked third fastest-growing in the country.(From the AAPA: news of current interest)(physician's assistant)
April 1, 2004... The PA profession is projected to become the third fastest-growing occupation in the United States between 2002 and 2012, according to employment projections released in February 2004 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS predicts...

Look for "state-of-the-art" CME at the AAPA's annual conference.(From the AAPA: news of current interest)(American Academy of Physician Assistants )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The AAPA's 32nd Annual Physician Assistant Conference, in Las Vegas, Nevada, will offer a new educational opportunity of interest to PAs in all specialties. Through the AAPA Knowledge PArtner Program, the conference will highlight seven...

How to get involved in international response.(From the AAPA: news of current interest)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... After an international disaster like the earthquake in Iran or the typhoon in Guam, the International Medical Surgical Response Team (IMSuRT) is inundated with trained medical personnel who want to become members. So how can a qualified PA...

Join the battle against obesity.(Guest Editorial)
April 1, 2004... Overweight and obesity are epidemic in our country. In 1998, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that more than half of all adults in the United States were overweight or obese; (1) and over the 16-year period from 1985 to 2001,...

Preventing cardiovascular disease in women.(Journal club: recent articles that have an impact on primary care medicine)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... * An American Heart Association panel examined more than 6,000 studies in developing recommendations for the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women. This comprehensive guideline, the first since 1999, used a Framingham-like risk...

Strontium ranelate to decrease osteoporosis among women.(Journal club: recent articles that have an impact on primary care medicine)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... * Strontium ranelate stimulates the formation of new bone tissue and decreases bone resorption. Researchers enrolled 1,649 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and a history of at least one vertebral fracture to quantify the change in bone...

Staying current with the newer antiepileptic drugs.(Journal club: recent articles that have an impact on primary care medicine)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... * Nearly 8 million Americans have epilepsy, and 70% will be able to control seizures with a single antiepileptic drug. Eight antiepileptic drugs have been approved in the past decade, including gabapentin (Neurontin), lamotrigine (Lamictel),...

An important, newly identified respiratory virus among children.(Journal club: recent articles that have an impact on primary care medicine)(Human metapneumovirus)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... * This 25-year longitudinal, prospective study isolated a new RNA virus, human metapneumovirus, from children and adults who presented with acute respiratory tract infections. Of the cases of lower respiratory tract infections, 20% (49 of 248...

It's not a tumor (or is it?).(Journal club: recent articles that have an impact on primary care medicine)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... * The authors compared the prevalence of brain infarcts and white matter lesions in subjects with migraine and in controls from the general population and identified migraine characteristics associated with these lesions in patients aged 30 to...

OC use and predicting premenstrual mood.(Journal club: recent articles that have an impact on primary care medicine)(oral contraceptives)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... * Mood changes and disturbances as a side effect of oral contraceptives (OCs) have been a concern since the agents were introduced in the 1970s and cause many women to discontinue using this method of contraception. Researchers studied ways to...

What can PAs do? Responding to the Surgeon General's Call to Action.(Sounding board: JAAPA's op-ed department)(Physician's Assistant)
April 1, 2004... You need only pick up a newspaper or medical journal to know that the obesity epidemic in this country is worsening: 64% of adults and 15% of children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years are either overweight or obese. (1) The evidence is...

Words into action--promoting successful weight loss in overweight patients; a patient who wants to lose weight is faced with a daunting array of weight-loss options and conflicting claims. Here's how to sort them all out.(Weight Management)
April 1, 2004... Reducing the incidence of obesity has become a major objective of various government agencies, including the Office of the Surgeon General (1) and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)....

The behavior and psychology of weight management: clinicians who know the multiple factors involved in achieving behavioral change can better assess a patient's true readiness for a major lifestyle adjustment.(Behavior modification)
April 1, 2004... Many overweight or obese patients who fail to lose weight, or use diet and exercise to lose weight but then regain it, do so in part for emotional or psychological reasons or because of a poor understanding of the need for behavioral change....

Weight-reduction surgery--past and present: if these procedures are to produce weight loss and improved health, thorough evaluation and careful, effective counseling and education are essential.(Bariatric Surgery)(Cover Story)
April 1, 2004... Surgical intervention can be a safe and effective approach to promoting and maintaining weight loss for severely obese patients after medical and behavior therapies have failed. The surgical approach does, however, carry the risk of serious...

Weighing the risks of a bariatric procedure: weight-reduction surgery succeeds because it restricts how much the patient can eat--which, in turn, can lead to iron, folate, calcium, and vitamin (B.sub.12) deficiencies, often within months of surgery.(Bariatric surgery)
April 1, 2004... Patients who undergo weight-loss surgery usually work with a nutritionist or dietitian before and after surgery to develop and maintain a proper diet and supplement program to accommodate the new digestive configuration. Nevertheless, serious...

Does a low-carbohydrate diet affect biomarkers for CVD?(CAT Clinic)(Cardiovascular Disease)
April 1, 2004... Case: Committed to weight loss A 50-year-old woman explains to her primary care provider that she wants to lose weight and reduce her cardiovascular risk factors by starting a low-carbohydrate diet, such as the Atkins diet. She is...

CME Post-Test.
April 1, 2004... Hines SE. Words into action-promoting weight loss in overweight patients. JAAPA>.2004;17(4):19-24, 26, 28. Onega T. Does a low-carbohydrate diet affect biomarkers for CVD? JAAPA.2004; 17(4): 44-46. Select the correct answer to each...

CME calendar: from the AAPA.(American Academy of Physician Assistants)(Calendar)
April 1, 2004... FLORIDA July 27-31 29th Annual Convention & Exhibition. Where: Destin/Fort Walton Beach. Provider: Georgia Association of PAs. Information: www.gapa.net. August 4-8 FAPA Annual Summer Symposium. Where: Marco Island, Provider:...

Obesity training for MDs didn't lead to weight loss for patients.(Poems: patient-oriented evidence that matters)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Clinical question Does a training program in the management of obesity for primary care providers lead to weight loss for patients? Bottom line A program that trains primary care providers to provide brief, prescriptive lifestyle...

Delayed prescriptions for URIs reduce antibiotic use.(Poems: patient-oriented evidence that matters)(upper respiratory tract infections)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Clinical question Do delayed prescriptions reduce antibiotic use in upper respiratory tract infections? Bottom line Delayed prescriptions for upper respiratory tract infections reduce the use of antibiotics; patient satisfaction, however,...

Canadian C-Spine Rule more accurate than NEXUS rule.(Poems: patient-oriented evidence that matters)
April 1, 2004... Clinical question Which clinical decision rule is better at recognizing cervical spine injury, the Canadian C-Spine Rule or the NEXUS rule? Bottom line The Canadian C-Spine Rule (CCR) is more sensitive and specific than the National...