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

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

Most successful annual conference ever.(From the AAPA: news of current interest)
July 1, 2004... The AAPA's 32nd Annual Physician Assistant Conference in Las Vegas, Nev, June 1-6, 2004, was the biggest and best ever. Total attendance reached approximately 10,800, of which some 8,800 were PAs and PA students. In addition, there were 450...

House says "Yea" to policies on coparents, foreign-trained PAs, emergency contraception.(From the AAPA: news of current interest)(American Association of Physician Assistants House of Delegates)
July 1, 2004... The AAPA 2004 House of Delegates approved policies supporting equal access to health care for children of all family structures, policies outlining a framework for the licensure of PAs who have received parts of their health care education in...

EMTALA allows PAs to take emergency room call.(From the AAPA: news of current interest)(Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act governs use of physician assistants)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new interpretive guidelines on May 13 clarifying that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) allows PAs to take emergency room call. EMTALA requires that hospital...

State-of-the-art lectures available on AAPA Web site.(From the AAPA: news of current interest)(American Association of Physicians Assistants conference)
July 1, 2004... The AAPA's Web site now features the state-of-the-art lectures held at the 2004 annual conference. The sessions on lipids, prescribing opioids, diabetes, osteoporosis, asthma, GERD, and antibiotics for respiratory tract infections are available...

Am I still a PA?(physician assistant)(Editorial)
July 1, 2004... As I prepared to attend the 2004 Annual Physician Assistant Conference in Las Vegas, I wondered how many old friends I'd meet. I graduated from PA school almost 25 years ago. Would I bump into any of my classmates or people I'd worked with in...

What effect does treatment for cervical cancer have on delivery?(Journal club: the bottom line on new research)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Sadler L, Saftlas A, Wang W, et al. Treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and risk of preterm delivery. JAMA. 2004; 291:2100-2106. * Whether treatment for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) increases the risk of preterm...

Statins reduce CVD in diabetes.(Journal club: the bottom line on new research)(cardiovascular disease )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Snow V, Aronson MD, Hornbake ER, et al. Lipid control in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Clinical Efficacy Assessment Subcommittee of the American College of...

Connecting the dots: overweight and hypertension in children.(Journal club: the bottom line on new research)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Muntner P, He J, Cutler JA, et al. Trends in blood pressure among children and adolescents. JAMA. 2004;291:2107-2113. * The prevalence of hypertension among US adults has increased concurrently with increases in body mass index (BMI). The...

Tracking SARS to airborne transmission.(Journal club: the bottom line on new research)(severe acute respiratory syndrome)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Yu IT, Li Y, Wong TW, et al. Evidence of airborne transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus. N Engl J Med. 2004;350: 1731-1739. * The mode of transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus has been...

Barriers to emergency care are no surprise.(Journal club: the bottom line on new research)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2004... Kennedy J, Rhodes K, Walls CA, Asplin BR. Access to emergency care: restricted by long waiting times and cost and coverage concerns. Ann Emerg Med. 2004;43:567-573. * The authors of this study monitored progress toward Healthy People 2010...

Chronic mechanical back pain strategies for intervention when conservative treatment fails: low back pain that is refractory to conservative treatment may respond to an appropriate nerve block, radio-frequency neuroablation, epidural injection, intradiscal electrothermal therapy, or spinal cord stimulation.(Managing low back pain)(Cover Story)
July 1, 2004... KEY POINTS in this article * A thorough general physical and a back examination, together with medical and social histories, are crucial to getting at the cause of a patient's chronic low back pain. * Facet and sacroiliac joint...

Acute ischemic stroke--swift assessment and quick action produce optimal outcomes: the twin goals of an acute evaluation are to prevent further acute brain injury and to forestall potentially devastating neurologic sequelae.(Recertification Refresher)
July 1, 2004... KEY POINTS in this article * Once stroke is diagnosed, its etiology--either hemorrhagic or ischemic--must be identified before treatment is initiated. * Despite the availability of more advanced modalities, CT is the most commonly...

The role of pharmacogenetics in future practice: you don't need extensive testing to identify a patient's pharmacogenetic profile. Ethnicity or response to other drugs may offer the clues you need to adjust a drug regimen.(Genomic Medicine)
July 1, 2004... KEY POINTS in this article * Pharmacogenetics involves the study of gene variations, which can exist as rare defects or as polymorphisms. * Pharmacogenomics describes the discipline of identifying innovative drug targets and accounting...

When the patient can't stay awake: a careful physical examination and meticulous history may suggest clues to narcolepsy in the patient who complains of debilitating sleepiness. Effective treatments are available.(Case studies in narcolepsy)
July 1, 2004... KEY POINTS in this article * Few patients who have narcolepsy present with the classic symptom tetrad of sleepiness, cataplexy, hypnagogic hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. * A careful history and appropriate sleep studies are...

Sterile gloves not necessary for laceration repair.(Poems: Patient-oriented evidence that matters)
July 1, 2004... Clinical question Do sterile gloves offer greater protection from wound infection than clean nonsterile gloves? Bottom line Infection rates in patients undergoing uncomplicated laceration repair are not different when sterile gloves, rather...

Meat, seafood, and little dairy are risk factors for gout.(Poems: Patient-oriented evidence that matters)
July 1, 2004... Clinical question Which dietary factors are associated with the development of gout? Bottom line There is a small but significant association between incidence of gout and increased consumption of meat and seafood or decreased consumption...

Exemestane better than tamoxifen in years 2-5 after breast CA.(Poems: Patient-oriented evidence that matters)
July 1, 2004... Clinical question Does exemestane improve outcomes in patients with breast cancer when given beginning 2 to 3 years after diagnosis? Bottom line Exemestane improves outcomes for postmenopausal women with estrogen-receptor-positive breast...

CME calendar.(Calendar)
July 1, 2004... CALIFORNIA October 22-24 28th Annual Conference. Where: Palm Springs. Provider: California Academy of PAs. Information: www.capanet.org. FLORIDA July 27-31 29th Annual Convention & Exhibition. Where: Destin/Fort Walton Beach,...

Case of the month: diagnostic challenges from your case files.
July 1, 2004... CASE Ms. C. is a 23-year-old nonsmoker who presented to the clinic with a history of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) for approximately 18 months. Her primary care physician had treated these infections empirically with...