EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 5 P.M., EDT, THURSDAY, MAY 14, 1998
May 15, 1998, Tip Sheet
Annals of Internal Medicine is published by the American College of Physicians (ACP), an organization of more than 100,000 physicians trained in internal medicine. The following highlights are not intended to substitute for articles as sources of information. For a copy of an article, call 1-800-523-1546, ext. 2656 or 215-351-2656. The full text of selected articles can be accessed on the Internet at http://www.acponline.org/journals/annals on May 15, 1998. * * *
News on Osteoporosis --Protein supplements improve clinical outcome and muscle strength and lessen bone loss after hip fracture, finds a double-blind, placebo controlled trial. (Article, p. 801.)
--New vertebral fractures, even those not recognized when they occur and discovered only later by X-ray, are associated with increased back pain and disability from back pain in white women over 65, a study finds. (Article, p. 793.)
--Warfarin, which can affect bone growth in the developing fetus, and which is the most commonly prescribed oral anticoagulant, has no adverse effects on bone health in white, ambulatory women over 65, a study finds. (Brief Communication, p. 829.) * * *
Physicians Must Address Geographic Variations in Health Care Because Other Stakeholders Are Paying Attention
Geographic variations in practice patterns are of increased interest to health care delivery stakeholders, such as insurers, employers, government and patients, says David E. Wennberg, MD, MPH, of the Maine Medical Center. (Editorial, p. 866.) He suggests several actions physicians can take to reassert their role in medical decision making and protect patients from intrusion by third parties: measure the care they deliver, incorporate evidence-based data into their daily practices, standardize the clinical guideline development process, and learn to inform patients more effectively about the risks and benefits of treatments that show wide variation. * * *
Internists Are the Doctors Best Trained to Provide Continuity of Care, Says Author
Internal medicine is the medical specialty that maximizes the quality of health care and assures the continuity and integration of adult care from the outpatient setting to the hospital and from health through chronic, severe, complex illness to the end of life, says James P. Nolan, MD, of the State University of New York at Buffalo. (Perspective, p. 857.)
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