JAAPA-Journal of the American Academy of Physicians Assistants articles from January 2008

JAAPA-Journal of the American Academy of Physicians Assistants archives from January 2008

PAs report seeing more patients and receiving various fringe benefits.(physician assistants)(FROM THE AAPA)(Report)
January 1, 2008... PAs saw a growing number of patients in 2007, according to data compiled by AAPA, demonstrating again the profession's role in improving patient access to medical care. The Academy estimates that approximately 245 million patient visits were...

Posttests by mail soon to be a thing of the past.(FROM THE AAPA)(Standards)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... For several years, AAPA members have had the option of submitting posttests by mail or online. The submit by-mail option will soon be a thing of the past. The February 2008 issue of JAAPA will be the last one to include a scannable answer sheet...

2008 AAPA General Election candidates.(American Academy of Physician Assistants)(FROM THE AAPA)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... The AAPA Nominating Committee met December 1 to review materials submitted by candidates for the 2008 General Election for AAPA board members. Four positions are open: president elect, treasurer, and two directors at large. Endorsed candidates...

The big question: "why doesn't she just leave him?".(EDITORIAL)(Editorial)
January 1, 2008... The statistics about domestic violence are chilling. Thirty percent of women killed in the United States are killed by their husbands or boyfriends; 20% to 30% of American women will be physically abused by a partner at least once in their...

Product: Doribax.(New Drug Information)(Drug overview)
January 1, 2008... FROM THE EDITORS OF THE PAPR PRODUCT: Doribax COMPANY: Ortho-McNeil PHARMACOLOGIC CLASS: Antibiotic (carbapenem) ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: Doripenem (as monohydrate) 500mg/vial; pwd; for IV infusion after constitution and dilution;...

A rash and swelling around a puncture mark.(Dermatology Digest)(Disease/Disorder overview)(Case study)
January 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] > CASE The patient is a &year-old boy who noticed a small red bump on his knee before going to bed. The next morning, he found redness and swelling around the initial bump, and the area felt itchy but not...

Testing and treatment in special populations.(TUBERCULOSIS)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 1, 2008... > WHO SHOULD READ THIS? PAs who provide care to special populations, work in public health settings, or work in migrant or community health centers. > WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Changing patterns of migration and increased ease of...

Diagnosing and treating CAP in immunocompetent adults: patient presentation, likely etiology, and test results provide the clues PAs need to successfully diagnose and treat community-acquired pneumonia.(community-acquired pneumonia, physician assistants)(CME)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 1, 2008... Within the past decade, the number of deaths in the United States from pneumonia and influenza has decreased significantly. Preliminary data from 2004 lists pneumonia and influenza as the eighth leading cause of death, a decrease of nearly 7.3%...

Hamstring avulsion repair without using a flexion splint.(The Surgical Patient)(Cover story)(Medical condition overview)
January 1, 2008... CASE A 43-year-old woman presented for examination 18 days after sustaining an injury while waterskiing slalom style. The mechanism of injury was acute flexion of the right hip with extension of the right knee as her left foot disengaged...

A patient with unexplained fevers and persistent fatigue: cases that involve prolonged fever for which no cause can be identified are challenging. This one illustrates the deductive reasoning required of an excellent clinician.(CASE REPORT)(Disease/Disorder overview)(Case study)
January 1, 2008... CASE A 52-year-old white male presented to our urgent care facility with a 12-day history of fevers ranging from 101[degrees]F to 103[degrees]F (38.3-39.4[degrees]C). Acetaminophen helped bring down his temperature for a few hours, but...

The productivity of PAs, APRNs, and physicians in Utah.(physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurse)(RESEARCH REPORT)(Report)
January 1, 2008... ABSTRACT The physician assistant workforce in Utah is experiencing remarkable growth, with a 9% net annual rate of increase since 1998. An additional 84 PAs provided patient care in Utah in the 4-year period of 1998 through 2001, an...

Bulimia nervosa: easy to hide but essential to recognize; ashamed of their behavior, patients with this disorder are more likely to present with vague complaints related to their compensatory weight control practices.(CME)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 1, 2008... Eating disorders are behavioral patterns that develop within a broad spectrum of emotional, biological, and sociocultural characteristics. Bulimia nervosa, one of the most common and highly secretive of these disorders, is characterized by...

Workforce issues impacting PAs.(physician assistants)(Research Corner)(Report)
January 1, 2008... As the utilization of PAs in the US health care workforce increases, questions persist as to how the PA profession impacts the delivery of care. These three presentations from the October 2007 PAEA Education Forum addressed PA workforce issues....

A telltale sign of fracture in a 74-year-old woman.(Diagnostic Imaging Review)(Disease/Disorder overview)(Technical report)(Case study)
January 1, 2008... [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] >CASE A 74-year-old woman presented to the emergency department with a 3- to 4-day history of intractable lower back pain. The pain had intensified until the patient could no longer walk pain-free. Eventually, any...

Breastfeeding does not decrease risk of asthma and allergy.(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)(Report)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Clinical question Does an intervention to promote breastfeeding decrease the risk of asthma and allergy by age 6 years? Bottom line A WHO-UNICEF breastfeeding promotion initiative increased the rates of breastfeeding at 3, 6, and 12 months...

Thimerosal does not cause neuropsychological harm.(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)(Report)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Clinical question Does thimerosal exposure cause any harm? Bottom line Vaccine-related mercury exposure during infancy does not cause any consistent or clinically important changes in neuropsychological development. (Level of evidence = 2b)...

Aggressive early treatment after TIA or minor stroke improves outcomes.(transient ischemic attack)(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)(Report)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Clinical question Does the early use of antiplatelet therapy, statins, and BP control in patients with transient ischemic attacks (TIA) or minor strokes improve short-term outcomes? Bottom line In this quasi-experimental study, early...

7 days of treatment is effective for H pylori.(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)(Report)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Clinical question What is the optimum duration of treatment for Helicobacter pylori eradication? Bottom line Seven days of treatment with triple therapy--a proton pump inibitor (PPI) plus clarithromycin (Biaxin) plus amoxicillin or...

TZDs increase HF events in patients with diabetes or prediabetes.(thiazolidinediones, heart failure)(Patient-oriented evidence that matters)(Report)(Brief article)
January 1, 2008... Clinical question Do thiazolidinediones (TZDs) increase the risk of heart failure (HF) events in patients who have diabetes or are prediabetic? Bottom line Patients with diabetes or prediabetes treated with a TZD (rosiglitazone [Avandia]...

What can I do about MRSA infections?(When the Patient Asks)(Disease/Disorder overview)(Column)
January 1, 2008... Q: What can I do about MRSA infections? Skin and soft tissue infectious are frequently encountered in primary and urgent care settings. Many patients presenting with such an infection complain of a spider bite. In most cases, the "bite" is...

What can I do about MRSA infections?(Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)(Patient information)(Disease/Disorder overview)
January 1, 2008... Q: What can I do about MRSA infections? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] >WHAT IS A SKIN ABSCESS? An abscess is a skin infection that causes a pocket of pus under the skin. The skin is usually swollen, red, and painful. The pus may leak out...

Doctor and patient: a matter of degree.(SOUNDING BOARD)
January 1, 2008... Baylor College regents recently approved the doctor of science physician assistant (DScPA) emergency medicine residency, a new joint US Army/Baylor degree to be completed at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas. The...

Case of the month.(acute coronary syndrome)(Disease/Disorder overview)(Case study)
January 1, 2008... [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] >CASE A 74-year-old woman presented with a 5-day history of chills, head congestion, sinus tenderness, sore throat, and a productive cough with yellow-colored sputum. She stated that for the past 3 days she also had...